A MINI-FESTIVAL will be held this summer to raise money to bring back the much-loved Village Pump Folk Festival to Westbury after it was announced that it would not be held this year.
Organisers pulled the plug on the festival in September last year after disappointing ticket sales in recent years.
But now, a group of Pump Festival enthusiasts have come together to form a new committee which has been working on plans to resurrect the iconic Wiltshire festival.
The festival, now called The Pump will return in 2018 but this summer, a fundraising mini-festival called Priming the Pump, will held at the White Horse Country Park in July to raise money and prepare for the The Pump.
One of the organisers Darren Field said, “We want to ensure we keep all that is good about the original format of the festival, but also we want to make a number of changes which will bring it up to date so it appeals to a broader audience.
“Priming the Pump will be a mini-festival with one stage instead of three, but with plenty of opportunities to get involved including workshops and open mic sessions. There will also be a wide range of music genres and a ceilidh.
“Our booking manager, Steve Gurr, is speaking to dozens of artists and bands to ensure there will be a wide range of folk acts playing. But because folk is such a diverse genre it’s actually misleading to assume anyone knows what the music will sound like. It’s important for the organisers of Priming the Pump and next year’s event to offer a really diverse selection of styles ranging from traditional English and Celtic songs through to crossover and mainstream acts.
“Listen to the music being played on the radio and in the charts at the moment and you will hear really strong folk influences in the arrangement, instruments, lyrics or beat of many popular songs.
“We are conscious that everyone has a great time and leaves after the event buzzing with excitement whether they are dyed-in-the-wool folkies or just lovers of great live music.”
The following acts have already been announced; Edwina Hayes, Roving Crows, Reg Meuross, Cardboard Foxes, Stamp and Fly Yeti Fly.
