Solfest is Back - Shane Mcgowan to Headline!

Solfest is a festival designed to support the local community as well as festival enthusiasts from further a field, and is intended to be enjoyed as an experience in its own right. They want all the artists/performers to receive the same amount of support, whether they are a big name international act or a smaller local performer.

They believe that there are too many festivals where tickets are sold for individual gigs/sessions and this encourages visitors to "cherry-pick" the big name acts without supporting the festival as a whole, often leaving insufficient tickets left for people who want to stay for the duration of the festival. This obviously has implications for them as well – if, for example, they can only get a licence to sell 1500 tickets, they want them to go to people who will support the whole festival. For these reasons, they are not releasing a detailed list of exactly when each act will perform or selling tickets for individual sessions. We believe that by having a great line-up and by making our tickets some of the cheapest available for any festival this summer, we can ensure that people will want to stay for the whole weekend and by doing so, contribute to making Solfest a fantastic experience for everyone!

Some of the line-up so far includes....

Shane McGowan & The Popes
Baka Beyond
Banco De Gaia
Paetbog Fairies
Glenn Tillbrook
Astrid Williamson
T & LaTouche
Oojami
and many many more.

Tickets

All tickets are for the full weekend and include camping/parking. Subject to availability, some tickets may be made available on Saturday and Sunday mornings, in each case, for the duration of the festival. These tickets cannot be purchased in advance.

Adults:

Concessions booked before 19th Aug. - £30.00
Full tickets booked before 19th Aug. - £35.00
Full Tickets bought on the Gate - £40.00
Concessions bought on the Gate - £35.00
(Evidence required for all concessions)

Saturday & Sunday - £30.00 – Subject to availability. Not available in advance
Sunday Only - £15.00 – Subject to availability. Not available in advance

Children:

Under 12s - Free when accompanying an adult ticket holder (Proof of

age required).
All 12 – 18s - £30.00 (Proof of age required.)

Camping:

Is available for all weekend ticket holders and will get you a plot large enough for a large tent with adjacent parking. All camping is on the main festival site and there is a

designated quiet/family camping area available. New for 2005 - a separate quiet/family field. There will be no fires or excessive noise allowed in this field. Please make this known to the stewards as you enter the site if you would like to camp in this area. In accordance with Fire Safety recommendations, awnings or canopies must not link tents. A clear space of 2m must be left around tents and any guy ropes used must be clearly marked in order to prevent accidents. All camping facilities will be basic but clean. Toilets are of the blue ‘portaloo’ type and will be professionally cleaned on a daily basis. Toilets with disabled access will be available. There will also be lighting and fresh water supplied in all camping areas, but it might be an idea to bring your own water container and fill it up last thing at night to avoid queuing at peak times. New for 2005 we will also have a small number of showers available on site. All camping facilities will be provided and maintained in accordance with the Government HSE guidelines on Event Management, but remember, Solfest is a festival and not a 4 star hotel!

Caravans/campers

May be brought onto the site and used at no extra cost. You may park towing cars alongside any caravans brought. There is no electric hook-up at Solfest, no motor home service point, no chemical toilet emptying facility and no mini golf course, but its not costing you any extra either!

Facilities for Disabled People

The Solfest site is in a field which is on firm sandy soil and therefore drains well. This will make wheelchair access around the site relatively straightforward. All areas of the festival will be accessible to wheelchair users and toilets with disabled access will be available. Because all disabilities are different, there is little point listing the provisions we have to aid people with disabilities. Instead, we would appreciate it if you let us know in advance if you have a disability which requires specific provision and we will be guided by you as to the best way we can meet your needs. We believe that you are the expert on your own disability. People with disabilities are very welcome at Solfest.

Children & Young People

We want Solfest to be a family festival and to this end have put together a package of activities/entertainment/workshops which are specifically geared towards the younger festival-goer. These will include music and art workshops, face painting, story telling, and circus skills. Please remember that you are still responsible for your children while they are engaged in any workshops, and you will be encouraged to join in! New for 2005 we will be having a designated area for the under 4s, with dedicated facilities for changing, feeding and resting. Solfest has an approved child protection policy. Further details of this are available on request.

Dogs

Solfest is being held on a working farm with livestock in adjacent fields. Please leave your dog at home. If it is Absolutely Impossible to do this, dogs must be kept on a leash at all times. Dogs running wild can spoil the festival for other people. You will be held responsible for cleaning up any mess which your dog makes. If you fail to do this or your dog causes any nuisance, you and your dog may be asked to leave the festival. Only bring your dog if you have no other option.

Getting There

From the North – Leave the M74/A74 and head into Carlisle city centre. Follow routes to the west and Workington and head along the A595 for approx 5 miles to a roundabout. Take the third exit onto the A596 towards Wigton and Maryport and follow this road for 12 miles into Aspatria. Turn right into North Road and continue on the B5301 for 2.5 miles passing through Aikshaw. Tarns and Solfest will be sign posted from here.

