New festival is threat to balloon spectacular (From Basingstoke Gazette)

New festival is threat to balloon spectacular

9:31am Monday 22nd March 2010 in

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PLANS are in the pipeline for a new two-week Basingstoke Festival – but the long-running Balloons Over Basingstoke event could be scrapped.

Proposals to create a two-week summer festival, starting in earnest in 2012, to showcase Basingstoke’s cultural organisations and performance and visual arts have been resurrected after previous festivals, in 2002 and 2003, were discontinued because of a lack of funding.

Under the new proposals, the fortnight of events inside and outside the town centre, would start with the Mayor’s Charity Concert at The Anvil and end with the Basingstoke Live event.

In between would be a series of free and paid-for activities using indoor and outdoor venues, primarily in the town centre.

The proposals are revealed in a report, prepared by consultants Festival and Events International on behalf of Destination Basingstoke – the not-for-profit organisation which is working to raise the image and profile of Basingstoke – and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and it will go before councillors this week.

The report notes: “Basingstoke is a remarkably vibrant community with higher than average participation in the arts and a cultural sector that is unusual for a town of its size.

“In Anvil Arts and Basingstoke Live, it boasts two highly significant features in the culture of the wider area, one the most significant performing arts centres in the region, the other a well-established and popular celebration of music with high approval ratings and a momentum behind it.

“It is these two elements that will bookend the festival and provide the backbone for a new celebration of the arts and culture in the borough.”

But there is likely to be no new funding available for the project so the administration, marketing and staffing costs would have to come from the council’s existing £70,600 budget for Basingstoke Live and Balloons Over Basingstoke, the latter of which has been going in various formats for about 20 years.

The report adds: “Balloons Over Basingstoke is considered to be the event that could most easily give way to enable the establishment of the festival if no additional council funding can be identified.

“This decision should be made as soon as possible, giving notice that 2010 would be the last year for this event.”

One aspect of the festival proposal that needs further work is the name. Among the names already suggested are Basingstoke &...Festival, BADFest, Blazingstoke and Amazingstoke.

Councillor Keith Chapman, the council’s Cabinet member for sport and leisure, is waiting to hear the views of his colleagues, but he believes a new festival would be a positive move.

He said: “Anything we do in arts and heritage and sport always attract lots and lots of visitors. It helps the economy, giving more business to shops restaurants and everything that goes with it. It’s a plus, plus, plus.”

Cllr Chapman did not believe the tight budget would mean this festival would go the way of the last one, saying this one was more constructive and already had business support in principle.

He said Balloons Over Basingstoke – which normally takes place at the beginning of August – would continue this year, but added: “I don’t see why we can’t have a review of the situation. Unfortunately, over the last two or three years the weather has been against this event.”

The community wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee will discuss the proposals on Wednesday.