Vale Festival

ValeFest
Genre Music Festival, Charity Event
Dates 2016: 4th June
2015: 6th June
2014: 7th June
Location(s) University of Birmingham,
Birmingham,
United Kingdom
Years active 2005 - present
Website
ValeFest.co.uk

ValeFest, previously known as The Vale Festival, is a unique charitable summer music and arts festival that takes place on the campus of University of Birmingham, in Birmingham, England now going into its 12th year. Unlike other music festivals, it is planned, organised and largely staffed by volunteer students - it is believed to be the largest solely student-organised event in the UK. Every year it is held the day after exams finish and all proceeds go towards charities selected earlier in the academic year.

The beginning of each year sees the nomination and selection of charities that each year would raise money for, from student depression and adolescent mental health, to general poverty causes. Generally, several stages are organised on the day, as well as comedy and performance tents, society events and workshops, and an after party.

2005

With the aim of both raising money and awareness for AIDS-related causes and addressing a death in live music on campus, the Birmingham University Stop AIDS Society attempted to arrange a large festival at the Guild Building. The Guild of Students pulled out, deeming the event unfeasible. Simultaneously a much larger event was being planned on University (rather than guild) property: The Vale Festival. The Vale Festival team, an independent group of students and the Student Stop Aids committee joined forces. Local bands, student societies and the large team of volunteer organisers worked to make the event, held in the Vale student village, a substantial success. The chosen focus was the crisis in Sudan. £12,000 was raised, and the event was widely viewed as a major success.

2006

The Vale Festival 2006 took place on 6 June. Attended by over 3,900 students, and raising approximately £25,000 for two charities - UNICEF and SPW, for their HIV/AIDS projects in Kenya and Zimbabwe respectively - the event was hailed as probably the biggest and best event ever to be staged at The University of Birmingham .[1] Highlights of the day included performances from numerous bands, singers and DJs - Old School Tie, The Anomalies, First Rate, Vijay Kashore and the 360 headlined once again, pulling in a crowd of over 200 students which created an amazing end to a great line up of live bands. DJ, drumming and singing workshops also went on throughout the day, as did drama performances, healing spaces and many stalls run by student societies. The day culminated in an outdoor cinema screening of 'The Constant Gardener', and three different rooms for the club night inside Shackleton Hall.

2007

The 2007 festival was held on 12 June, with just over 5,000 students on the day. The event aimed to raise awareness of the humanitarian effects of climate change on people in poorer nations. Vale Festival '07 supported two charities, Kids for Kids and Action Aid, and raised over £30,000.

The line-up was as follows:

Main Stage: The Anomalies, The Tommys, Laid Blak, Floors and Walls, Hobbit, Lazy J, Old School Tie, Friendly Fire, Stanley's Choice, University Gospel Choir Kids for Kids Chillout Tent: Transient Dreams, Two Spot Gobi, Yamit Mamo, Swing Manouche, Tanante, The Old Dance School, KTB, Kid-iD, Hannah Rhodes ActionAid Dance Arena: Deepgroove, Will Bailey, Aries, Far Too Loud, Joebot, Mikee Lazy, Hobbit & Bass6, Fat Gold Chain, DJ Shei[2]

2008

Vale Festival 2008 took place on 10 June and had near the full capacity of 5500. The theme for the year was 'Water for Life', with the festival focussed on the issue of sustainable access to clean water in the developing world and raised £30,000 for WaterAid, Play Pumps and Pump Aid. The main stage, dance tent and Hilltop Tent were headlined by Misty's Big Adventure, Andy Morris and Watch this Fire Spread respectively. There was a generous mix of entertainment throughout the festival, including African drumming, wood carving and capoeria. The open air cinema screening was of 'Shooting Dogs' and the after party took place on The Vale within the University.

2009

Vale Festival 2009 took place on 9 June, with the charitable causes being chosen as Self Help Africa and FareShare.[3] The ethic proposed was to 'Unite Against Hunger'.

The Main Stage, Hill-Top Tent and Forest Edge Stage were headlined by 360, Picture Book and Rafiki and Tangawizi respectively. With the growth of the festival since its introduction in 2005, more stages were added as well as workshop spaces, societies and stalls among others. The Jungle Jam was also introduced- encouraging students to create their own unique musical experience.

