Redfest – raising the profile of east Bristol

It’s fast becoming one of the biggest grass roots festivals in Bristol, no doubt benefiting from the first time buyer boom in the area. We caught up with the volunteer organisers of Redfest to find out more.

Founder and creative director Simon Webb explains how Redfest first came about: “It started with a random conversation on our street about the lack of identity and arts in the area. Redfield sounds like Redland, or Redcliffe and no-one knows where it is – there are no signs for it. The name ‘Redfest’ slipped off my tongue easier than a foamy latte on a wooden stick. Which was a rare thing in Redfield back then.”

He added: “It’s part of the estate agent sales patter now. Most people know about Redfest round here, and it definitely brings the community together. I think gives us all something to be proud of, where we all have fun, listen to great music, stumble across some art and make new friends.”

For those who don’t know, Redfield is situated in the east of the city between Lawrence Hill and Kingswood. It blends into St George and is currently undergoing a massive property boom, with houses being snapped up within hours of going on the market. The new Southville, perhaps. To an outsider, it may look a little run down with not much in the way of conveniences: but to many of those who live there, it’s thriving.

“A neighbour, classical vinyl junkie Adam Charnowski introduced me to Tobie who owns Grounded cafe,” said Simon. “And the others who helped with the first year. We used the cafe and Bethesda church as the venues for everything and I asked my friend Chiz from Cube Cinema / Qu Junktions to help me find some acts and the film and animation with help with Dave Borthwick of The Bolex Brothers. Everyone lived a stone’s throw from each other so it was easy. That’s basically how it works now: three of the core team live on the same street!”

And that’s not where the collaboration ends. Redfest is built on collaboration – and voluntary collaboration at that, with up to 30 core volunteers all fitting in the mammoth task of organising a festival around their day jobs. 

It started life as a small local event with about 20 punters back in 2007 and has grown to become a staple in the Bristol festival calendar enjoyed by thousands. This has been helped along by some funding from the Arts Council, Bristol City Council and local neighbourhood partnerships in St George, Easton and Lawrence Hill.

Organiser Dom Ljubic said: “We’re really lucky to have a range of brilliant partner organisations helping us with all aspects of the festival. Factory Studios do a fantastic job of programming the main stage, as do Jelli Records with the Market Stage. Several local businesses sponsor Redfest, with Café Grounded and The Old Stillage leading the way. Both have been a huge part of Redfest since day one.”

He added: “This year, we’re also partnering with BIMM as we’ll be giving some of their students vital experience in event management.”

In keeping with Bristol’s status as European Green Capital in 2015, Redfest has worked on several eco angles and has put in place lots of measures to help the city live up to this title.

Dom said: “To the casual observer, the festival may look similar in terms of the number of stages and performances, but look a little closer and you’ll see that some of those stages be solar powered, and other sites and sounds will be powered by bicycle, and we’re helping to pioneer the use of re-usable cups at the bars.”

And with this comes new promotional opportunities, but the team is keen not to expand beyond its means. Dom said: “Most of our growth has come through word of mouth. We have two fantastic music stages, a cabaret tent, arts installations, market, and loads of activities for the little ones. We’re really lucky to have hosted some brilliant performances from the likes of Babyhead, Yes Sir Boss!, and John E Vistic over the years, and this year is no exception, with our headliners Laid Blak (some of whom live in the Redfield area) on the main stage, and Makala Cheung on the Market Stage.”

Simon, who always wears a red vest at Redfest, added: “It’s the meat of the festival. The soul. The art is like a good mash, the street theatre the onion gravy. Everything else is a seasonal garnish. A giant plate of parsley actually.” 

Funny guy. He continues: “The first few years we were flying by the seat of our pants and doing great work, but promoting it badly.  Thankfully we have we have a great project manager (Dom) and there’s a team of 20-plus core volunteers making it happen now. It’s genuinely done for love, and that shows.”

The knock on effect of these efforts seem to be more far-reaching than you might imagine. In a time when Bristol East’s MP complains that the area is neglected when it comes to cash for culture (see our article on the Shaun the Sheep trail) and most high-profile events take place elsewhere in the city, Redfest is showing just what a dose of passion and years of hard work can achieve.

Dom said: “I think that Redfest has contributed really positively to raise the profile of this little part of East Bristol: but, more than that, it has helped to raise the profile of East Bristol as a whole. The area is a hotbed of creative talent, with a real can-do attitude at the heart of it. And we’re helping to give those creatives a high-profile local outlet, whilst bringing something great and unique to the community.

“As long as we can continue to raise enough money to cover the festival’s costs, and as long as we have a team of brilliant, willing volunteers, we’ll continue to grow and thrive.”

Redfest, which takes place on Saturday August 1, is always on the look-out for more volunteers – from stewarding to artist liaison and fundraising to set up/take down. Anyone interested in volunteering should email volunteer@redfestbristol.co.uk

For every person attending, Redfest costs £4 to put on. It relies entirely on grant funding, sponsorship, stall income and donations and costs are increasing substantially every year. To donate, follow the Paypal link on www.redfestbristol.co.uk