From the South – Leave the M6 at Junction 43 and head into Carlisle city centre on the A69. Follow routes to the west and Workington and head along the A595 for approx 5 miles to a roundabout. Take the third exit onto the A596 towards Wigton and Maryport and follow this road for 12 miles into Aspatria. Turn right into North Road and continue on the B5301 for 2.5 miles passing through Aikshaw. Tarns and Solfest will be sign posted from here.

From West Cumbria – Follow the A596 to Maryport and take the B5300 to Allonby. Pass through Allonby and continue to Mawbray. Turn right into Mawbray and head towards Holme St Cuthbert. Tarns and Solfest will be sign posted from here.

Times

The music at Solfest starts at 5.00pm on Friday 26th August with the main stage finishing around midnight. The dance tent a couple of hours later and, in the newly revamped "Acoustic Corner" things could well continue until sunrise! Music on Saturday and Sunday will start at about 10.00am. The last band on will finish at about midnight on Sunday 28th August, with the Dance tent continuing for a couple more hours.

Tarns is the small circle to the right of Holme St Cuthbert.

Fires

Please do not light fires on the grass. Old wheel hubs will be provided if you want to make your own fire. Firewood will be provided free of charge, please do not damage any trees or hedgerows. Any fires must be attended at all times and must not be positioned in such a way as may cause the risk of damage to any tents, vehicles or other property. Please don’t burn any plastics or anything else which could give off toxic fumes.

Litter

We want to make Solfest a celebration of the beauty of West Cumbria and this is not going to be possible if people drop litter everywhere. We will have a dedicated team of litter pickers on site, but we hope that everyone will do their bit to reduce litter. Fag ends and bottle tops can take years to biodegrade and in some cases never do. A little bit of thought by everyone can make a huge difference. We aim to recycle as much litter as possible after the event. Please help us by separating your litter and putting it in the correct bins. There will be plenty of these at Solfest.

Drugs

Drugs which are controlled by law outside Solfest are equally controlled on the festival site. Dealing of drugs will not be tolerated. You know the score, but here are some extra tips if you are going to use any drugs, either illegal or legal:

• Don’t buy off strangers; you never know what you might be getting.
• Regulate your dose, especially when using alcohol. Don’t binge.
• Watch out for your mates and get them to watch out for you.
• If someone passes out, don’t carry on dancing! Get them sorted out.

Volunteer at Solfest

In order to make Solfest a success we need loads of volunteers who will help with stewarding, building the site, car parking, litter picking and other such jobs. In exchange for a couple of shifts worked, you will get a ticket, some food and great satisfaction! For full details, go online at www.solwayfestival.co.uk

Solfest

• Whatever drug you are using, drink plenty of water, especially if the weather is hot. But remember, too much water can be as bad as too little. Sipping a pint anhour is a safe bet.

• Don’t be afraid to use the on-site first aid & welfare provision. They won’t grass you up.

• If you are on prescription medication, bring it with you, keep it safe, and keep the packet/bottle/label on you at all times. This could be a lifesaver.

• There are two units of alcohol in a standard pint of Solfest Ale. It takes your body an hour to absorb a single unit of alcohol. If you drink ten pints this means twenty hours until it is completely out of your system. Work this out and don’t be trying to drive anywhere until you’re sure you are sober.

Solfest has an approved Drugs policy. Further details of this are available on request.

Blaggers take note

• Solfest is not happening as the result of a corporate strategy by a beer manufacturer or a mobile phone company.

• Solfest is not the product of some local government initiative or national entertainment policy.

• Solfest is happening because a small group of people who love festivals and love West Cumbria wanted to do something special to celebrate what we have here.

• No members of the Solway Festival Planning Group, or Solfest Committee will make any financial profit at all out of Solfest 2005.

Because of these factors we are able to provide a cheap festival with a great line up. To this end, we have been working many hours a day for many months in order to make Solfest a success. We haven’t done all this just so people can come along and rip us off by not buying tickets. The only result that this behaviour will have is that Solfest will not be able to continue annually. By far the best way to tackle any anti-social behaviour is to make it socially unacceptable. This puts the responsibility for site security in the hands of everyone. Please don’t tolerate anyone who asks you to get them in for free, don’t smuggle people in in your vehicles. Don’t lend people your wrist bands. If they genuinely can’t afford the £35 for an advance ticket, they can always volunteer as a steward and still get to the festival. We only charge what we need to, so please discourage people trying to come for free. We want this to be a beautiful and small event. Let's keep Solfest special. Everybody contributes in some way: performing, working or paying.

www.solwayfestival.co.uk