The British summer often disappoints. It can come and go without so much as a glimmer of sunlight and, for those of us lucky enough to escape to warmer climes for a couple of weeks, the holiday wardrobe is cast aside as quickly as it was bought, being replaced by trusty gloves and jeans before we've even seen August.
Luckily, a bit of rain doesn't stop the thousands of Brits who are intent on sleeping in a field and jumping up and down in the mud to their favourite songs. Festivals are as popular as they have ever been and there is no shortage of
sites to choose from in England. However, at around £150 for a ticket, your summer music experience might be downgraded to sitting in the garden listening to your ipod. Not quite as memorable, but you'll save a pretty penny. Think how many CDs that money could buy! (Not many these days, actually..)
If you'd like something a little more sociable and think you're up to the challenge, why not rope in a few friends to help you start your very own festival - you don't even have to wait for the summer.
Firstly you'll need to decide on a location. This of course depends on how many people you plan to invite. If it is going to be a small affair, with 50-100 of your closest friends, you might choose to hold the festival in your back garden (or that of a generous friend or relative). You could also try to strike a deal with a local farmer who might let you host your festival on his land for a small price. You cannot hold an event like this in a public space such as a park unless you obtain permission from the local council, plus you have the added hassle of arranging a drinks license if you plan to serve booze, which can be very difficult. Best to stick to a more private location, preferably one owned by you!
An important issue to bare in mind is that of noise pollution. If you plan to play loud music at your festival, you need to respect your neighbours and the best thing to do in this situation is to warn them, and maybe even invite them in, to keep tension to a minimum. They can't complain if they're there! If anybody is disturbed by the levels of noise, they have the
right to complain to the local authority if it is taking place between 11pm and 7am. Somebody may be sent round to have a quiet word with you, and if this verbal warning is ignored, the final step can be a £1000 fine. So keep on your neighbours' good sides and be aware of how much noise you are creating in the early hours.
Once these issues are taken care of, you need to decide who it is that is going to be making all this noise in the first place. Will you hire musicians? Perhaps your friend in is in a band and is willing to play for free - perfect. There is no reason why you need to have professionals, though. Why not open up the stage to your festival-goers and let them entertain the crowd with any particular talents they might have? Nobody said this has to be just a music festival. Somebody might have some poetry they want to read out, or a magic trick. Everybody has a hidden talent, however embarrassing.
So, come up with a name, call your friends and tell them to bring a bottle. There you have it, the cheapest festival you've ever been to, and if it starts raining, you can just go inside.
