Festival of Friends - Moving to Ancaster??

[drpgq]

Originally Posted by markbarbera

Gage Park will be better off without the FOF. There's now an opportunity to present a festival that harkens back to the original intentions of FOF. I understand the creative forces behind The Pearl Company are already working on a festival to replace it.

That would seem a logical idea.

Where's the mayor comments on this? Maybe I've missed them, but I hardly see this as a net win for Hamilton.

[markbarbera]

From an article in thespec.ca

Mayor Bob Bratina says he won’t try to convince TD Festival of Friends to stay in Gage Park even though its move to Ancaster ends a three-and-a-half decade Hamilton tradition.

The festival, which is the largest free annual music event in the province, announced this week that it has relocated to the new Ancaster Fairgrounds because it has become too large for Hamilton’s premier urban park.

“I won’t battle them because it’s their business (where they go),” Bratina said Wednesday. “I’m lamenting what was an east-end tradition, but time marches on … I’m not too dour about it.”

Bratina said the festival was an economic benefit to an area that needs help, but “maybe it has outgrown the area.”

He said he’s troubled that accessibility will be lost for some lower city residents who may not have the same ability to reach the festival’s new home in rural Ancaster. But he said he must take into account that a growing festival that brings more people to Hamilton is desirable.

“If 3,000 more people were able to come from farther away, is that a bad thing?” he said. “As mayor, I support good events all over and it’s quite likely we are going to see more and more things distant from downtown and the old traditional venues.”

[mishap]

“If 3,000 more people were able to come from farther away, is that a bad thing?” he said.

So, driveway-to-driveway then?

[ihateittoo]

atleast those out of town food stalls will make a killing from those extra "3000 people" and the limited amount of local restaurants.

But optomistically, they started a festival in gage park 35 years ago, they can start a new one now. It will be smaller, maybe more locally represented. Not as many of the stalls will be the ones which tour all the summer festivals. If we could pull off another sucessful festival to add to hamiltons summer line-up then this could really be a good thing in the long run.

[realcity]

Why don't they move Festival to Burlington?

[flar]

Originally Posted by realcity

Why don't they move Festival to Burlington?

Burlington, Ancaster, what's the difference?

[matt602]

"“As mayor, I support good events all over and it’s quite likely we are going to see more and more things distant from downtown and the old traditional venues.”

Yep. This quote says it all about the new Bob Bratina. Someone who was once a passionate urban minded city councilor is now a converted suburban interests mayor. Makes sense considering where the majority of his votes came from and the platform he ran on, but it still disgusts me. I'm really disappointed in him.

[SteelTown]

Shuttle buses approved for TD Festival of Friends

ANCASTER At least two shuttle buses an hour will carry visitors from downtown Hamilton to next month’s TD Festival of Friends at its new location.

The shuttle service is expected to alleviate accessibility concerns for lower city residents, many of whom walked or used public transit to visit the festival during its 34-year run at Gage Park.

Hamilton’s general issues committee approved a motion this week to work with festival organizers to provide shuttle bus service to Ancaster during festival hours Aug. 5-7.

The $15,000 cost will be funded through the city’s 2011 transit budget, corporate year-end surpluses and the city’s tax stabilization reserve.

[LikeHamilton]

I went to the Festival tonight. I will never go again! What an unorganized zoo!!!!

[bornagainbiking]

Great line-up, sorry I meant the entertainment.
Too bad about the traffic but it all boils down to everybody wants to drive there. How many cars were minimum occupancy. So enjoy your drive and if you ain't part of the solution you were part of the problem.
Maybe they can confer with the people from the Peach Festival for some advice.
Please note that it was a record for beer consumption at the tent and there was plenty of traffic, kudos to the designated drivers or the thick traffic gave people time to sober up. Lucky
Seriously, this could be the better venue and everything has growing pains. Good effort on the part of the organizers. Bon chance and thanks for bringing all this great talent to Hamilton.

[markbarbera]

The Festival of Friends 2012 concert lineup has Chantal Kreviazuk and The Bangles on the main stage Friday night, Spin Doctors and Leon Russell on the main stage Saturday night, and Lights and the B-52s Sunday night.

The full lineup for the weekend can be found here

[CaptainKirk]

That's a terrific line up.

Not sure I'm comfortable with how the festival has morphed.

How exactly is this funded? Is there a tax payer subsidy paying for these professional acts?

I think I'd rather have the attendees pay for these acts.

I'd like to know more about what exactly the festival has become and how it's financed.

[markbarbera]

There is a lot more corporate sponsorship than in previous years (Its name is now branded as the TD Festival of Friends), so a lot more money is coming from these sponsors. A full list of sponsors is available on their website.

They do still get some money from the city, which is listed as one of the sponsors of the festival. The amount the city gives the festival hasn't really changed much the past five years as it has remained in the 82000-85000 ballpark since 2008.

The festival has always been free, and has always managed to attract professional acts. These two key elements have never changed throughout the years, and is partly responsible for success that made it outgrow the original festival location. Their site has a comprehensive list of all the acts that have played the Festival since it began in 1976.

