• Campaign Pairs UK Festivals With Likeminded Events From Around The World
• Participating Festivals To Help Promote and Market Their ‘Twin’
• Initiative Follows Successful VisitBritain Partnership In 2009

1^st March 2010: - The Association of Independent Festivals has today launched a new initiative, AIF Twin Festivals: A Cultural Exchange, which partners the UK’s leading independent festivals with their counterparts abroad.

Based on the twin towns concept, festivals will be paired with likeminded and similarly structured festivals from countries from around the world. Participating festivals will help promote their twin’s festival locally, be encouraged to take part in artist exchanges and talent discussions to help co-ordinate bookings of international artists and stimulate conversations with local music authorities for investment.

As part of the initiative all festivals involved will be obliged to include links on their website to their twin’s site, include 'xxx is  twinned with xxx' on flyers, marketing materials and in their PR campaigns to local media, and once their own event has sold out help market their international twin through their media channels.

In addition to this each festival will ‘exchange’ a minimum of 10 pairs of tickets with their twin to be given away via competitions and promotions.

Festivals that have already been partnered under the scheme include:

Bestival, Isle Of Wight & Melt, Ferropolis, Germany

Big Session Festival, Leicester & Tønder Festival, Denmark

Field Day, London & Øya Festival, Norway

Glade Festival, Winchester & Symbiosis Gathering, California, USA

Summer Sundae Weekender, Leicester & Bergenfest, Norway

Standon Calling, Hertfordshire & Calvi On The Rocks, Corsica, France

Nozstock Festival, Herefordshire & Italia Wave Love Festival, Livorno, Italy

Eden Sessions, Cornwall & Airwaves, Reykjavík, Iceland

Said Rob Challice, AIF co-founder and director of Summer Sundae Weekender, "Independent festival organisers have often taken inspiration from other events with a similar ethos, creative vision and maverick style. Through this AIF initiative we can formally acknowledge this by "twinning" our events and hope that it leads to many creative partnerships."

 This is the second year that The Association of Independent Festivals has looked to build links with non-UK festival goers and follows 2009’s successful partnership with VisitBritain.

Quotes from Participating Festival Promoters:

Stefan Lehmkuhl from Melt, Germany: "I'm enthusiastic about the idea of the cultural exchange between European festivals. Especially when it comes to independent and very individual open-air events its going to be an exciting and creative process, as I'm convinced we're all on the same page musicwise."

Edouard Rostand, from Clavi On The Rocks, Corsica:  “It is an honour for Calvi On the Rocks to partner up with Standon Calling. We share same values and artistic views. We are both small festivals and want to keep it innovative and open minded. This twinning will start with cross promotion on our networks this year”.

Nick Ladd from Glade Festival, Winchester: "We are really pleased to be twinned with Symbiosis in California.... the premier electronic music experience stateside. It’s what the San Francisco 60's scene has evolved into, an amazing international gathering created by people with true spirit and it reflects the Glades commitment to cutting edge music, incredible site art, non-commercialisation and shanty vibes."

Rob Challice from Summer Sundae, Leicester: "Bergenfest is based in the city of Bergen, whilst Summer Sundae is held in the city of Leicester. Two city-based festivals known for showcasing new international talent amongst established names. The organisers, Frank Nes and co, present their event with pride and show a high level of care for both artists and audience.”

Frank Nes, from Bergenfest, Bergen: “It is an honour for Bergenfest to partner up with Summer Sundae. It is my belief that we share the same core values, such as a strong emphasis on artistic quality and open mindedness towards genres. Over the years a few Norwegian acts have performed at Summer Sundae and I hope we can strenghten the ties in the years to come, including being able to open Norwegian festival-goers’ eyes to Summer Sundae.”

- end -

 Notes for Editors:

2009 AIF / Visit Britain Campaign

In 2009 AIF negotiated to become part of a £1.8 million marketing initiative organised by VisitBritain.  The European Value Campaign, ran across 18 key European countries, and was aimed at the 25-35 age group.

Using the slogan “See More For Less”, VisitBritain focused on the benefits offered by the weak pound and Britain’s relatively compact land area.   The campaign included press advertising, direct mail, a web microsite and pr support and as part of the deal AIF members offered overseas visitors a 20% discount on festival tickets purchased through the VisitBritain site.

The inclusion of AIF in the scheme was recognition of the value of Britain’s independent festivals as cultural assets, and as an enticement to tourists who may wish to extend their stay and explore the country further.

For the second year running, Glasgowbury has been nominated in several categories at the Irish Festival Awards.

Last year Glasgowbury picked up the Best Service Award and Family Festival Award, but this year wants to go one better.

After the sell-out success of Glasgowbury 2009, the festival has been nominated in six categories including:

• Best Small Festival
• Best Line-Up
• Best Service
• Best Toilets
• Best Family Festival
• Social Responsibility

So now we need you, the people who make Glasgowbury so special, to vote for us and help us on the road to victory.

Festival Organiser Paddy Glasgow said Glasgowbury’s nominations were testament to the success of the acts and the people who make Glasgowbury so special every year.

“It’s the second year in a row that we’ve been nominated in the Irish Festival Awards and we’re all very proud that Glasgowbury is being recognised on a national scale,” he said.

“It’s because of the people who have stuck with Glasgowbury over the last ten years that the festival continues to go from strength to strength.

“Winning another award from the Irish Festival Awards would be the icing on the cake of a successful year for Glasgowbury so far.

“It’s a great achievement to still be here after 10 years and the group has diversified in many ways over that time.

“With the tenth anniversary of the festival approaching in 2010 plans are already in motion to make it another magical, colourful and fun packed musical extravaganza.