Once again the festival was committed to raising awareness for ethical causes. The ideals promoted were to "Think Globally, Act locally" and "We must be the change we want to see in the world". The chosen causes were a direct result of these ideals, with both charities working towards the sustainable use of natural resources, reducing the vulnerability to Aids and the redistribution of food aid to areas of intense poverty.

2010

Vale Festival 2010 took place on 8 June, with the charitable causes being chosen as Oxfam, Procedo Foundation and the Malaria Consortium. The focus was on raising money and awareness for projects supporting sufferers of malaria. The 2010 programme also stated that since its formulation over £115,000 had been donated to charitable causes.

The Main Stage, Hill Top Tent, Forest Edge and Jungle Jam were headlined by Scarlet Harlots, Lucy Ward, Bigger Than Barry and Uprizing respectively. Once again the range of live performance, interactive workshops and stalls was widened. These included bicycle-powered smoothies, a vintage clothes stall and live graffiti and art battles. There was also an outdoor screening of The Hurt Locker, as well as the official after party.

The ethical causes were chosen to raise the awareness of those who suffer with malaria in the face of extreme poverty. The money raised by ValeFest was donated directly to training for health workers, education and the treatment and diagnosis for the prevention of malaria. As well as this, money was donated toward the construction of sanitation systems in Kirakhadi, with the long-term goal being the prevention of disease.

2011

Vale Festival 2011 took place on 15 June, with the Helen Bamber Foundation and the Calla Trust being chosen as the causes.

The Main Stage, Hill Top Tent and Dance Tent were headlined by 360, Rachel Harlow and Tom Leech Trio, and Seedy Sonics respectively. The range of workshops included (in part) Dancing, Circus skills, Fire spinning and Yoga. Creative workshops and stalls were also running throughout the day simultaneously with the musical entertainment. Valefest 2011 also presented a live performance of 'X', which was commissioned specifically for the festival with the aim of focusing upon human trafficking.

The causes were chosen to address the issue of human trafficking in part as a response to work within the Midlands. The money raised by Valefest for The Calla Trust and Helen Bamber Foundation would aim to provide training and counselling directly to those involved, as well as working toward durable solutions.

2012

Vale Fest 2012 was on 2 June, raising money for Action for Children and War Child, with both charities focusing on relief for children in warzones. Electric Swing Circus, whose guitarist Tom Hyland was part of the original Vale Festival organisers, headlined the Main Stage.

2013

On 1 June, Vale Festival 2013 introduced the Beats Around the Bush dance stage. Magnus Puto headlined the Main Stage, and the focus of this year was 'Music for the Mind', specifically student depression and adolescent mental health. £15,000 was raised and completely donated to two charities: Students Against Depression and YoungMinds. The main-stage headliner was The Magnus Puto.

2014

2014's Valefest was on 7 June, with cancer charities Macmillan Cancer Support and Trekstock selected as the charities to have money raised for them. Electric Swing Circus returned as headliners, with the woodland Dance Stage returning by popular demand. This event was the most successful so far, raising over £25,000 for both charities.

2015

This ValeFest saw a focus on the rebranding of the festival as a sustained and continuous annual festival, with the official event renaming and branding as 'ValeFest', while the committee of student volunteers remained 'The Vale Festival'. It was decided that poverty would be the focus of this years festival, with proceeds received by Child Poverty Action Group and Medic Malawi. A change in infrastructure and professionalism led to a greater emphasis on expanding the festival beyond students. The Main Stage was headlined by Will and The People, and the dance stage by New York Transit Authority.

2016

ValeFest will take place next year on the 4 June, supporting the charities: Action Against Malaria Foundation and Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity.

Organisation

The festival takes months of planning, with a committee team being assembled at the start of the academic year, which tends to increase in number year on year. The committee is non-hierarchical, meaning there is no single individual who is in charge of the event. A core committee maintains the sub-committees which take responsibility for different aspects of the festival, such as entertainments, marketing, promotions and decorations.

See also

References

  1. ↑ History section of "About Us" page of Vale Festival 2007 website
  2. ↑ "Program" page of Vale Festival 2007 website
  3. ↑ "Students to Give Charity its 'Fare' Share". News. Midland Heart. 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
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