What I find has changed over the years is the quality of the marketplace. That has gradually declined over the years. I found the marketplace disappointing the last couple times I went to the festival in Gage Park. I didn't get up to the new Ancaster fairgrounds site last year, so I can't say whether the new location saw any kind of change to the marketplace.

[CaptainKirk]

Thanks for the update markbarbera!

Does sound like it's grown, and morphed into more of a concert event. That alone explains why the move from Gage Park, sad as it is.

Aside from the, marketplace, are there any other changes over the years to the festival in regards to non-music events/festivities? Are those "shrinking' as the concert aspect grows?

[mattgrande]

There's an interview with Bill Powell in this months Urbanicity, where he talks about where it started, how it grew, etc.

One of the things he talked about was the food... There used to be a lot better food selections at the earlier ones, but I'm hoping with the newer food trucks in the city, it'll start getting better.

(Bill Powell started FoF back in the 70s. He's also the man responsible for starting Aquafest and, I believe, It's Your Festival)

[realcity]

I'm not upset anymore about the FoF moving to Ancaster. I think it is much better and bigger now. It draws a better crowd. I went to FoF since a kid in the 80s, BMX'd down there for kicks because it was for free and never saw more pitbulls and Hamilton losers in my life everytime.

Good for Loren, he grew the FoF to be a huge draw/destination for real live music fans, in Hamilton and beyond, not just the drunk bikers who lived within staggering distance of Gage Park.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^So much of what you just said is offensive...that's awesome.

Aquafest?? Man, I totally forgot about that one. I always liked it tonnes.

Bill Powell's a good man. Staying down on Barton for all these years: that's the definition of commitment.

[mattgrande]

So did anyone go this year? How was it?

[CaptainKirk]

From SPEC accounts, crowds were much smaller, due to weather and traffic concerns. I'd also add that there was art crawl Friday night ( which I attended and there was a strong crowd there as usual) and then of course we had the Olympics and closing ceremonies on Sunday, not sure how that affected attendance.

For me personally, I have not attended since it moved. I'm not upset about the move nor am I boycotting it. I would have loved to have the bangles and the B-52s. Art crawl was easier to attend, and I figured I had a better time there (where I saw Dawn and Marra at the CBC office. They were great!) It's just easier and more convenient for me.

I attended regularly at Gage Park pretty much since day one, not because it was something circled on my calendar, but because it was convenient to attend when I found time around other summer activities during the summer. I guess you could call me a casual patron. It was easy to pop in and out during the entire weekend. Wonder how many other were/are like me.

I live near Stoney Creek, and frankly just couldn't be bothered to drive out to what imagined to be a massive parking lot and field. Gage Park alone was worth the drive. Now that I look back on it, I think I attended more for the general ambiance of the park and the festival rather than any specific act or event. I just don't get the impression that the fairgrounds would provide that. Please correct me if I'm wrong about that.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll give it a try.

Couple of interesting observations and opinions I've read or heard that last couple days

A family memeber noted that it should not have moved to a "rich area", that it should have remained in Gage Park so that it could continue to be accessible to the working/city folk, many of whom walk or take a short bus ride and don't often get a chance to see and attend such arts.

Another opinion that I read was that corporate sponsorship is up precisely because it is in a "rich area" now, which jibes with my family members opinion, and also validates it somewhat IMO.

And lastly a comment that I agreed with was that if it remained in Gage Park, that it would have had better attendance this year because it would have been easier for people to get there and leave quickly as rain clouds came and went, precisely because Gage Park is so close to so many who could have got there easily and quickly. Gage Park is much more accessible and conducive for quick visits and returns, and the Ancaster fairgrounds is not. The AF requires more effort and commitment to attend.

Again, I tend to agree with this as it meshes precisely why I attended Gage Park and not the Ancaster Fair Grounds. And to reiterate again, I'm not boycotting nor am I upset over the move. I wish the organizers all the best and think that no matter where it is, FoF is good for the city.

[thistleclub]

City cuts off Festival of Friends funding
(CBC Hamilton, Samantha Craggs, Mar 20 2014)

City councillors have voted to cut off funding to the Ancaster-based Festival of Friends until it hands over audited financial statements for 2012.

At a budget meeting Thursday, councillors were set to approve a $85,270 grant to the music event, which draws as many as 250,000 people per year. But in a surprise motion, Coun. Brad Clark of Stoney Creek moved to withhold the money until it got full financial statements. The motion passed 9-2.

Loren Lieberman, general manager of the Festival of Friends, said his organization provided the city with financial information last year, and that city staff told him it had enough information. The festival ended 2012 about $81,000 in the hole, largely because torrential rain storms dampened crowd attendance.

The festival could have provided audited financial statements, he said. But it didn't know it was necessary.

"The city of Hamilton or any government funder is entitled to ask for whatever they want, but you gotta ask," he said. "Don’t punch me in the face and tell me the reason why afterward."

It is not an official policy that events and organizations have to submit full audited financial statements in order to receive grants. But finance head Mike Zegarac said they all received letters last year asking for them.

Clark says Lieberman knew the city wanted to see the festival's audited financial statements. It provided a slender statement of operations last year, "which is not the same thing," he said.

"It was basically revenue versus expenditure and profit versus loss," said Clark, who represents Ward 9. "That's not an audited financial statement."


Read it in full here.