Commonplaces

Abstract

Community festivals ‐ Local community festivals can be a lot of fun to those who participate in them and, incidentally, help to strengthen community awareness and develop skills, but for those called upon or lumbered with the job of planning and organising them, they can be a nightmare. The task is made easier by the existence of an excellent little book, the Community festivals handbook, which has just been released in its 3rd edition by Community Projects Foundation. The kind of festival covered by this essentially practical handbook is that in which there is a concentrated mixture of activities lasting for a day, a weekend or maybe a week, based in a particular locality, with some emphasis on community participation. It would also be relevant to other forms of community‐based work, such as running a barbecue or a social, trying to raise money, expanding the activities of an adventure playground, setting up a city farm or engaging in a local campaign. The handbook can serve as a checklist of ideas and aspects that need to be thought about from the reasons for running a festival to financial ‘post‐mortems’. On the way the book covers organising committees, involving local people, planning, publicity, legal and administrative aspects, site management and catering. An excellent guide that won't guarantee success but, if you follow its advice, will make it more possible. Costs £2.00 including postage from CPF, 60 Highbury Grove, London N5 2AG.

Citation

Bunch, A. (1984), "Commonplaces", New Library World, Vol. 85 No. 1, pp. 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb060613