Shrewsbury Folk Festival tune in
Summer is always a busy time for me as the press officer for a number of shows, events and the Shropshire County Showground, and the August Bank Holiday is no exception....although it is a little different.
Rather than promoting the event in a bid to attract hundreds of visitors I am looking to get people to stay at home for the weekend - and join in the fun via the music festival's free online broadcasts.
Tickets for the four day festival at the County Showground in Berwick Road recorded the earliest sell-out in its history this year and with a long waiting list of disappointed would-be festival goers waiting for return tickets organisers are expecting even more people to tune in to the action that will be broadcast live from the mainstage at no cost.
It will be the third year that the festival has hosted the free webcast – in the first experimental year, 600 people tuned in. Last year, nearly 6,000 people from 26 countries enjoyed Shropshire's biggest music festival without even leaving their homes.
This year the festival features five music venues, a dance tent, dozens of workshops, a children's festival, Refolkus a dedicated youth programme for 12 to 25 -year-olds, on-site camping, a craft fair and food village.
I will be among the many camping on the site and will be keeping you all updated with daily Tweets and my news blog - and if you cannot stay at home and catch the live web broadcast I will be telling all in the Shrewsbury Chronicle after the weekend is over.
The festival also raises funds every year for its charity partner Hope House Hospice in Morda, near Oswestry, to fund its music therapy work for children with life limiting illnesses. Over the past three years, donations from festival goers and £1 from every adult ticket sold has helped to raise nearly £15,000.
Fantastic music, great food and drink, inevitably great company and raising money for charity....I cannot wait!
