TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Gareth Williams features in an article in the Grauniad today. Looks like Cropredy 2021 is on a knife edge...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/culture/2021/mar/06/fans-and-artists-must-have-covid-vaccine-before-attending-music-festivals-say-organisers

Cropredy – article in The Guardian
This weekend’s Guardian online carries an article about issues affecting this year’s music festivals.  As Cropredy’s Festival Director I was interviewed by the journalist who wrote the piece. The interview followed a Zoom meeting I’d just had with fellow members of Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
It appears from the article that wires got crossed so I’m writing to clarify the situation.
Firstly, no one (as far as I know) is suggesting the Government makes proof of vaccination a condition of entry to music festivals. I am fully aware that doing so would exclude the many ticket holders who will not have been vaccinated. That would include young festival-goers and that is the last thing we want to see.
We certainly have no intention of pressing the Government to “say everybody needs a vaccination to get in”  and I am disappointed that the article seems to state otherwise.
We are discussing a wide variety of measures to make opening up the festival season possible. We will all continue to work closely with the responsible authorities to make this a reality.
In his recent ‘Roadmap’ speech, the Prime Minister announced an Event Research Programme which will run a series of indoor and outdoor test events during the spring. These tests will ascertain exactly what will be required to run a safe event. The results of this analysis will likely form the basis of the PM’s June announcement about large outdoor events and what will be required.
We are extremely grateful for the CRF Grant that we received last October and hope our application for the second round is successful. The Guardian article used the phrase “lobbying for financial cover” when in fact we are “lobbying for insurance cover”.
The AIF are lobbying on behalf of all festivals for help with the underwriting of our Cancellation Insurance. Each year, festivals take out this insurance as a precaution against adverse weather conditions etc. However, insurance companies are understandably unwilling to underwrite Covid and that is where we need the Government to step in and help the industry. We remain hopeful of a positive outcome.
To sum up. We have not – and will not – be pressing the Government “. . .to say everybody needs a vaccination to get in. We need that clarity, rather than each having to go to people and explain.” That simply makes no sense as it would exclude many of our festival-goers. Cropredy is a family friendly festival for all ages and will remain so.
There will undoubtedly still be some form of mitigation regarding Covid-19 at the festival in August but precisely what will depend on the data from the Government’s test events. Once this data has been analysed, we will have a clearer picture of what will be required.
I hope this clears up any confusion arising from the article.
Gareth Williams

Gareth Williams is the voice of equanimity and resolve that I wish Bill Gates had inserted into a microchip in the vaccine so that I might have some measure of it.

With today's announcement from Bridge Meadow. That's us done I'm afraid.

I saw that on fb, Nick, and immediately thought of you.  :(

Why me?  ;D There will a lot of others who feel the same.

This year will show the full effect as I can foresee numbers being strictly limited but once you get out of the habit who knows. It is very difficult for us to come on Thursday morning as the Stewards refuse to listen to you. Our van is quite large and does not like anything but the flattest and driest of sufaces. If it slopes the fridge does not work and if it is wet and slopes we get stuck . Wet and boggy its all over. Cant tent because of back problems. Without a guaranteed pitch and early arrival we cant do it I'm afraid.

I haven’t heard about that... what happened?

Limited numbers for Festival weekend and already fully booked.

Just cos I knew you pitch in Bridge Meadow... entrance was the rendezvous point for the Trotawhile runners!

;D I've decided to look on the bright side, I won't have to listen to Steve Hackett!!

Five camper vans and ten tents! Given the space, that's ridiculous.

So everybody wins.....

I messaged Gareth in the light of the Bridge Meadow cancellations to request that field 7 opens on the Wednesday. This for those who cant join the lottery on a Thursday for reasons of distance travelled or situations like Nick's.

Please let him know if you are also in this boat!!!

The infrastructure required would be minimal and easily covered by the extra fee.

The only problem with that is that most people would now arrive on Wednesday!!

Opening part of F7 on Weds was a  godsend for me the last time. As someone who has to travel through the night to get there for any decent time  on Thursday and have no wriggle time for contingencies, landing on Weds night has become my preferred option. F8 was great till it became oversubscribed, hippified and privatised.
So yes, add my voice to the "Field 7 is Heaven, especially on a Wednesday " campaign.

We've had a long chat about Cropredy and decided that there is absolutely no point in getting the vaccine unless we get back into Society and do normal things, allbeit in a modified way. So we're definitely going  :D :D

We're happy to take responsibility for our own safety (as regards Covid) so we're taking masks, disposable gloves, anti bac gel and spray to use if we feel it's necessary. No hugging or hand shaking tho....

We're glamping so we'll use the facilites there where possible and just be sensible the rest of the time. It's going to be different but we'd rather be a bit cautious and be there, than not be there are all. Yes it's going to be different but I reckon by 2022 it'll be more or less back to normal. So let's see how it goes this year.

Good luck with getting field 7 open a day early, policing it will be the issue but many people don't like field 7 so if they know that's the only option if you go on the Wednesday then maybe they won't turn up then?

My ticket is Saturday only - hopefully there'll still be room on F7...

Hoorah! I have been gifted a Saturday-only ticket, and so will be making my way from the bar to the front of the stage in order to hear my favourite FC elbun all the way through, before - in all probability - sobbing slightly and falling asleep under a gazebo. I foresee no issues with social distancing, especially behind the sound tower - I mean, have you seen the size of some of those picnic blankets?

This cheers me greatly! 😁

From Fairport's official site (and fb page):

We are delighted to announce that Fairport’s Cropredy Convention has received a grant of £100k from Round 2 of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Cropredy Festival Organiser, Gareth Williams, said:

”We are extremely grateful for this award. The money from the CRF Round 1 has already filtered out in the form of deposits to our terrific support companies, without whom there would be no festival and the Round 2 grant will continue to ensure that we are all in place to open the gates once again this August.”

