Categories: uncategorized
Date: 16 August 2006 07:08:59
So far we've had Whychwood with its smallness and fluffy family feeling, Guildfest with it's eclectic line up, Cambridge with it's middle class charm and amazing line up and so today we turn our attention upon Fairports Cropredy Convention - the festival where the term "festival village" takes on a whole new meaning.
This festival is probably the least commercialised of the festivals being more like a gathering of friends who annually desend upon a mates house to meet up and have a bit of a party, coming by car, bus and canal boat. Whilst the "official" site has only one stage and one main field the reality is that the whole of the local village opens itself up for the duration of the festival. The local pub hosts the festival fringe, the women of the village provide cooked breakfasts in the village hall, the local cricket club hosts the car boot sale, the church welcomes festival goers & they are encouraged to support the fund raising for a new bell - to be named the Fairport Cropedy bell and all around space has been hired out to traders whose stalls are selling a range of hippy gear in the most English of English villages.
The music is predominantly folk & this year included Steele Eye Span, Dervish, Swarbs Lazarus and a Feast of Fiddles amongst other stuff. It is the festival of Fairport Convention who headline the festival which ends with The Ballad of Matty Groves and then finally Meet on the Ledge .