“For now, we’d really appreciate it if the supporters of Glasgowbury could take the time out to vote for us in the Irish Festival Awards and help us be recognised as one of Ireland’s leading music festivals.”

www.irishfestivalawards.ie

 

 We are delighted to welcome Danny Newman (Get Loaded in the Park / South West Four) and John Empson (Eden Sessions) to the board of AIF. We look forward to having their experience, input and expertise around the table. Danny and John have been voted in by the existing board. 

 We are delighted to welcome Danny Newman (Get Loaded in the Park / South West Four) and John Empson (Eden Sessions) to the board of AIF. We look forward to having their experience, input and expertise around the table. Danny and John have been voted in by the existing board. 

The crime combating initiative, which only launched a few months ago, has already reported good results including several key arrests, which have disrupted serious criminal activity at festivals.

Speaking about the success so far Jim King, director of Loud Sound and AIF board member said: “the number of reported crimes per festival capacity has been reduced across all the shows that we manage this year which has been an excellent result. Greater focus on sharing of information between festivals, police forces and security companies does produce results and the work must continue.”

Central to the initiative’s success has been the development of a ‘community policing’ strategy whereby security personnel are billeted to specific zones over the course of the weekend allowing them to concentrate on their areas and spot potentially criminal activity.

The scheme was trialled at Rock Ness at the start of the summer and it was an immediate success with reported crime down a staggering 95%. 

Secondary teams were also set up to concentrate on the areas surrounding festival sites to clampdown on crime that was discouraged onsite and it was this move that led to several key actions against criminal elements.
 
Over the summer several counterfeit wristband operations were disrupted outside festival sites and by the end of summer the police, acting in conjunction with security teams, had made several key arrests, in one instance apprehending a gang leaving the area of a festival in possession of stolen property.
 
These early results have proven that not only can different security firms work closely together but that when festival promoters, the police and relevant authorities work together unilaterally it is possible to deal a major blow against this small minority whose sole purpose of attending festivals is to commit serious crimes.
 
It is expected this years results will carry through to next year when promoters will be even better placed to ensure that festival goers are able to relax and enjoy their weekends.

source: www.virtualfestivals.com

• Audience Research Shows Festival Goers Undeterred By Recession
• AIF Festivals Generate Over £135 Million For UK Economy, £16.3 Million For Local Businesses
• More To Festivals Than Youth And Music
  

The huge value and contribution of UK festivals to the British economy has been quantified in an overreaching survey of 3,300 festival goers undertaken by the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).

With over 300 festivals having taken place in the UK this summer, the total amount of revenue generated across the whole festival landscape for local businesses is projected to be staggering.

Claire O'Neill, co-founder of A Greener Festival and AIF general manager said: "It is clear that independent festivals make a significant contribution not only culturally, but also to the local and UK economy. It is also good to see the positive steps being taken by events to minimise the environmental impact of events. We adhere to keep stepping in the right direction."

Hugh Phillimore, founder of the Cornbury Festival said "Not only do we fill every B&B, pub and hotel within a 10 mile radius; lots of local shops stay open to benefit from the extra custom. Cornbury not only makes a huge contribution to the local economy but also supports fundraising for local schools, brownies, scouts."

For more information, please contact john@namemusic.co.uk or sam@namemusic.co.uk

AIF FESTIVAL AUDIENCE SURVEY: 2009

3300 Festival goers from the UK and around the world took part in what is believed to be the one of the most detailed surveys of UK festival behaviour.

60% of the respondents said that the general atmosphere and overall “vibe” of the festival is the single most important reason for choosing which festival to attend. For Secret Garden Party this response was 82%. Overall just 25% said music generally and 8% said headliners were their main reason for attending a festival. Although Creamfields, Field Day and Underage were all more popular for the music generally with 44%, 61% and 52% respectively.

42% of festival goers spend 50% or less of their time at a festival watching music; 25% spend 60% of their time watching music; 33% spend 70%+ of their time watching music. Camp Bestival and Secret Garden Party audience spend least time watching music with 60% and 70% spending less than 50% of their time watching music. Creamfields and Underage are most popular for music with 64% and 73% of time spend watching music respectively.

40% spend up to 20% of their time doing non-music entertainment activities, 44% spend 30 – 49% of time doing non-music entertainment activities. 21% of Camp Bestival and 28% of Secret Garden Party audience spend more than 50% of their time doing non-music entertainments.

60% of festival goers spend 3-4 days in the local area of the festival. Of the respondents Glade goers spend most time at the festival with an average 3 days 16hrs.

Respondents spent an average of £408 each per festival, which includes ticket, travel and subsistence.

On average, festival goers spent £48 in the local area surrounding the festival. Big Session and Belladrum attendees spend most in the local area with £62 and £63 respectively.

Just over a third of respondents were from the South East of England. It was found that 60% of audience travel to the festivals by car. 44% travel with three or more people in the car. It is encouraging to see that so many are sharing transport.

Field Day had by far the largest response for people travelling by public transport, with just under 80% of respondents taking the tube or bus to Victoria Park, London.

Outside London, Summer Sundae Weekender and Big Sessions festivals scored highest with more than 50% of their audiences using public transport or walking to the festivals.

Setting an example to us all though were the 250 people from 5 major cities who cycled to Shambala Festival  in Northamptonshire and the 12 brave if foolhardy people who swam across the Solent to Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

79% of festival goers camp on-site overall. Glade, Secret Garden Party and Bloom festival have the highest on site tent campers with 90%, 93% and 94% respectively. 5% go in campervans overall with Camp Bestival and Big Session having most Campervans at 9% and 10% respectively. 11% stay at home overall, although Underage and Summer Sundae Weekender have mainly home stays with 48% and 47%. Just 3% use hotels or B&B’s overall. Creamfields and Field Day have the most hotel users with 11% and 13%.