 :)

Looks like New Forest FF got £50,824, which is good news.

Very good news, indeed.

Excellent and thanks to Trev and Gareth we have now been persuaded to go.  ;D

All I did was refer your posting to Gareth. I have no magic touch.
Still ,it wouldn't have been the same without you there.

Wonderful news...  happy to imagine being in that field again with so many friends 🥰🥰🥰

I'm a bit confused.

Is the festival sold out or not ?

The ticket sales page on the FC website implies there are still tickets for sale.  

Obviously this depends on the event being ALLOWED to be on through government restriction, council licenses etc.

??

No need for confusion.  It's not sold out: https://www2.theticketfactory.com/fairport-convention/online/

This might be an opportune time and place to ask for advice... I ordered my tickets from Ticket Factory in late February, but their website tracker is still showing them as "Preparing". Now I know they say they can be sent any time in the future before the event, but I wonder is anyone else in the same boat? Is it normal enough not to have any progress on them? Or do you think I should get onto Ticket Factory at this stage?
I'd be grateful for any guidance here - I 'd just love to have them in my hands to drool (and hope) over...
Cheers

Mine were ordered last Autumn, still waiting...

Lots of people in that boat. I think Ticket Factory are waiting for a definitive "go!".

Thanks. Both, that's good to know (well it's not really, but you know what I mean....

Lots of people in that boat. I think Ticket Factory are waiting for a definitive "go!".


I am not 100% sure here, but I am sure I read that the Ticket Factory are based somewhere that is completely closed due to Covid restrictions.
So they couldn't print and send the tickets anyway.
(quick look shows an address of NEC Birmingham, so quite likely closed).

Latest email from the band suggests that this year's festival is still in the balance, dependent on the Government backing festival insurance (not going to happen) and the outcome of the test events.

Seems a little more downbeat, but perhaps I'm reading too much in to it. The failure of the Government to back festival insurance is particularly galling, given the huge amounts given away to private companies for the useless test and trace system, plus the latest corruption revelations.

I must admit I feel rather less optimistic after reading it than before.  But we'll see...

Would it be possible to share the text of that email?

(I've tried to join the email list a couple of times, but have never received anything)

Cropredy 2021 – Fabulous News
We are delighted to tell you that this month Cropredy has been awarded another Cultural Recovery Fund Grant. We extend our sincere thanks to Mike Jervis for successfully negotiating our application.

The previous Grant ran from October to March and this new one takes us to the end of June. It means that have sufficient funds to keep the festival office open through spring and early summer. It also pays for deposits to our amazing suppliers – like us, they have had a hard time of it during the pandemic so, like us, they also welcome the Grant.

Now to the question you’ve all been asking: is Cropredy going ahead this year? Inevitably, there are many factors involved before any concrete decision can be made.

Firstly, despite sustained lobbying, our industry has thus far been unable to obtain government backed cancelation insurance covering Covid. Without this insurance in place, we and other festivals would be taking a huge risk were we to go ahead. Organisations such as the Association of Independent Festivals and the Association of Festival Organisers will continue to lobby on our behalf.

Secondly, we are waiting for clarification the Prime Minister has promised regarding Step 4, the removal of all restrictions, on or after 21 June once he has the data from the Event Research Programme taking place in May. At the time of writing the numbers of cases and deaths are coming down, there are less patients in hospital and the massive vaccination programme is ahead of its projected schedule. However, one thing we’ve all learnt from the past 14 months is that we can’t take anything for granted. Nonetheless we remain cautiously optimistic (surely this year’s most over-used phrase). There is an air of hope in the country at the moment so let’s keep our fingers crossed that the news in June will be just the tonic we all need.

If we are given the green light, we will be ready to go. As always, our primary concern will be the safety and wellbeing of our crews, the performers, village residents and – of course – you, the Cropredy crowd.

Tickets are available now from our box office and they are selling well so don’t leave it too long to buy yours.

Cropredy 2021 – Fabulous News
We are delighted to tell you that this month Cropredy has been awarded another Cultural Recovery Fund Grant. We extend our sincere thanks to Mike Jervis for successfully negotiating our application.

The previous Grant ran from October to March and this new one takes us to the end of June. It means that have sufficient funds to keep the festival office open through spring and early summer. It also pays for deposits to our amazing suppliers – like us, they have had a hard time of it during the pandemic so, like us, they also welcome the Grant.

Now to the question you’ve all been asking: is Cropredy going ahead this year? Inevitably, there are many factors involved before any concrete decision can be made.

Firstly, despite sustained lobbying, our industry has thus far been unable to obtain government backed cancelation insurance covering Covid. Without this insurance in place, we and other festivals would be taking a huge risk were we to go ahead. Organisations such as the Association of Independent Festivals and the Association of Festival Organisers will continue to lobby on our behalf.

Secondly, we are waiting for clarification the Prime Minister has promised regarding Step 4, the removal of all restrictions, on or after 21 June once he has the data from the Event Research Programme taking place in May. At the time of writing the numbers of cases and deaths are coming down, there are less patients in hospital and the massive vaccination programme is ahead of its projected schedule. However, one thing we’ve all learnt from the past 14 months is that we can’t take anything for granted. Nonetheless we remain cautiously optimistic (surely this year’s most over-used phrase). There is an air of hope in the country at the moment so let’s keep our fingers crossed that the news in June will be just the tonic we all need.

If we are given the green light, we will be ready to go. As always, our primary concern will be the safety and wellbeing of our crews, the performers, village residents and – of course – you, the Cropredy crowd.

Tickets are available now from our box office and they are selling well so don’t leave it too long to buy yours.

Well, that does seem ambivalent. We shall see.

Davidmjs ; when you say "Tickets are available now from our box office and they are selling well so don’t leave it too long to buy yours."

