2020 - the year we weren't allowed to dance!

This last year has been crazy!

The threat of this killer virus, silent and unseen, has put the kibosh on everyone's plans. It has brought pain and uncertainty and continues to drive anxiety and worry. I can't comment on the political management of the global pandemic as I don’t think I am qualified. What I can do is comment on is the impact it has had on the very limited scope of running a festival.

I'm often asked why I do it? Why do I run a small independent festival? Why do I spend so much time and effort into creating such an event? It’s certainly not the money!

Its hard to explain. You and your team have worked tirelessly over the previous months on an event which has to be fun/safe/legal but at the same time mind blowing and memorable. A tricky ask!

You have so many threads you need to incorporate. The fun stuff is booking the bands and creating the DJ line up. But that must be backed up with the mundane. Who is doing the security? Who is clearing the rubbish? Who will manage the bar? And you have to bring all of these threads together to a finite point of time. There are no second chances. If you miss that date there is no going back.

And then there are the risks. What happens if it rains all day? What happens if a band pulls out? What happens if, god forbid, there is an accident, and someone gets injured?

For me I get immense satisfaction from seeing people enjoy themselves to something I have created. Music seems to bring people together. It's that common thread that we can all connect with. We may not all like the same stuff, but a festival is about bringing disparate musically tastes together and throwing them all in a mixing bowl. There is no judging just dancing.

Not being able to run the festival or our Halloween gig has felt like having a limb chopped off. We ran a couple of livestreams which have been interesting, but it completely misses out that human connection we all love. It’s a bit like scuba diving in a swimming pool; it get the general gist of it but its not the real thing. Sure, I've done a fair amount around the house; my homemade pasta making skills are on point; the shed has never looked so tidy. But God do I miss it!

So, let us all look forward! I am positive about the year ahead - we will get out of these lockdowns. We will dance together again. But as the old song goes "I don't know when, don't know where".