The official festival website is the most common place for audiences to find out about the festival, with 65% of respondents. Word of mouth was selected by 58%, followed by festival community websites at 49%. 34% use social networking sites to find out about festivals. Highest word of mouth response was for Secret Garden Party and Bloom Festival at 73% and 71%. Creamfields and Bestival have the most popular official websites with 73% and 70% of audience sourcing their information there.

1 - At the Big Chill, 4,026 zombie-costumed fans shuffled and groaned their way into the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s largest gathering of zombies. Revelers were encouraged to become temporarily undead by Warp Films and Film4, who were shooting scenes for the world’s biggest (and first) audience participation zombie movie, “I Spit on Your Rave”.

2 - Shambala saw 250 people engage in a spontaneous act of synchronised 'krumping', an underground dance craze that originated amongst the youth of LA as a means of keeping them away from gang violence. Hopefully it will have the same effect on the youth of rural Northamptonshire.

3 - 70% of the hits on the official Glade website are from outside of the UK. Judging by the behavior of some of the punters, the remaining 30% are from other planets.

5 - It’s often said that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Creamfields, which took 2 weeks to build and 7 days to come down. Ouch!

4 - More than 50% of the audience for Big Sessions and the Summer Sundae Weekender arrived by public transport, by bicycle, or on foot.

6 - Video coverage of the main stage at Northern Ireland’s Glasgowbury captured an inadvertent world record attempt, as an amorous young couple engaged in what some onlookers described as the longest continuous kissing session in living history. Steadying their weak knees against the crash barrier at the front of the main stage, the sultry snoggers locked tongues just as electro rock outfit The Jane Bradfords took to the stage, and their embrace remained unbroken until well after the group had disembarked - some 40 minutes later. Love was certainly in the air for the lucky couple, who became something of a tourist attraction as hordes of festival-goers lined up to have their picture taken alongside the passionate pair. They will be disappointed to learn that they fell agonizingly short of the official record by a paltry 30 hours and 5 minutes.

8 - Bestival fans spend £600,000 on Ferries every year. Given that the festival lasts five days, that works out at over £100,000 a day. They could have rocked up in Ferraris for that money.

9 - Over 100 DJs and 20 live acts performed at this year’s Creamfields. There were 12 bars at the festival, which works out at less than 1 bar for every 10 performers. Risky business.

10 – Cornbury employs litter picking volunteer teams of scouts and brownies, but to avoid accusations of Dickensianism it pays a contribution towards their organisations, and also lets in over-70s free.

11 – Scotland’s Belladrum Tartan Festival was the UK’s most northerly festival attracting a crowd who ranged in age from four weeks to 90!

12 - Sunrise and One Love used 100% compost toilets including for crew.

- end - 

STOP PRESS: Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (7^th and 8^th August 2009, Beauly, Inverness-shire) has announced today that all weekend and Saturday tickets to the event have sold out in advance. Consequently there will be no gate sales at the event. 

With people coming from as far away as Canada and Europe to the event, and from all over the UK. Belladrum has cemented its reputation as one of the leading all ages festivals of music and performing arts.

This is the first time in six years that the family festival has sold out its 12,000 capacity since its first year when numbers were limited to 2500 at a one-day event. Also sold out are the 115 tipis available in the boutique camping area.

The message from the festival now is NOT to turn up if you don’t have a ticket. 

“We have just spoken to a family who are driving up from as far away as Cornwall to the event. We have a lovely supportive audience, many of whom have been coming year on year,” said festival co-promoter Joe Gibbs. “Nothing is a better endorsement of an event than personal testimonials from loyal fans, and our growing army of those have sustained this event under what could only be termed very trying economic conditions.”

Award-winning Belladrum has announced music headliners  Editors and Ocean Colour Scene plus a raft of other acts including: Twin Atlantic; Aberfeldy; The Saw Doctors; Shed Seven; British Sea Power; Seth Lakeman; Alabama 3; Sons & Daughters; Glen Tilbrook & The Fluffers; The Peatbog Faeries; Lau; Toploader; Treacherous Orchestra; Transglobal Underground; Tommy Reilly; De Votchka; The Phantom Band; 3 Daft Monkeys; Edward II; The Wallbirds; Kid Carpet; Sam Isaac;  Broken Records; Magistrates; Healthy Minds Collapse; Sparrow & The Workshop; The Lost Brothers; and Scooty & The Skyhooks.

Belladrum 2009 takes place in the beautiful Highland surroundings of Belladrum Estate, near Beauly in Inverness-shire. The independent festival has built a reputation for its eclectic line-ups, its off-beat non-musical entertainments and its all-ages approach. Capacity will remain what it was in 2008 at 12,000. At the UK Festival Awards Ceremony in October – the festival industry’s ‘oscars’ - Bella was awarded the Grassroots Festival Award.

This year the festival is supported by Homecoming Scotland 2009, EventScotland and Highland Council. Marie Christie, Homecoming Scotland Project Director said, “Belladrum is one of Scotland’s leading family-friendly festivals.  Taking place in beautiful surroundings, the fantastic programme and quality experience make it an unmissable festival diary date.  We are excited to be working with the organisers to make sure 2009 hosts the best

For further information, contact:

dougiebrown1000@hotmail.com 

40 years ago Woodstock first conjured people’s emotions and truly captured the essence of the festival spirit. This year The Big Chill Festival is honoured that the creator of Woodstock, Michael Lang, is coming to the festival as The Big Chill celebrates Woodstock’s 40^th birthday this August.

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair is widely regarded as one of the most significant moments in popular music history and was listed one of the “50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll” by Rolling Stone magazine. The brainchild of Michael Lang and Artie Kornfield, with the help of financiers John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, the Woodstock idea was born. It was Lang, who’s laid back approach so typical of the 60’s movement, wanted to build it as a way to get people together. Forty years on, Woodstock is a festival that will never be forgotten. It was 15^th August 1969, when Richie Havens opened up the first ever Woodstock to 500,000 people.