Are these from the Ticket Factory ?

I get the impression that the Ticket Factory are taking orders and money, but tickets aren't being delivered because its not certain the festival will run.

I trust there is a full refund system if the festival does not run.

The trouble is its not just the ticket costs, its getting accommodation if your staying off-site and booking time from work.

Will tickets be available on the gate as previously ?

David's post is quoting the email from Fairport that was sent out a day or two ago, so the questions are best aimed to Fairport themselves rather than him.

Tickets are usually available on the gate unless the event is sold out in advance.  So my personal view is that there are likely to be tickets available there unless the attendance numbers have to be reduced.

If numbers are to be reduced it would be far easier to administer if tickets havent been sent out.

There will of course be a number of valid tickets carried over from last summer!

Brasenose Fringe Line Up on Facebook.  

Very impressive it is. Leatherat at 2 on Friday followed by 3 daft monkeys stands out for me.

I think given the fact that the Indian variant is now taking hold the chances of the festival taking place must now be doubtful , especially given that vaccinated people are already in hospital after catching this variant.
Sorry to be downbeat.
 :(

The vaccinated one is said to be very frail

Whilst speculation is easy, let's wait for the facts, eh.

Andy (in rare Admin mode)

I'm thinking positive, and I can't see Cropredy not happening. With the majority of the population being vaccinated , covid will pose no more of a threat than a dose of flu. Think positive people ;-)

FC website announces that Hook Norton Ales are replacing Wadworths at The Bar!

Is this not a bit 'samey?

The Red Lion fringe line up has been announced. Looks promising but for one glaring omission, no Spank The Monkey.

Any chance you could post it here please?

They’re playing in the Brasenose however on the Saturday at 4pm. Show of Hands also on on but the Sat before on the 8th also at 4pm.

Sorry operator error!! Show of Hands on Sunday 8th August not the Saturday.

I've seen it on Facebook now:

Red Lion Cropredy Fringe

Thursday 12 August
12.00 - 14.00     Open Mic
14.00 - 16.00     The Badgers
17.00 - 19.00     Charlie Tarry & The Outlaws

Friday 13 August
12.00 - 14.00     Glymjack
14.00 - 16.00     The Dylan Rythmn Band
17.00 - 19.00     Nevamynd

Saturday 14 August
12.00 - 14.0       One Tone
14.00 - 16.00     Bushfieldsmith
17.00 - 19.00     The Duckworths

Do we need a new thread for "Fringe events"?

A new announcement has been posted at the official website:

https://fairportconvention.com/

It says a decision will be announced on June 28 whether the 2021 Festival will take place.

That does seem an early deadline, when the next date scheduled for any sort of announcement is July 5th.

Everything is a risk, but at some point it has to be accepted that everything that can be done has been done and the nation is slowly going nuts. We need friends, music and beer.

I guess they have their own deadlines for booking the stage, etc, and need to make definite commitments by a certain date, and so they need to have a cut-off point, even if it doesn't tie in with govt announcements.

It's gonna be a long 10 days...

I know that we aren't alone in wishing, rather selfishly, for Cropredy to go ahead. Time will tell, if there's one thing I've learnt in the last year, it's "don't get your hopes up".

In the meantime, we have at least got the New Forest Folk Festival to look forward to, which is being allowed to run as the crowd is relatively small.

The determining factor seems to be whether the government will underwrite insurance in the event of late cancellation. I am not optimistic about that.

My bigger concern would be that cases of the Delta variant is expected to peak around late July/early August which begs the question of whether it is a good idea at all. I would certainly be reluctant to mix in a big crowd. This thing is clearly not retreating yet and we probably need another few months to get us there. But I take Yabb's point about the country going stir crazy.

... in which case, being a tall chap, you'll get a good view.

That was for Andy, btw.

Not long after Mike had his 2nd jab (Feb) we were taking about Cropredy & he said he still wouldn’t go (and August seemed a long way off at that time) as there would be crowds. We discussed how tents/caravans enabled social distancing & we’d be outside & we could be extra careful, but he wouldn’t have it.

A day or two later, out of the blue, he said of course we must go! What was the point of getting jabbed if you didn’t then get back out into society, albeit taking care & not taking silly risks? I have to say I completely agree. I see no reason why 15,000 odd people shouldn’t gather together in a field & enjoy themselves but just be a bit sensible. Don’t go if you have symptoms. They’ll probably check temperatures so be prepared for a wait to get onto the field. You might have to produce evidence you’ve had the jab, or evidence you can’t have it. There are ways around this. I’m sure Gareth has it all in hand…  :)

I would walk there in bare feet and beg them if it was just a case of them teetering and not being sure - but I know they must be well on top of all the issues. The insurance is a massive one, but another major one has to be the wishes of the local population and the threat to them, and we of course have to respect that. I really don't want to contemplate them calling it off again, and I'm sure neither do they. After the last 18 months of weird dystopia, this is the one thing I've really looked forward to. I think  if I was religious I'd be praying right now.

The Open Golf at Sandwich is a Government approved test event
and is allowing 32,000 people a day. I am sure the guys are onto it
but I wonder if you can apply for your event to be an approved “test event”
like say, Download Festival?

Would it be viable at 10k attendees?

I think all the talk of keeping the community safe is a red herring.
If the festival was cancelled (unlikely when 45,000 can attend the euro final at Wembley) you can bet the fringe events would still take place and they will have people from all over coming and going as they wish.

Given that there’s no way the government can currently shut pubs etc how can anyone justify cancelling a festival where protocols can be enforced in favour of allowing events at public houses?

I’m sure given the age demographic that 95% of attendees would be fully vaccinated and the other 5% would have the chance to have at least their first jab , that there is no excuse not to hold it

I hope the fringe takes place too albeit with safety protocols in place rather than an Oxfordshire free for all for those who don’t support the main event.

