Spring is on it's way!!
It's been a tough winter for us all and we have to say that the milder weather and the sight of some snow drops on our daily walks has really started to lift our spirits.
As have some of the murmurings about the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions and the possibility of getting back together in a field later this year!
Obviously we are keeping a careful eye on developments and talking to our peers and colleagues in the industry about what the summer is looking like for festivals. We know some of the bigger ones have had to cancel already but we are hoping as a smaller, more flexible festival that we will be able to do something ...... and to be honest we really have to in order to keep the festival alive.
There is a huge amount of uncertainty and financial instability for us as a Festival. We still haven't received any Government funding and without a festival of some sort in 2021 we simply will not survive.
Please rest assured though that we are working hard to ensure that any plans will keep all of our Towersey Festival goers, volunteers, traders, artists and staff happy and safe.
In the meantime, please to keep donating if you are in a position to help. We know you've heard this a lot over the last 12 months and we are grateful for every single penny donated, but we are not out of the woods yet.
Thank-you as always for the love and support xx
Towersey Festival is a totally independent festival and the oldest in the country. It is still family run and is Not for Profit.
When the Festival makes a profit (which is not as often as you might think) we put it back into the Festival and support artists and local organisations.
We save funds when we can for a rainy day but due to Covid-19 we have had to postpone our 2020 event to 2021 and wiping out an entire year is not something we could ever be ready for.
We had already spent considerable amounts of money on deposits, production and marketing costs which we will not be able to recoup.
The postponement has had a substantial financial impact on the Festival which will leave us going into 2021 with a significant deficit, which may take several years to clear, if we can get through the next few years.
As previously mentioned, we had hoped to secure some funds through the Cultural Recovery Programme. But despite what we believe to be an honest and strong application and despite many of our friendly competitors in the folk world receiving funding, we were overlooked and so we are put on the back foot for next year with quite a battle on our hands.
Thank-you for your support. We will all be back together in another lovelier world soon.
Stay safe and be kind xx
The festival was started back in 1965 by Denis Manners (The Granddad of the Current Director, Joe) in his back garden in the Oxfordshire village of Towersey. It is the oldest independent festival in the UK. We support music, community and sustainability.
Towersey is an authentic independent festival with an amazing community spirit. It’s an exciting, inspiring, relaxing and homely place where you can see a line-up of top musicians and artists as well as discover new music, learn new skills and experience new things. It’s a festival for everyone, from small kids to grandparents, a place you can create family memories together. And from the moment you arrive you will feel part of the bigger Towersey family.
Towersey will always be a folk and roots festival with one foot firmly in our proud history and foundations and one excitedly in the future of festivals and music.
We aim to bring you an experience which will live with you forever, provide you with life-long friends and ensure there is nowhere else in the world you would rather be on the August Bank Holiday!
The Economics:
- To date, Towersey Festival has paid over £2 million in fees to Artists.
- We employ over 120 artists and bands every year
- Every year over a quarter of our overall expenditure is dedicated to artists, performers and workshop leaders
- Towersey Festival has raised (or helped to raise) over half a million pounds for charities, artists organisations and local community groups.
- We have spent over £4 million with event industry suppliers and spend around half of our expenditure on production
- UK Music Festivals contribute over £2.5 Billion to the UK economy
- Towersey alone contributes around £2.5 Million through customer and festival spending
- Towersey 2020 operating costs to date are over £120’000 (this is the minimum that one cancelled year will cost) This includes marketing spend, deposits, overheads and staff.
Most important of all… Towersey Festival has introduced music, art and culture to over 5000 people annually for 55 years. Spreading happiness, well-being and the importance of tradition and art.