Michael will be appearing at the Words In Motion tent on the opening evening, so that Big Chill revellers will be able to meet the man himself in a special Q&A session. There will also be a chance for chillers to watch a 40th anniversary screening of the film, Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music.

Speaking about Woodstock 1969, Michael Lang had this to say: “Eight months before the event, I had a dream. I was on a stage looking out at a sea of people, and I knew that was coming. I didn't have the specifics of it, but I had the end results. I just followed that.”

Big Chill co-founder Katrina Larkin said on the partnership: “Woodstock is seen as the perfect celebration of the 60's peace and love movement. An ideal which the founders of The Big Chill hold dear and which has helped define the ethos of The Big Chill these past 15 years. It is yet to be seen if the skinny dipping that was so prevalent in the Filippini Pond in ‘69 will happen in the Eastnor pond this year. If it does then it is likely that Michael Lang will be the one leading the charge!”

Idea Generation: +44(0)20 7749 6854

Andrew Soar: andrew.soar@ideageneration.co.uk

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (Beauly, Inverness-shire; 7^th & 8^th August) is celebrating Homecoming Scotland with a whole new stage dedicated to Robert Burns.

The Sideburns Stage at Bella will be promoting an eclectic programme themed around the bard, and taking an alternative and contemporary approach to his work.

The highlight of each day with be a 90 minute Burns ceilidh curated by Inverness  fiddle ace Bruce MacGregor. The theme of the Friday ceilidh will be Burns Blues, with the help of Highland blues exponent Andy Gunn setting some of Burns' more morose songs to the blues and turning some blues songs into the sort of language Burns would have used: Thus , ‘Woke Up This Morning’ become,s

‘Waukenin this mornin / Chanticleer in ma lugs / Dirl in ma heid / Barkin fairmyaird dugs / A hae the waukrife blues / Waukrife nicht again.’

The Saturday ceilidh will take its theme from the fact that Burns was a fiddler himself. Bruce MacGregor will accompany the Jimmy Shandrix Experience band in a selection of Gaelic airs that Burns used to set some of his better known songs to, such as ‘Ay Fond Kiss’ and ‘My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose’.

The spoken word part of the ceilidh will come from Highlander Hamish MacDonald who was the first Write In Residence in Burns’ cottage in Ayrshire. Among other things, he will be doing his own version of ‘Tam ‘O Shanter’ set in Inverness.

As a light-hearted aside, the stage will host a competition for the finest pair of (real!) sideburns on show at Belladrum. Festival co-promoter Joe Gibbs’ wife Leonie will join Torquil MacLeod of Homecoming Scotland in judging who wins a pair of tickets to next year’s Bella. A presentation of two free tickets will also be made to the person who has travelled the furthest to Bella this year as part of the Homecoming initiative.

Other parts of the Sideburns programme include a play entitled Clarinda about the unconsummated love affair between Burns and Nancy MacLehose; Rappie Burns - Burns Rap Music by Jock Urquhart - Jock takes Burns lines and rps with them in a modern context; Scott Russell's spooky versions of 'Ode to A Haggis' and 'Tam 'O Shanter'; Cock-a-leekie Burns - Tommy Beavitt sings and teaches Burns songs in anything but Scots - Russian, German, French, Italian and Gaelic; and Burns For Lovers - Donald Kay, dressed as the bard, hands out red roses to loving couples and gives them renditions of Burns' love poems; all this plus surprise guests during the weekend.

Also on this stage, the final clues of the treasure hunt Bequest for a £10,000 gold and diamond mouse which Burns 'buried somewhere in the Highlands for his lover to find' are revealed in literary form and in the accompanying painting by Michael Forbes (Conon Bridge).

Bella visitors steal a march over their Bequest competitors by seeing the clues before they are released on the web site on the following Monday. Over 1000 people have joined the hunt for the mouse.

"Burns is one of the three major themes of Homecoming Scotland. We were keen to promote an alternate view of the bard through a contemporary lens, as well as an appreciation of some of the more off-beat aspects of his life,” said Bella co-promoter Joe Gibbs

A spokesperson for Homecoming Scotland said: '2009 looks set to be a special year at the Tartan Heart Festival. We are delighted the organisers have embraced the Homecoming celebrations to create a unique element within the Festival to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and to welcome back many Highland Homecomers to one of the annual highlights of Scotland's festival calendat.'

Award-winning Belladrum has announced music headliners  Editors and Ocean Colour Scene plus a raft of other acts including: The Saw Doctors; Shed Seven; British Sea Power; Seth Lakeman; Alabama 3; Sons & Daughters; Glen Tilbrook & The Fluffers; The Peatbog Faeries; Lau; Toploader; Treacherous Orchestra; Transglobal Underground; Tommy Reilly; De Votchka; The Phantom Band; 3 Daft Monkeys; Edward II; The Wallbirds; Kid Carpet; Sam Isaac;  Broken Records; Magistrates; Healthy Minds Collapse; Sparrow & The Workshop; The Lost Brothers; and Scooty & The Skyhooks.

Belladrum 2009 takes place in the beautiful Highland surroundings of Belladrum Estate, near Beauly in Inverness-shire. The independent festival has built a reputation for its eclectic line-ups, its off-beat non-musical entertainments and its all-ages approach. Capacity will remain what it was in 2008 at 12,000. At the UK Festival Awards Ceremony in October – the festival industry’s ‘oscars’ - Bella was awarded the Grassroots Festival Award.

This year the festival is supported by Homecoming Scotland 2009, EventScotland and Highland Council. Marie Christie, Homecoming Scotland Project Director said, “Belladrum is one of Scotland’s leading family-friendly festivals.  Taking place in beautiful surroundings, the fantastic programme and quality experience make it an unmissable festival diary date.  We are excited to be working with the organisers to make sure 2009 hosts the best Bella yet ”.