Having visited both the brase and the lion I can confirm both are doing a great job and I hope this is the case in august.

In short to cancel the main event but still have thousands milling around the village for fringe events would be ridiculous imo.

The fringe imo will take place and be safe and given how good the organisation at the festival is I’m sure that the main event will be even safer.

If there’s one festival I would feel safe at its Cropredy due to the attendees who are a great sensible bunch and the organisers who I trust to put on a great safe event for all.

Didn’t mean to quote you in my post David !!

That's a depressing update. My reading of it is that the Festival will be cancelled unless the Government step in with cancellation insurance. That's clearly not going to happen, so it looks like no Cropredy again this year. No blame on the organisers - they are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I really hope I'm wrong, but it feels like the writing is on the wall. Inevitably, restrictions will be lifted in July, but that will be too late and we will be left to mourn our Government's stubborn pig-headedness (again).

Insurance.

Government are not explicitly cancelling festivals, they are just not providing commitment or policy that enables festivals to ensure they can get cover. Without insurance, organisers of large scale events cannot afford the risks they face.

Point taken but haven’t we been told that restrictions will be lifted on July 19th??
I’ve just heard that 60,000 are being allowed into Wembley stadium in a quite confined space….
15,000 not being allowed in a bigger area of the festival site???

Pull the other one.

I know which event will have a bigger % of fully vaccinated attendees.

I know which one I’d be more comfortable with.

If 60,000 can attend Wembley there is no way that 15,000 won’t be allowed to attend Cropredy a couple of weeks later.

Why on earth are people worrying…?

There’s no justification for cancelling it.

The day Cropredy won’t take place but 60,000 can turn up at Wembley is the day they can end the festival and not have it again.

There’s no guarantee of next years situation as no one has a crystal ball so let’s put up a goal at each end of the festival field and get on with it whilst the vaccine works and things are as safe as they ever will be.

All the above just indicates that government decisions don't necessarily add up.

However, at the end of the day, festival organisers face a choice: of going ahead, and accepting the risks that come with doing so, or cancelling, and accepting the risks that come with that. Financially speaking, if you can't get insurance, going ahead ceases to be an option, whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation.

This is the problem when the system of Government we have chosen is a Buffoonocracy. Vagueness, confusion and contradiction rule the day, as they have for almost 18 months.
If football matches and Wimbledon can go ahead with capacity crowds, as they are soon to do, then so can Cropredy.
I feel huge amounts of sympathy for people who are trying to earn a living from anything hospitality related. They deserve better than the clowns we have put in charge.
Anyhow, I'm going to buy a ticket, even though the line-up isn't really to my taste. Fingers crossed.

The thing is that you need the status of a 'test event'. Otherwise the rules just might make an event nonviable and the rules can change without warning.
Also you need to be some sort of 'super test event' if there are no rules and JOY.

Does anyone know(roughly) what the loss (abortive costs etc) would be if they go ahead and then have to cancel closer to the event and what the likely profit is if it goes ahead normally?

No idea of costs, but I do recall that Harvey Goldsmith, mega producer of stadium events including Live Aid, had to call in the receivers in 1999 after the failure of a festival he organised to mark the solar eclipse.

So if someone that big and that successful can struggle over the failure of a single event, more modest event organised stand no chance.

Cheers

Nick

If I remember correctly the Goldsmith issue was that his festival went ahead and no one came. He had to pay the artistes and crew etc. At what stage would FC have to pay all the artistes for Cropredy if it is cancelled? I am guessing a while after 28 June. I can’t see anyone claiming they turned down a job elsewhere in the current climate?

.

Another factor no-one's mentioned yet is the lead time required for Hook Norton to brew sufficient beer for Cropredy punters if the festival is going ahead.

At least 50,000 pints of ale are consumed at the festival (estimate from The Woodworm Era book), "at least" being the operative words - nowadays it's probably more like 65-70,000 pints !

To ensure enough beer is brewed, especially as the new suppliers, I reckon Hook Norton would need at least a month, possibly even more notice to fulfil requirements. Beer takes time to brew, so they'll have a deadline by which they need to know what's going on.

Not worth imagining the fuss if they run out of beer before Saturday evening !

Yes, Goldsmith's eclipse festival went ahead and was badly attended. I thought of it as an example of how much of a person's wealth and business status can ride on a single event; how the risk in ventures like this can amount to gambles with significant fortunes that even the biggest players are not immune to.

I guess the point at which the risk shifts from avoidable to unavoidable for Cropredy is the 28th. That is probably the point at which they would start to incur charges for having to cancel, that whatever insurance they can get won't cover.
 

But if the number of attendees is down/limited...

And unlike most festivals, we can take our own supplies onto the field.

Just thought - as well as Hook Norton not having time to brew the ale, what about our various "concoctions" for The Toast??  It's getting to be too late for the full taste sensation of my vodka, kaolin & morphine and Henderson's Relish cocktail to reach maturity!    (Only joking, though I dare say it would taste better than that Dracula stuff I brought last time  ::) )

Back of a fag packet guesses...

Average year 12,000 tickets at £125 = 1.5 million  plus merch etc.

Festival makes a modest profit say £100k - £150k ( you can look up at companies house )

Fixed costs of admin / office, planning, licensing , health and safety and other legal.  These are ongoing and likely increased due to circumstances.

Suppliers will have lead times - I imagine its not that easy to get a marquee at the moment for instance and beer has already been mentioned.  Staff might be harder to get if they have had to take different jobs to pay the bills and they will need to be given notice.

Even if all suppliers and artists are very flexible and able / willing to shoulder some of the costs I'd find it hard to believe the loss would be much less than £500k which would wipe out profits for several years.  

The grant from last year probably just about covers the fixed costs to keep the festival as a possibility.  I imagine more cash will be needed if it does not go ahead this year.

