July 2010 Archives
Girls and boys just wanna have fun!
In praise of community festivals
Festivals are fun, especially in the summer when we dare to hope for a few days of nice dry, sunny weather. This statement of the obvious was learned and put into practice by the people of Edinburgh shortly after the end of the Second World War.
In the years since those early days the city has become a must-visit tourist destination hosting the elitisst highbrow Edinburgh International Festival the Festival Fringe, the International Tattoo, the Edinburgh Film and Television Festival and the Edinburgh Book Festival. The Fringe in particular has grown over the past sixty years into the biggest festival of arts, entertainment and comedy in the world.
Here in Ulster we’ve been a bit slower to get our festivals off the ground even though we have had a ready-made structure for them, what with St Patrick’s Day, the Twelfth and Derry Day
The Apprentice Boys of Derry deserve credit when they set the ball rolling when they transformed the Relief of Derry commemorations in Londonderry into the week-long Maiden City Festival. This opened up their tradition to a wider audience in Derry and beyond and may even help to promote better understanding of what the organisation is all about as a spirit of celebration replaces confrontation and provocation.
It’s especially gratifying to see this approach taking root in Carrickfergus too. Every year thousands of people come into the town to celebrate the arrival of William, Prince of Orange and enjoy the pageant.
Belfast Orangemen were a little late in the game but the have begun to take a few faltering steps along the same way now that they have rebranded the Belfast Twelfth as Orangefest. This is a welcome start but a lot more effort is required if Orangefest is to make any impact. Orangefest must do more to make it a week-long festival in the style of the Maiden City Festival and Feile an Phobal in West Belfast. It could start by launching a dedicated Orangefest website.
The West Belfast Festival is a useful case in point. When it began in the mid eighties nationalist parts of Belfast were plagued with constant rioting and mayhem around the anniversary of interment on August 9th each year. Republicans realised that it was easy to get youngsters to pelt soldiers and peelers with bricks and petrol bombs and to wreck, burn and destroy property in their neighbourhood but it was not so easy to get them to settle down as good citizens the rest of the year.
The festival began as a way to divert youthful enthusiasm in more positive directions. In this it has been largely successful. Today Feile attracts major international performers and brings in thousands of visitors to the city without losing its original republican ethos.
Take a look too at the annual Gay Pride festival in Belfast. Twenty years ago this community kept out of sight in the margins of society. On July 31st I saw this parade make its cheerful way through Belfast city centre. I was surprised at the large numbers of people taking part. Shoppers seemed to enjoy the colourful show. The parade comes at the end of a week of music, plays, films, art exhibitions and other related events and has done a lot to promote greater understanding and tolerance of the gay community in Ulster.
The Ulster-Scots tradition is often a target for ridicule in the media. However, a dedicated bunch of activists and volunteers are working hard to change that image. One of the best efforts has been around since 1993; the Broadisland Gathering in Ballycarry. Ballycarry Community Association organises this community festival The Gathering highlights the strong Ulster Scots heritage of the community and includes dancing, music, pipe bands, discussions, re-enactment, and a fair. This will take place over the first weekend in September and promises to be a great day out for all the family. This year will see visits from the innovative Mid-Argyll Pipe Band and the young Scots Gaelic choir, Coisir Og Dhail Riata. Have some fun and make a day of it. I’ll maybe see you there.
www.maidencityfestival.com
www.belfastpride.com
www.larne.gov.uk
www.feilebelfast.com
www.bandparades.co.uk
In praise of community festivals
Festivals are fun, especially in the summer when we dare to hope for a few days of nice dry, sunny weather. This statement of the obvious was learned and put into practice by the people of Edinburgh shortly after the end of the Second World War.
In the years since those early days the city has become a must-visit tourist destination hosting the elitisst highbrow Edinburgh International Festival the Festival Fringe, the International Tattoo, the Edinburgh Film and Television Festival and the Edinburgh Book Festival. The Fringe in particular has grown over the past sixty years into the biggest festival of arts, entertainment and comedy in the world.
Here in Ulster we’ve been a bit slower to get our festivals off the ground even though we have had a ready-made structure for them, what with St Patrick’s Day, the Twelfth and Derry Day
The Apprentice Boys of Derry deserve credit when they set the ball rolling when they transformed the Relief of Derry commemorations in Londonderry into the week-long Maiden City Festival. This opened up their tradition to a wider audience in Derry and beyond and may even help to promote better understanding of what the organisation is all about as a spirit of celebration replaces confrontation and provocation.
It’s especially gratifying to see this approach taking root in Carrickfergus too. Every year thousands of people come into the town to celebrate the arrival of William, Prince of Orange and enjoy the pageant.
Belfast Orangemen were a little late in the game but the have begun to take a few faltering steps along the same way now that they have rebranded the Belfast Twelfth as Orangefest. This is a welcome start but a lot more effort is required if Orangefest is to make any impact. Orangefest must do more to make it a week-long festival in the style of the Maiden City Festival and Feile an Phobal in West Belfast. It could start by launching a dedicated Orangefest website.
The West Belfast Festival is a useful case in point. When it began in the mid eighties nationalist parts of Belfast were plagued with constant rioting and mayhem around the anniversary of interment on August 9th each year. Republicans realised that it was easy to get youngsters to pelt soldiers and peelers with bricks and petrol bombs and to wreck, burn and destroy property in their neighbourhood but it was not so easy to get them to settle down as good citizens the rest of the year.
The festival began as a way to divert youthful enthusiasm in more positive directions. In this it has been largely successful. Today Feile attracts major international performers and brings in thousands of visitors to the city without losing its original republican ethos.
Take a look too at the annual Gay Pride festival in Belfast. Twenty years ago this community kept out of sight in the margins of society. On July 31st I saw this parade make its cheerful way through Belfast city centre. I was surprised at the large numbers of people taking part. Shoppers seemed to enjoy the colourful show. The parade comes at the end of a week of music, plays, films, art exhibitions and other related events and has done a lot to promote greater understanding and tolerance of the gay community in Ulster.
The Ulster-Scots tradition is often a target for ridicule in the media. However, a dedicated bunch of activists and volunteers are working hard to change that image. One of the best efforts has been around since 1993; the Broadisland Gathering in Ballycarry. Ballycarry Community Association organises this community festival The Gathering highlights the strong Ulster Scots heritage of the community and includes dancing, music, pipe bands, discussions, re-enactment, and a fair. This will take place over the first weekend in September and promises to be a great day out for all the family. This year will see visits from the innovative Mid-Argyll Pipe Band and the young Scots Gaelic choir, Coisir Og Dhail Riata. Have some fun and make a day of it. I’ll maybe see you there.
www.maidencityfestival.com
www.belfastpride.com
www.larne.gov.uk
www.feilebelfast.com
www.bandparades.co.uk