Advance adult weekend tickets have been held at 2008 prices and  are £80 and adult Saturday tickets will cost £50. Both include parking and camping. As in previous years, tickets for children 12 & under are free. Tickets are available from The Ironworks (www.ironworksvenue.com),  The Booth (www.thebooth.co.uk), Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.co.uk), Ticketline (www.ticketline.co.uk ), Tickets Scotland (www.tickets-scotland.com) and Skiddle (www.skiddle.com). Tickets are also available from TicketScotland in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Ripping in Edinburgh, One-Up in Aberdeen, The Ironworks, Mania, Hootenanny’s and Eden Court in Inverness; and Below The Waterfall in Dingwall.

Saturday July 18th 2009

For further information, contact:

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has been supported by The Highland Council www.highlandeventsandfestivals.com and also by EventScotland www.eventscotland.org; Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has also been supported by Homecoming Scotland 2009 www.homecomingscotland2009.com , The Scottish Arts Council and Hi-Arts

Homecoming Scotland 2009

*      In 2009 Scotland will host its first Homecoming year, designed to mark the 250th anniversary of Scotland's national poet, the international cultural icon, Robert Burns.  From the weekend around Burns Night in January to St Andrew's Day in November a countrywide programme of exciting and inspirational Homecoming events and activities will celebrate some of Scotland's great contributions to the world: Burns himself, Whisky, Golf, Great Scottish Minds and Innovations and our rich ancestral culture and heritage which lives on at home and through our global family.

*     Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland in partnership with VisitScotland.

*     Homecoming Scotland 2009 seeks to motivate people of Scottish descent, as well as those who simply love Scotland, to come home and join us in a national celebration of our culture, heritage and the many great contributions Scotland has given the world: 

IRELAND'S leading independent festival is back, celebrating with a line-up of the country's finest signed and unsigned acts.

Now in its ninth year, Glasgowbury has become the must-play festival for acts throughout the land.

And this year's festival will very much be giving the power to the artists as well as showcasing some of the biggest success stories of the last few years.

The acts announced for this year's festival reads like a who's who of the best around:

In Case Of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar, General Fiasco, mojoFURY, Henry McCullough, Jaded Sun, LaFaro, Swanee River, Cashier No 9, Ed Zealous, The Jane Bradfords, Little Hooks, A Plastic Rose, Here Comes The Landed Gentry, Clown parlour, Yes Cadets, Dutch Schultz, The Beat Poets, Furlo, Dirty Stevie, Kowalski, Dutch Schultz, Balkan Alien Sound, Deep Fried Funk, Paddy Nash and The Happy Enchiladas, Grainne O, Interrogate, Keith Harkin, Pocket Promise, Inishowen Gospel Choir, The Stetz, Joe Echo, We Are Resistance, John Gribbin, Junior Johnson, Silhouette, Paul Casey, Oonagh Clarke, Pretty Child Backfire, Skruff, The Q, The Mighty Stef, Colenso Parade, The Kinetiks, The Good Fight, Cutaways and Ten Gallon Hat And The Big Salute.

"Glasgowbury has always been about new and unsigned music and this year's line-up is testament to the power of the music culture in this country," he said.

"The music scene in Northern Ireland, in particular, is thriving and has given so many good acts to the world over the last few years.

"So this year is very much about giving the power back to the people who have made Glasgowbury so successful throughout the last decade.

"In fact some of the acts who began their careers at Glasgowbury, where they got their first lift onto the ladder, will be coming home to roost at this year's festival - at the top of their game.

"Bands like Fighting With Wire, In Case Of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar and General Fiasco have gone on to sign record deals and become known worldwide and have the capability of doing something monumental. Glasgowbury always knew and supported that.

"So this year's festival will feel like one giant celebration of the best that the music scene here has to offer and I, for one, can't wait."

And with its upcoming tenth anniversary in 2010, plans have already been set in motion for Glasgowbury to reach iconic status.

Glasgowbury 2009 will take place on Saturday 25 July and tickets are currently on sale online from www.wegottickets.com and from independent retailers across the country.

For the full festival line-up and information on how to get your hands on tickets for the big day, go to the brand spanking new www.glasgowbury.com where you will find everything you need to know – and more.

For their support, Glasgowbury thanks its funders, sponsors and friends including the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council for Northern Ireland, Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and Magherafelt District Council. 

 3rd June 2009 – Completing the tendering process that began last October, The Association of Independent Festivals today unveiled Showsec – the largest specialised event security company in the UK – as the company selected to lead the organisation’s anti-campsite crime task force.  

With a record of over 25 years managing crowds at high profile events and venues, including Creamfields, Belladrum, Bestival, Camp Bestival and Rock Ness, Showsec have demonstrable requisite skills and experience. They will now be tasked with gathering and sharing knowledge and tackling the organised gangs who have targeted festivals in recent years. 

The service, designed to complement a festival’s existing security setup, will allow promoters and event managers to enhance their security operation by taking part in pre-briefings and receiving information from other festivals specifically in relation to crime.  

In addition to their intelligence gathering operations the new team will also, when requested by promoters, be available to undertake security work on site at festivals, spotting known criminals and identifying potential areas for concern during the event. 

The security task force will commence operating this summer when briefing and intelligence gathering operations will begin at Rock Ness, Camp Bestival, Creamfields and Bestival.  

Information gathered from these shows will be shared with all AIF members, their respective heads of security and relevant police forces to ensure that the intelligence necessary to help reduce crime is available to all events. 

Simon Battersby, Showsec: “We fully support the AIF’s initiative to reduce crime at festivals, and we are extremely pleased to be working alongside them this year to enable festivals to clamp down on crime”  

Rob da Bank co-founder of AIF: “We announced the AIF Security Task Force earlier this year as one of the cornerstones of why I wanted to form AIF in the first place and we’ve been working hard with the security industry and with AIF members to get a working plan which we now have. We feel confident we’re now in a position to help make a difference to help protect the public who attend our events.” 