Its a tough decision either way.  A huge risk to go ahead and have to cancel but not going ahead puts the festivals future at risk as well if further funding is not forthcoming.  

Vince

You cant tell what profit is being made if they file exempt accounts, especially if you dont know what dividends have been paid.

They are between a rock and a hard place. I really don’t envy them. It is for us, and them, one of the highlights of the year. I remember Simon saying last year that he felt that he had been ‘sandbagged’ when they had to cancel.
Their livelihoods have been dramatically curtailed given this bloody virus and, if it means risking their financial future, with no government backed insurance in place, then they have no choice.

I am desperate to be there and ‘see all my friends’, but if they can’t risk it, then they can’t risk it. Speculation gets me nowhere.

It is a bloody awful situation for them, and they have my full sympathy and support.

Consulted a friend of mine in the brewing industry (in no way connected to Hook Norton), and he estimated that they would need at least two weeks' notice to brew the quantities of beer described above, which, as I'd guessed, makes June 28th a plausible date for this reason too.

There's an awful lot of ranting on social media about getting the government to offer festivals insurance.
It occurs to me that if they thought there was very little chance of having to pay out, they would offer it.
So is the conclusion that they think that measures won't be relaxed far enough and many will be cancelled.

Slightly off topic but related to this, in the latest Private Eye they report that the government is dragging their heels in the negotiations to do with musicians touring EU countries. Seems that so far they've only struck deals with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Says Horace Trubridge of the Musicians Union, "... this government cares not a jot for the UK creative industries."

Meanwhile ten miles down the road at silverstone  140,000 people will be attending the British Grand Prix

This has always been my assumption along with the perception (as a huge generalisation) that music festival attendees (and I mean across the board here, not solely or necessarily Cropredy) may not be predominantly amongst their core support. They may not want to encourage large gatherings where opposing views may be encouraged.

In which case, and I hope I'm not giving the "govern"ment any ideas, they may as well suspend Parliament, as the PM keeps moaning that the parties facing him are not backing him. That's why they're called Her Majesty's Opposition, you buffoon.  

Although Jeremy Corbyn was on the Glastonbury stage which kind of shoots that theory down.
Maybe Cropredy can invite health secretary Matt Hancock along if he’s not too busy….. ::)

[/quote]

Maybe Cropredy can invite health secretary Matt Hancock along if he’s not too busy….. ::)
[/quote]

What for  - to have things thrown at him ? *  ;) ;) ;D ;D

*disclaimer - please note my emojis, don't wish this perfectly decent thread to descend into political slanging. Please mod if necessary...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-publishes-events-research-programme-report

No major outbreaks, no significant risk of transmission at test events.

Yes, just seen that... Digits crossed for Monday

I'm not sure how. Last time I looked, JC was in opposition.  If anything it underlines my point, i.e. they may be reluctant to throw money at people who probably don't support them.

My point is that it isn’t a point

I doubt that the decision come Monday will involve banning people of different political persuasions.

What decision? The issue under discussion, arising from Colin's post, is the reluctance of the government to underwrite Covid cancellation insurance for festivals in general. My inference is that the festival industry and it's customer base may not be predominantly politically sympathetic to this government and that some political rabble rousing from the stage is not uncommon at festivals (even Cropredy on rare occasions). Hence the government's reluctance to support them.

The decision to hold or not hold the festival this year has nothing to do with political viewpoints.
Indeed I was told the lay of the land regards the decision this evening.
I will say no more at this point as an official announcement / update is to be made on Monday.

Fair enough but the position for many (other) festivals is dependent on the government's stand on Covid cancellation insurance and that is unquestionably a political decision. And once again, this discussion was not specifically in relation to Cropredy but to festivals in general.

I had a similar conversation with an informed friend last night. Given the current administration, they are more likely to underwrite events where they have a vested interest through their friends and relations (remember Goodwood last year?). That Download went ahead as a test event is probably more to do with the financial muscle of Live Nation - the promoters - rather than any desire to see the metal hordes enjoying themselves. I can’t see the good folk of Fairport Towers, or indeed The Levellers, having that sort of lobbying power.

Please, folks, just wait until the announcement from Fairport Towers.

Speculation is futile and the chuntering is filling our screens.

Just wait.

Andy in rare Admin mode

To be fair Andy, we are not really talking about Cropredy. We are speculating on the government's failure to underwrite Covid cancellation insurance generally, which perhaps deserves its own thread rather than this one.

But I would point out that the discussion was started by Colin, the site owner so to stifle it would seem a bit harsh even if it does not exactly belong here.

I'm just asking for a brief hiatus.

I agree that speculation is obviously purely that, but chuntering and filling our screens is, after all, what we’re here for in the first place, aren’t we?

Normally I would say that TAW is mostly opinions and speculation. It's understood that it's unofficial.

However in this case, because there is only one day to go, so let's go with Andy's request.

And whatever they decide, we all back them to the hilt, I’m sure! Hard times, hard choices.

Announcement on the website now !

The statement.

"Hello Fairporters,

I’m very sorry to have to inform you that we have finally run out of time to stage Fairport’s Cropredy Convention this year. We’re left with no other choice than to postpone our festival until 11-13 August 2022. We have reached the point where we’d need to spend BIG money without any certainty we could go ahead.

Like the rest of the festival industry, we’ve tried everything we can to keep going but I’m afraid we would be placing Cropredy’s future in serious jeopardy if we were to wait any longer. The dilemma we are facing is very simple – go ahead and risk potentially going out of business or postpone for a year and live to fight another day.

So far, despite over six months of lobbying, the government has failed to support any form of Covid-related cancellation insurance scheme for the festival industry. Also, there has been no guidance on what mitigations might be required post Step 4. This has made it effectively impossible to plan this year’s event.

