Christopher BarrettA project, that will see a collective of independent festival organisers and grassroots venue operators launch an 8,000-capacity festival next year, has won £39,000 in Arts Council Funding.
Originally named Grassroots Rising, the Where It All Began festival is set to take place on 18-21 June next year at the Cambridgeshire farm site previously used by the Secret Garden Party (SGP). The aim is to provide a platform for independent operators who have faced stark challenges in recent years, with a record 78 events having announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024.
SGP, which closed last year, will host a stage at the festival, alongside stages programmed by the organisers of independent festivals including Ireland’s Body & Soul and Austria’s Altitude Comedy Festival. Theo Bard-led promoter Woodburner will oversee the festival’s second stage, and there will be performance spaces hosted by the operators of grassroots venues such as Manchester’s Band on The Wall, Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, The Jam Jar in Bristol and Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach.
The project is being led by Chai Wallahs (pictured) and Diplomats of Sound creative director Si Chai who says it has won support from the organisers of larger events, organisations including the Music Venue Trust (MVT), and music performance universities such as BIMM and Leeds Conservatoire.
Where It All Began will operate as a community benefit society, with profits redistributed to community partners. Participants have a voice in the organisation, and Chai said a Crowdfunder will launch later this month with the aim of gaining the support of 5,000 funders pledging £175 who in return will gain a say in how the festival is created and programmed.
Chai said the community benefit society will be VAT exempt and will provide independent event and venue operators with a way of working collectively to not only dramatically reduce the cost of production but also marketing.
“It’s about harnessing the power of the whole grassroots community,” said Chai. “The festivals and venues have their ticket sale databases and social followings, and with the backing of MVT, the Association of Independent Festivals [AIF], Association of Independent Promoters and Association of Independent Music, there’s a huge reach that reduces the need to spend so much money on digital marketing.”
The concept was originally announced by Chai at the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) Congress in January.
“The idea of this is to give independent operators a platform, it will give us a collaborative and collective voice, and hopefully draw a lot more attention to what is happening to the independent live music sector,” he said. “I think punters are sick of being ripped off. Where It All Began will be a lower cost event, and will return to what festivals are supposed to be about; providing new experiences and enabling new music discoveries for audiences.”
“It’s a bold, brave and beautiful move to bring together different communities and energies to create this new independent festival,” said AIF CEO John Rostron. “I love the innovation that’s gone on to create this new model and all of us at AIF are rallying behind its success.”