Jim King, director of Loud Sound and AIF board member: “It’s rewarding to see how united our industry is on the issue. AIF is fully committed to supporting all efforts to help solve a problem which is a concern to festivals of all shapes and sizes.”

Festival Wood is going to be a brand new wood planted by volunteers from AGreenerFestival to symbolise music fans' commitment to protecting the environment. The planned 5 acre wood will be planted on grazing land and will be a mix of native deciduous trees and we hope that the wood will be colonised by wild birds, mammals and insects as it grows.

Fans can contribute to Festival Wood by making any sort of donation. Just £3 will plant a tree! £5 will plant two! This isn't an offsetting scheme - everyone should still try and reduce your environmental impact by using public transport, lift sharing, cycling or walking wherever you can, recycling and caring for the environment - but if you are going to a Festival this year why not go the extra distance and make a donation to help create Festival Wood? Absolutely anything helps and if we exceed the target we will just find more land and plant more trees! We are also hoping to be able to buy a biodigester to eat up waste food and other organic material and produce renewable gas in the process! 

TEXT  'FESTIVAL' or 'festival' TO 82540 and you will plant a tree - £3 will be donated.

TEXT 'GREENER' or 'greener' to 82540 and you will plant two trees - this will cost you £5

The money you donate will be deducted from your phone - it's called reverse billing. You can also send a cheque payable to 'A Greener Festival Ltd' and post to 8 Henley Prior, Collier Street, London N1 9JU. We are a formally constituted 'not for profit' company and everything helps. The more we get, the more we can do, so please help. THANK YOU.

Britain will benefit from a boost in visitors this spring as VisitBritain launches the European phase of its multi-million pound ‘Britain for Less’ campaign. Launching this week and running until the end of June, it is the national tourism agency’s largest campaign in Europe for several years with £1.8 million invested across 18 countries.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown says: “Britain is a leading global destination welcoming 32 million visitors from abroad each year to enjoy an incredibly rich combination of centuries of history and heritage, rural escapes and vibrant cities. British destinations have inspired some of the world’s greatest authors and poets, and produced number one musicians, leading fashion designers, and award-winning actors, as well as iconic characters from Harry Potter to James Bond.

“I hope this campaign encourages people to explore even more of this great country and experience the many special places that Britain has to offer.”

easyJet has joined forces with VisitBritain to offer low-cost flights from as low as  24.99 euros (£23) in 14 countries – Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. British Airways is the preferred airline partner in Belgium, Norway, Russia and Sweden, offering fares from 72 euros including all taxes, fees and onboard services.

easyJet’s chief executive, Andy Harrison, says: “There’s clearly never been a better time for people from mainland Europe to travel to the UK, given the fabulous opportunities that the current Euro-Sterling exchange rate can offer. We are delighted that VisitBritain recognised that easyJet’s unique network makes us the ideal choice for passengers wanting to take advantage of this.”

Most European visitors are currently benefiting from great exchange rates and an interactive map on the website will illustrate how close some of Britain's top destinations are to regional airports and how easily the country can be explored – even on a short break. To ensure visitors enjoy a quality stay at a great price, special accommodation deals from £29.95 pppn are provided by Jurys Inns and from £39 per room by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) across its Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn hotels. Europcar will help VisitBritain spread the benefits across the whole of Britain by encouraging visitors to explore every corner of the country.

Adverts tease potential visitors with images capturing people being surprised by British sights that are eventually revealed to be iconic attractions such as Stonehenge. The strapline invites Europeans to “see more for less”, while a dedicated website, www.britainforless.com, highlights key destinations and provides ‘insider tips’ on value-for-money attractions and experiences. Marketing support includes PR and media relations, travel trade activity, e-CRM to VisitBritain and partner databases, search engine optimisation and a media buy that includes advertorials in European versions of the Metro newspaper.

Thanks to the campaign, visitors can take advantage of deals from high street names and luxury brand retailers at London’s  new  Westfield Shopping Centre and  an exclusive 20% reduction on this summer's major music festivals – such as Bestival on the Isle of Wight, Herefordshire’s Big Chill and Creamfields in Liverpool – from the Association of Independent Festivals. A VisitBritain-branded SIM card from telecoms partner GO-SIM will also enable visitors to avoid roaming charges whenever they ring home to tell friends and family how much they are enjoying their British holiday and how affordable it is. The Britain for Less campaign also benefits from support by BritRail and easyBus.

Laurence Bresh, VisitBritain’s regional director for Europe, says: “The global economic climate means that people are watching their wallets before deciding how they spend their money. While Britain remains among the world’s leading destinations, we want to make sure that visitors are aware of the surprising experiences they have yet to enjoy and the great exchange rates they can get if they travel right now. The Britain for Less campaign helps them make their money go even further with great deals on getting here and getting around, as well as places to stay and go, to eat out and shop. With offers this good, they can stay longer and enjoy that much more.”

Britainforless.com also links users to visitbritain.com for even more practical and inspirational information as well as deals and offers from accommodation providers, attractions and tourism businesses of all sizes.

The Secret Garden Party 2009 goes to Eden and Babylon

23rd to the 26th July 2009

Winners of the 2008 ‘Best Small Festival’ Virtual Festivals  Awards
…a four day party like no  other…
www.secretgardenparty.com

“I begin to smile; this smile doesn’t leave my face all weekend” Virtual  festivals
“Never have I been to a festival which so naively and  terrifyingly delights as the Secret Garden Party does”  Notion

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SECRET GARDEN PARTY LINE UP 2009 JUST CONFIRMED:

The Secret Garden Party is pleased to announce additional artists to the bill for this year’s event.
They are:

RODRIGO Y GABRIELLA – VV BROWN – THOSE DANCING DAYS 
DETROIT SOCIAL CLUB - CHAIRLIFT – BAXTER DURY – BACKSTAGE SLUTS 
AU REVOIR SIMONE – THE DØ  - THE HOLLOWAYS – POCKETKNIFE & COUSIN COLE HAFDIS HULD – MEN AMONG ANIMALS- KING CANIBAL – ONE LITTLE PLANE
...even more to follow.