I have spoken to all the acts booked for Cropredy this year. They (and their representatives) have provisionally agreed to transfer the bookings to the same days and times in 2022. This means we will carry forward the same great line-up into 2022. I am sincerely grateful to the acts, their managers and agents for their understanding and support.

All tickets purchased for the 2020 and 2021 festivals will automatically roll over to 2022. This will help us keep the festival going throughout the coming months while we prepare for next summer.  I want to thank you all for the understanding you’ve shown in this. Of course, if you can’t attend in 2022 you will be entitled to a refund*.

I also want to thank everyone involved in the planning of the festival so far. They’ve worked through some of the most difficult challenges our industry has ever known. We are grateful for the Culture Recovery Fund grants we’ve received - as intended, the funds have filtered through to our suppliers and helped them keep going through these lean times.

The last 15 months have been an incredibly frustrating time for all musicians and Fairport are no exception. We are obviously in regular contact and I know they were really looking forward seeing everyone at Cropredy next month. Having to postpone comes as a bitter blow to them.

This is a pretty emotional time in the Festival Office as you can imagine. It is the second festival I have had to postpone – on my watch! However, I promise that we will return and when we do it will be AMAZING!

Again, if you can hold on to your tickets, please do. Knowing you will be with us again next year means a great deal to us at this time.

We will see you in the field at Cropredy next year but until we do, on behalf of all at Team Cropredy, please look after yourselves and each other.

Gareth Williams
Festival Director

*If you can’t roll your tickets over to 2022 and require a refund, please contact The Ticket Factory. I shall publish a link later today, here on the websbite. Cropredy is not the only festival to postpone in the last few days so please be patient with The Ticket Factory staff who are all still working from home. Your funds are secure and they will deal with your claim as quickly as they can"

Oh  :( :(

Bugger… in floods here… 😥😥😥

Gutted, but not at all surprised.

Wonder how it will impact on the village - local shop / pub takings have been underwritten by the festival for years? How about the fringe, maybe still a decent day out is possible.

DW

Not a total surprise but still sad.
I'm personally sadder about this year being postponed than last year - last year we could keep our heads down and accept that we were slap bang in the middle of a pandemic, but this year there was a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
I must confess to not having bought a ticket, I was going to wait and see if it was going ahead before committing myself, and now the answer's out there.
This is very sad for everyone involved - crossing multiple body parts for it to happen in 2022 !

You aren’t alone. Hadn’t realised how much this announcement would affect me. The weather today just about sums it all up. Take care everyone.

The Country is coming out of all lockdown restrictions on July 19th. The Government are making positive noises about bringing this forward.
90% of all Uk citizens would have been fully vaccinated by August. There was all but no chance of cancellation if they had gone ahead.

Just don't understand this decision at all. Wondering what the real motive is. Were ticket sales poor???

I expected to get crucified for holding this view from those who think FC can do no wrong. But it is my opinion.

I hope Gerry has the strength to go ahead with Field 8 and get in some of the acts surprisingly unemployed on the dates.

Sad, but not too surprised, given the (health/financial/other) risks that would have been involved. We'll roll our tickets over again.

For those who still want a fringe festival, I hope that the views of the villagers (who may/may not want an influx of visitors/revenue) will be taken into account.

And for the next election, I hope that everybody will consider their chosen candidate's support for the arts when voting!

Sad for everyone who was hoping to go but I am not surprised and I think it is the right decision. Pretty much for the reasons we suspected too. Clearly there are reasons why the government has been reluctant to support the festival industry by underwriting cancellation insurance. Whether these are caution, cost or politics we may never know but there seems to be a clue in the sort of events that they have allowed or enabled to proceed.

There is absolutely no guarantee that all lockdown restrictions will be lifted on July 19th.  They weren't this month were they?  If there were any distancing restrictions still in place the festival would not have been financially viable as I doubt you could get more than a third of the normal attendance in and whatever the break even figure is it's a lot higher than that.

That remains to be seen. Over the weekend the England A v Scotland A rugby match was cancelled due to players testing positive and track and trace is still causing many to self isolate including high profile people like Jo Konta and Ben Wallace.

It's all very well for the new Health Sec to say he wants everything to get back to normal ASAP but pretending that we don't have an increasing problem with the Delta variant is dangerous and irresponsible.

I'm due to be going down to London for my aunt's funeral at the end of next week and I'm feeling more than a little anxious about travelling south.

As for Cropredy, sad news but not surprising.

It's incorrect to say that the country is coming out of all lockdown restrictions on 19th July. All that the road map states is a 'hope' to 'ease restrictions' on large events. Such vagueness is not helpful when committing large sums of money.

And you seem to have forgotten that this stage has already been postponed once (and the Govt had been making very positive noises in the run up to that date, too.) Given the trend in infections, I would not be surprised in the least if stage 4 is postponed again.

Maybe it suits you to believe that the reasons for this postponement are to do with something other than the Government's failure to underwrite cancellation insurance. But I am putting the blame where it belongs.

What will happen with the Trad Arrr gig?

Would borrow £1M+ and place it on a bet that restrictions don't get reintroduced in four weeks time?

Let's not forget that Cropredy's postponement not only affects the bands booked, but also affects all the peripheral trades providing video and sound, stage provision, loos, food, drinks and security. Then there's  the Traders, the bands playing the fringe, the Pubs, the local shop, the Cricket Club, the Canoeing Club, the hotels, camping grounds and B&Bs, Katharine House Hospice, the Scouts... the list is long.

It will directly affect the Banbury Trades and Labour Club that hosts the Warmups. TRADarr are booked to play there on the Wednesday before not-Cropredy, it's possible that gig will still occur, time will tell.

In the meantime, be under no illusions, this government could have a thorough, thought-through strategy to support festivals and the performing arts. Instead, the choice has been made to support sport.

