Wimborne Folk Festival 2008 - crowded streets, hot-dogs, hamburgers, balloons but some great sessions and hot Irish set dancing

I nipped down to Wimborne Folk Festival 2008 last weekend (13 - 15 June 2008) with some trepidation, because 2007's youthful rowdiness in Wimborne town centre hadn't really appealed to me, but a few people were going to be there that I know so I thought I might give it a go.

Overall impressions were that most of the festival activities seemed to be behind closed doors and the main streets, where I expected to see the festival, were mainly populated by ice-cream, hot-dog and hamburger stands or people selling balloons. There was, however, a strong police presence which was comforting because the streets of Wimborne really were packed, as in hard to move. (I read somewhere that they were responding to public concern with a crack down on drunken disorderly behaviour - good!)

Occasionally, I came across Morris dance displays but it was very difficult to see what was happening because of the crowds and I had to resort to holding my camera well above my head to take the shots and hoping I would get something of interest (below).


Eventually, I bumped into some people I know and asked for their reactions to Wimborne Folk Festival 2008. They weren't enthusiastic. Finally I spoke to a young mother who was waiting for her daughter who told me that it was town pressure groups that had put the festival events largely behind closed doors because of various public order concerns.

Somewhat dispirited and feeling I would have done better going somewhere else for the weekend, I headed for the British Legion and the Conservative Club to check out the joining-in song and instrumental sessions where, with some relief, I found lots of friendly folkies and reasons for staying on for the rest of the festival. There were even some nice dance displays in the Royal British Legion car park (see below).


A particular highlight of the Conservative Club Irish sessions were the Irish set dancers who (bravely) asked for the instrumentalists to move back and create a space for them to dance and then put on an absolutely fantastic display of virtuoso set dancing (below). I've never seen Irish set dancing at close quarters and I have to confess that if I had to take up dancing instead of playing my instruments, Irish set dancing would be the dancing that would appeal to me most.


Another plus was bumping into Roger of Roger's Rants charity folk festival at Milborne St Andrew, Dorset. It looks good and I'm hoping to check it out 18th - 20th July 2008.

Were you at Wimborne Folk Festival? What did you think? Your comments are welcome :-)

Bye for now

Rob
(Rob Hopcott - online author and folk musician who believes that folk festivals are more about folk music, song and dance in the community than hamburgers, hot-dogs and balloons).