As previously announced…

JARVIS COCKER
EMILIANA TORRINI - TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS - PHOENIX - EMF
EDDY TEMPLE MORRIS - EMMY THE GREAT – FIGHT LIKE APES – CARIBOU – BAXTER DURY
GOLDEN SILVERS - OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT - SLOW CLUB - TEAM WATERPOLO -
DOGS - WE HAVE BAND - THE XX - CHEW LIPS – OFFICER KICKS
BICYCLE THIEVES – DJ FOOD – CASPA – COCOSUMA – DAEDELUS - DAN BLACK – DECODER
HELOISE & THE SAVOIR FAIRE – ENVELOPES - EVIL NINE - GUILDEAN GANG - KING CANNIBAL
ONE LITTLE PLANE - SLAGSMALSKLUBBEN - HOOK & THE TWIN - JONNY TAYLOR – KILLAFLAW
PHOTOMACHINE - LAIL ARAD - LE CASTLE VANIA - LITTLE FISH - MAMA'S GUN
- MANO DE DIOS - THE QEMISTS – MIDIMIDIS - MOJO FILTER -
PEGGY SUE AND THE PIRATES - PETER VON POEHL - YEARNER BABIES
REDLIGHT - ROSIE ODDIE AND THE ODDSQUAD - RUN TOTO RUN
-  SCREAMING LIGHTS – SHUTTLE - SPEECH DABELLE - STEALTH DJS - SAME TEENS - SARA SCHIRALLI - STEREO:TYPE - STILL FLYIN' - THE JESSIE ROSE TRIP - THE MUMMERS – THUNDERHEIST - THE BOOKHOUSE BOYS - TODDLA T 
 

This year’s festival offers unprecedented escape from the daily drudge of normality, the state of 2009’s Britain, and invites you into the world of Babylon & Eden, a joyous romp through the light and dark of your soul…

Besides the great line-up, there will be Action Camps, Art Installations, Boudoirs and many other delights, all home grown and hand picked for your visit to the Garden…

Tickets for 2009 are on sale priced at £137 + booking fee. That includes camping, parking, fun, frolics plus all the other hidden extras that usually lurk within a ticket price. Camper vans however will be charged an additional  £45 for the duration (they take up a lot of space). Teen tickets for  13-17 year olds will be £110 plus booking fee, and as per,  under 13’s get in free, but still need a ticket, mind.  All Early Bird tickets have now completely sold out.

“The SGP, small and beautifully formed, is the only shebang for which the claim, “there are no spectators, all are participants”, is the honest-to-God truth. They just want to have a freaking excellent party; it’s that independence that makes it such a special festival”, Subba-Cultcha.

 
The event will also see style and decadence from The Finer Delights. For the ladies, The Boudoir, whilst the boys will host something of a Gentleman’s Club. As well as The Holistic Camp and activities for the younger gardeners, the details of which will be announced soon, every turn will find a new revolution unfolding with Art Installations and other Action Camps…

In 2009, Science Camp brings scientific and biomedical themed talks, discussions, debates, art, music, films, experiments and demonstrations to the Secret Garden Party. Aiming to educate as well as entertain, Science Camp furthers public engagement with science in an unconventional and inspiring way in the relaxed atmosphere of a music festival, the kind of place where people least expect to learn about the beauty, intricacy and relevance of science.

Conspiracy Camp is back for another year after its roaring success and along with the all NEW Explorer camp, ran by Alex Yearsley. For 12 years Alex has worked for the investigative human rights group Global Witness which has been exposing to the world how some of the deadliest conflicts across Africa and South East Asia have been financed by  natural resources such as timber, oil, diamonds and gold and how those same  natural resources are a curse to many other countries keeping them in poverty  through breathtaking corruption. Alex, a former MTV Europe presenter, has utilised his extensive network of investigators, journalists and explorers to  come and talk to the Secret Garden Party allowing us some hard earned and real insight into some real conspiracies!

The Secret Garden Party is worlds apart from any other festival in the UK and so it stands to reason that its Boutique Camping should be as different too.   

The Secret Garden Party is worlds apart from any other festival in the UK and so it stands to reason that it’s Boutique Camping should be as different too.  On arrival at the festival you’ll be directed to your own special parking area where you’ll be greeted by our ‘Boutique Bell Boys’ who will wheel your luggage direct to your new home.
 
Beautifully themed and decorated, Boutique Camping will have its own security, private showers, posh loos, indoor sitting rooms, chill-out areas, reception service and if that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, the Boutique Butlers are available from Midday – Midnight, on hand to fetch you anything you desire.  Simply call on them for anything from an after hour treat to breakfast in bed.  Camping has never been easier or more indulgent.

For information on this years Boutique camping like never: www.secretproductions.net/boutique

Of course, the standard Gardener’s camp-site is available to all ticket holders; situated right next to the arena entrance it includes showers, loos, food stalls and plenty of space to stage your own secret party…

The Secret Garden Party is your party, made for you and by you. The Party is a moment in the year where you can explore your wildest fantasies and realise your wildest dreams.  It is radically expressive and radically inclusive.

Come and be a part of The Garden as it blooms for four days in 2009. For any additional information on kids’ area or lovely foodplease get in touch. Lots going on.

waves with some well thought out initiatives that are capturing the imagination of the wider live music sector.