Their hypocrisy all the way through this pandemic is there for all to see and I, for one, am saddened and angered by the impact on friends throughout this industry who are not only screwed by the lack of insurance, but also by the lack of support for the many artists stymied in their plans to tour Europe.

NB These artists / bands will not be playing Cropredy this year. Please give them your support in any way you can.

Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican
Clannad
Edward II
Emily Barker
Fairport Convention
Holy Moly & The Crackers
Home Service
Maddie Morris
Martyn Joseph
Matthews Southern Comfort
Richard Digance
Richard Thompson
Rosalie Cunningham
Steve Hackett
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams
The Thumping Tommys
The Trevor Horn Band
Turin Brakes

Not forgetting our erstwhile MC, Anthony John Clarke.

Huge commiserations to the band and everybody connected with the festival.  This was always going to be how it would turn out though. To my mind, the optimistic messaging over the last few months was fairly unwise...what they should have been saying is that without cancellation insurance the festival simply could not take place, as that is and has always been the reality.

....which means that there's a deal with the EFTA countries but (surprise, surprise!) not with the EU - which is of course where most musicians will want to work.  The usual shambles!

To be fair, that's exactly what they've been saying for months.

Gareth Williams was interviewed on Radio Oxford this morning about the postponement of Cropredy.

It starts at about 9:12  here (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09l2mzk).

Field 8 decision tomorrow Hope he goes ahead.
We will come down as planned and I'm sure that any who roll over their booking will be easily replaced by the many of us devastated and disappointed by todays decision.

But what about the villagers Trev?

Exactly!

Wow, no-one said that when they were planning to go!!

How many does field 8 house, a few hundred? Not a problem for the villagers surely.

DW

I hope there will be something online, again-and/or on the radio like last year.  :)

Thanks Andy for the link to Gareths interview.
A very difficult decision to call but when the potential losses are explained we can see why it had to be.
Will make sure I keep my ticket away from direct sunlight in case the ink fades too much by 2022 :)

Sad news, but not really surprising.
But then it shows very well that Gareth & the chaps feel responsible for all the people directly involved with the festival and for the audience, which IMHO deserves respect.
Thank you, Gareth
Looking forward to being on the field again next year.

Any word on the Brasenose Fringe?

DW

Put back a year unfortunately.
But with most of the audience only in the area for Cropredy, I'm not surprised.

Like many of us, I am gutted by yesterday's decision, but to be honest not too surprised. I'd been hoping, but that hope had been fading, especially after lockdown restrictions weren't lifted a week ago.  Don't know if the chaps will have time to arrange something online this year now, like last, but I'm sure many of us would pay to have a virtual Cropredy of some sort..

Like many of us, I'm disappointed but not surprised. I'll keep my (Saturday only) ticket ready to use it next year, though if plans come to fruition, I may be in Oz at that time. If so, there'll be a half-price ticket available, to be "advertised" here first...

Field 8 deciding tomorrow. If they go ahead then I will go. Hope the Brasenose runs their fringe too. Maybe 3 Daft Monkeys wont travel up from Cornwall but Leatherat  and Spank the Monkey are local.

My Friend Nick asked what about the Villagers. Well by then all lockdown and Covid restrictions will have been lifted and I will do my bit for the village by spending at the Brasenose and Red Lion and buying from the shop.

I am sure they need the Trade.

My fingers firmly crossed.

As previously pointed out, there is no definite end to the restrictions, especially given the fact that rates are rising again. The end of restrictions doesn’t mean COVID has vanished. Two friends of a friend, both doubly vaccinated, currently have COVID.

Covid will never vanish, the Spanish Flu (1918 Pandemic) is still out there. We must return to living a full life.

Get double vaccinated and return to normality, the alternative is not really living is it?
I am in my late 60's I don't intend to spend the time I've got left behind a mask in solitary isolation.

I was one of those who enjoyed Beardy a couple of weeks ago and I'm off to the New Forest Festival next week .
I don't see why field 8 cant go ahead very safely.

The biggest danger to the villagers is the loss of their shop , pubs and local groups who have now lost their biggest paydays two years in a row.

I’d imagine it will be allowed but with a strict limit on attendees.

Given that an email was sent out asking for details on who was attending on each pitch in order to satisfy the local authorities I can’t see it suddenly being a free for all if restrictions are dropped (still unlikely imo)

I’d imagine the field has a limit on how many people can camp / be on site which will be part of the license conditions with or without COVID.

It sounds like the authorities are being very strict/sensible as regards limits and I’d be amazed if anyone other than those with field 8 tickets were able to attend , which is fair enough as I’m sure the organisers can’t afford to inflict the wrath of the authorities going forward.

I think it is bound to be a sold out event and should be safe.

The brasenose is likely to have a decent crowd and will be harder to limit being a public house.
Having been there a few times recently I can confirm the owners have done a good job and it’s a safe environment so I’m optimistic that the fringe will also be as safe as possible.

The chaps are playing a one-off gig in The Brasenose pub garden, 5pm Thurs 5th August. only 250 tix available via eventbrite: £25 + tax etc = £32.54 each  Details on the FC website and on their (and the Fairporters) FB page.

Ticket just booked (insert smug face emoji here).

;D

Here's the ticket link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fairport-at-the-brasenose-tickets-162696500613

ps I'll see you there, Paul.

See you there!

Yay!!!

I think I might make a day of it, stroll along the towpath, around to Jonah's Oak, but I'll not be having more than a pint - got to drive home after the show.

Anyone else up for this??

Yep!

Hmm, thinking of bringing the tent and staying overnight. Any suggestions for a local campsite would be most welcome. Local = walkable. Otherwise, Travelodge or similar in Banbury...

