Press Release
The Firegathering is an intimate, locally flavoured festival nestled on rolling hills between London and Brighton. With its emphasis on community, collectivity and creative expression, The Firegathering is that rare thing: a festival that's not commercially motivated or sponsored by multinational breweries.
Now into its fourth year, The Firegathering grew out of humble beginnings. A committed group of friends, keen to start their season off with a bang, set up an early summer party where they could kick back, play music, share juggling tips, enjoy the fresh air and indulge in some festive shenanigans. From the outset the five organisers have worked for free, roping in friends and family to help keep the event moving. Now that it's expanded The Firegathering still works on a not-for-profit basis - numerous people donate their time for free in the cause of a good party.
The performers are mostly drawn from Brighton's thriving independent music scene, giving bands a chance to strut their stuff for a new audience and creating a space for all flavours of musical collaboration, spanning everything from rock and pop to electronica and hip-hop, klezmer and folk. Firegathering regulars Bad Science, The Viff and The Hat return, while new acts include Los Albertos, Turning Green, Gloria Cycles, and Opaque. Saturday night plays host to one of The Firegathering's legendary Third Heaven cabarets, where comedy meets escapology meets burlesque, and an astounding late night display of fire dancing and circus trickery.
But there's a lot more to The Firegathering than watching. A series of entry-level workshops with the best people in the business give festivalgoers an introduction into the art of circus skills, from hat manipulation with UK legend Dan the Hat to juggling, acrobatics and unicycling. Clear Sky's founder Simon Robbins will run tai chi workshops, and new this year is a healing space where you can get to grips with masseuses of all varieties. At night the healing tent will transform into a storytelling area run by local writer Andy Kaminski. For the creatively inspired, an open mic stage will offer the perfect opportunity to express themselves.
The site is in lush farmland, with ample camping space and beautiful nature walks nearby. Sculptures and art installations - on loan from their creators - abound. There's even an indoor sauna and Jacuzzi for those who don't like getting too dirty, food stalls selling honestly priced vegetarian meals, a bar with real Sussex ale on tap and the Lunched Out Lizards chai café.
The Firegathering has an ethical and conscious eco-policy - as much as possible is locally sourced, focussing on the Brighton-London community to minimise road travel. We use mainly plumbed-in toilets to steer clear of the unnecessary chemicals from portaloos, and avoid messy generators. Most of our electricity comes from green energy companies or solar and wind power, and all vans used for festival purposes run on biodiesel sourced from recycled UK vegetable oil. We will provide recycling facilities. A £5 tax will be imposed for people who arrive with two or less in their car, as a means of encouraging car sharing and awareness.
It's a very special weekend, a free and creative space with no sponsors and no VIP area, when everyone, ticket buyers and crew, comes together to enjoy the magnificent Sussex countryside and welcome the arrival of summer.
The 2007 Firegathering is on 18 - 20 May. Tickets cost £40 for the weekend, which includes camping and parking. Camper van tickets are an extra £5.
Visit myspace.com/firegathering - our top ten friends are all playing at the festival, so give them a listen - then see www.firegathering.co.uk or call 01273 90 60 33 for tickets.
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