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) became one of the myriad trade bodies in the UK music industry when it was announced at the Association of

Independent Music annual meeting in June, but while others often take their time to make an impact, the new kids on the block are off to a flying start. Last month AIF announced plans to create a Security Task Force whose remit would be to specifically target tent theft at festival sites. “The Security Task Force is now out to tender to all the major reputable security firms and 80% of them have already come back to us,” reports Ben Turner, one of AIF’s founding partners. “The idea was never meant to be exclusively for the indies – we always wanted to broaden it out to the whole festival community and the feedback has been very positive,” says Turner.

That is music to the ears of Bestival promoter Rob Da Bank who reveals that theft from the camping site at his event was partly responsible for the concept of forming

the AIF. “Tent theft had never crossed my mind when I was setting up Bestival, but it’s a problem that nearly all festivals suffer from, so the idea is basically to have a specialised team who can work with the various police forces and security firms working at festivals around the country to identify the gangs who are responsible,” explains Da Bank. That first major initiative, although a simple idea, is a significant step indeed, but another founding member of AIF believes the biggest contribution the association has made so far is even more rudimentary. “All the indie promoters are getting together every four or five weeks and I think that is actually the biggest achievement to date for AIF,” states James Barton, promoter of the Creamfields Festivals.

Da Bank agrees. “We were all a bit fearful of each other a year ago, but that is changing. Now we’re all sitting around sharing ideas with each other and people are being honest; well, honest up to a point – we’re still talking about commercial rivals, after all.” Barton continues, “I knew a few promoters beforehand, but there has been very little communication up to this point. Now I know a lot more festival promoters and it’s obvious that we all share the same values and have the same goals, even though it’s very much a mixed bag of festivals and promoters.”

Turner pays tribute to UK Music chief executive Feargal Sharkey in helping the AIF get off the ground. “Feargal was instrumental in helping us set up, as well as

introducing us to the media,” notes Turner. Now Turner and his cohorts are planning to lean on Sharkey and his organisation to make sure that AIF members, large and small, are included in any lobbying efforts or legislative moves that might affect their sector. “AIF wants to become part of that one voice and it’s on our list of things to do. UK Music is still settling in and it’s early days for us both, but we definitely want to be represented when there are things going on at a governmental level that might affect the festival scene,” says Turner. That is a theme Barton picks up on. “As a collective we have a much stronger voice,” he observes. “That’s important because we want to be heard, consulted and at the table when there are discussions going on that affect us. It’s only fair that Bestival or the Big Chill or Creamfields or whoever has a voice when [Culture Secretary] Andy Burnham wants to make representations about festivals.”

The AIF board currently consists of 17 individuals, while the membership covers about 25 festivals as well as the Eden Project and other interested parties such as insurance firms. Additionally, the AIF has appointed Claire O’Neill as its general manager, working out of the AIF offices. “Claire went to about 20 festivals this summer, working at most of them doing everything from artist liaison to stage management, so it’s great that we have her running AIF,” says Da Bank. “It’s important we have someone who can keep their finger on the pulse. O’Neill will help the organisation bring aboard new members, but Da Bank is in no hurry to see AIF swell. “There are something like 450 festivals in the UK now, but 350 of those are probably miniscule. Needless to say there is a lot of work to be done on our membership numbers, but we’re not in any mad rush,” says Da Bank.

With festivals using the winter months to pull together their artist line-ups, Turner notes, “We now have the head space to strategise and concentrate on what we can do to improve the independent festival market.” One initiative high on the agenda is unsurprisingly the environment. The impact that festivals have on greenfield sites can be horrendous, but Da Bank is hatching plans to assist AIF members in their efforts to improve the situation. “The more people talk about the environment, the more ideas you hear about and I’ve learned a hell of a lot about reducing your carbon footprint purely from conversations at the AIF board meetings,” admits Da Bank.

Barton believes that when it comes to being green, the bigger festivals can learn a lot from their smaller AIF colleagues. “A lot of small festivals are running their events with zero emissions,” says Barton. Indeed, the Creamfields founder is adamant that the discussions among AIF members will be the key to the organisation’s success. “The collective experience of the people involved in the AIF can definitely help make each other’s festivals stronger, better and more sustainable,” he notes.

Another idea Da Bank is championing is a mentoring scheme to give people a leg up in the festivals market. That, he says, could be particularly important as the ticket- buying public think carefully about their live music budgets in 2009. “It’s unavoidable that people are looking ahead and thinking about where to spend their money,” says Da Bank. “Rather than people going to two or three festivals, they might just go to one or two. Perhaps if they only went to one festival in 2008, they might not go to any in 2009.”

Other ways in which AIF can look to help its members include collective purchasing where festivals can club together to negotiate better rates with suppliers. “There are ways of saving money by cutting costs through the likes of sharing infrastructure or hiring the same staging or portacabins,” says Da Bank. And he reveals that the conversations between members are surprising everyone. “People are talking about land rent. That never used to happen, but I know there are conversations going on about what promoters are paying for their festival sites.”

Looking to next year, Turner hints of a major TV deal that could be in place for all AIF member festivals to boost their profiles. “There’s a large TV offering being talked about and all of our member festivals are involved in that discussion,” he says, declining to elaborate.

Elsewhere, Turner is hoping that the organisation can start talking to other sectors of the market to help strengthen the UK music industry. “With all the talk of 360-degree deals, the lines are blurred between the recording business and live sector now and the two should definitely talk more,” he says.

Whatever lies ahead in 2009, the formation of the Association of Independent Festivals will provide a voice for numerous events and help ensure the festival scene remains buoyant. “We’re still finding our feet and we don’t know what’s around the corner, but we’re now more prepared than ever and, where need be, we can make sure there is a delegation from the AIF to represent the independent festivals sector,” adds Barton.

“There are lots of festivals out there that are unknown, but these events can help set the agenda for the future no matter how big or small they are.”