There's a few decent places within 5 miles or so on Airbnb, but come Aug I'm only going to be an hour and half away, so I think I'll probably drive 'home'.  I'll spend the money I've saved on some merch instead.  This will be the first time I've seen Fairport (who I've seen more than 50 times) in 11 years.

It's only 90 mins for me, but I quite fancy a beer or three...

Excellent - I’ll also see you there!

Basic tent pitch booked at the Old Dairy Farm campsite. £15. Bargain!

The Brasenose gig is (unsurprisingly) now Sold Out (although as there are refunds up to 1 day before, the odd ticket might reappear, I guess)

ps just one practical thing...IS the gig at 17:00 or at 19:00 - the eventbrite site says both?

FC website says 1900...

Boo.  I rather care for 'matinee' gigs these days  ;D

Enjoy it, everyone! Had I still been living in the Reading area, I'd have jumped at the opportunity, but I think it's a bit far now - especially on a Thursday evening.  Anyway, by the time I'd thought about it, I had sold out!

Definitely up for a stroll around the village and surrounding countryside (no running anymore!)

The Brasenose fringe is going ahead over what would have been the festival weekend although now it's a paying gig with limited tickets, but the line up still looks ok.

You have to pay! Well actually if you live in range of that it's an amazing bargain.

Fairport now headlining Wickham on Sunday 8 August

The Brasenose gig is being filmed:

"Fairport will play an outdoor gig at The Brasenose Arms in Cropredy on 5 August.

The concert will be filmed by Nev Bull (who oversees the big screens at Cropredy) and the regular Cropredy camera team.

The concert film will be streamed on our YouTube channel on 14 August (the Saturday of Cropredy weekend) along with interviews and more. Full details will appear on our website soon.

The stream will be free to view although there is a ‘tip-jar' for anyone who wants to help (donations will go directly to the band themselves)."

https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/fairportconvention

The cows are back!

New T-shirts available (all sizes are indigo, except XXXL which are charcoal) from the Merch page of the shop on the FC website. 20 quid.

Ordered… two tees cos I ordered the wrong size first!

Brasenose gig streaming online and T-shirts...all good news !

Was hoping this would happen! Missed the tshirts last year so must be sure to get one this year. I will happily be watching this on the 14th!

Due to a work SNAFU I'm ducking out of Thursday's Brasenose gig, I'm afraid so there is one ticket (PDF in my name) going spare.  Message me if you want it (at cost, of course...£32.54)

Now SOLD.

The Fairport concert is showing on YouTube, do we know whether anything else is happening next weekend e.g. like last year when Radio Scarborough made a broadcast etc... or as someone said earlier, was time too limited for people to pull things like that together?

Setting off for Cropredy Lite tomorrow,

I am so looking forward to it. Leatherat, Iain Mathews , 3 Daft Monkeys, Doonicans , John Ottway, Gerry Colvin , Haze, July July, Green Diesel and many more playing.
Field 8 (Cream of the Crop) still have a few (less than 10 ) spaces left .

Of course it wont be like the real thing , but with nice weather forecast it will be a very good second best.

I was at the Brasenose on Saturday and they were getting well and truly geared up, spoke to quite a few villagers as well and everyone was so happy that something was happening this year and looking forward to the return of the festival atmosphere.

DW

Oh! Please let us know what it is like so we can imagine in our back gardens on Saturday for the concert! Some of us were not able to be there, but with your messages we can imagine .....😮😮

Searching through a bunch of documents just now, for some race instructions, and I find... my Saturday ticket for last/this/next year's Cropredy. Safely replaced so I will remember where it is in 12 months' time. (Not behind the clock...)

As someone who lost my tickets one year  :'( :( ::) I can confirm it is definitely NOT a good idea!

never physically got a ticket.... at least i cant loose!  ;D

I thought of you just after I posted that, Brij!!

I still have nightmares about that  :( especially as I found them within an hour of us returning home on the Sunday  ::) luckily we got a refund

I've done my best to replicate the Cropredy experience - we are currently in a campsite chilling with some beer wine and a spot if grub.  Admittedly its not quite the same vibe in Forfar but the weather is lovely.

How is it down there?  Hope all is fine and you have a great time.

Just need to sort the wifi out now.

Vince

I see there are new planning applications in the pipe line for Cropredy.
One is hay barn school lane Cropredy.
It looks like the festival field or very near to it but then again my map reading skills are rubbish

Available on Cherwell district planning page

I’m sure someone far cleverer than me can work it out!!

Having been looking again I think it’s land on the left of school lane as you go up opposite field 8.
They’d certainly need to upgrade the lane !!!

Yes it is there, but the application is only to change the Use Class of the site - not for building houses or anything.  So probably no need to upgrade the lane at all.

This is the link if anyone is interested: https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Planning/Display/21/03074/F but I don't think it will affect anything to do with the Festival as I read it.

Just announced - Seth Lakeman to open Saturday at Cropredy (in the Digance slot). That'll do me!

Excellent news! I'm not sure he does comedy but an hour of Seth will be a very welcome start to the day  :D

I don't think he does but he'll still be funnier than Digance.

Great news!

Nice.....chilled folk for a sunny afternoon

Let's hope for a load of similar changes to make a decent line up.

I can see at least 3 I'd be happy with losing, but I doubt they're the same ones you'd like to lose David!  :D

And I think it's the strongest lineup for many a year - go figure ;) :)

I'm very happy with the line-up. I never expect to like every act when they are announced (after all, when would you wander round the village, stalls, go back to the tent for x or y otherwise), and am often surprised by some I've never heard or heard of.

Merry Hell announced for New Forest and Acoustic Festival .... Just saying.

Merry Hell were very , very, good at last years Beardy.

Very mature and confident performance. On that form one of , if not the best, bands in our genre.

One year we really wanted to see everyone on the stage, and really missed our trip to the village! So yes I’m all for having few I don’t care too much about, so we can explore 😀