Case Study: The Village Festival of Arts and Music, Yeppoon
The Village Festival is the Capricorn Coast’s major arts celebration, staged annually since 2003 by the Keppel Coast Arts Council. This Festival features music, performing arts, visual arts, cultural arts, children’s activities, street theatre, workshops, food, stalls and on site camping. The Festival is supported and managed by a large group of volunteers who share a common vision to stage an event that showcases and promotes their region’s positive and vibrant commitment to the arts.
Keen to create an arts event of interest not only to the local community but also to visitors to the region, in 2001 members of the Keppel Coast Arts Council worked with the Queensland Arts Council Audience Development Officer to undertake initial research and community consultation to gauge community interest in staging an arts event. It was initially agreed to tap into an existing annual event, the Yeppoon Lions Club Tropical Pinefest, and some arts activities were presented under this banner in 2002.
However, in evaluating the activity after Pinefest, it was decided that the community were more interested in creating a stand alone event. It was the desire of the organising group to foster collaboration between a number of community organisations and their involvement with the festival. This aim was achieved with the first event which attracted participation from approximately eight other non-arts community groups.
A community festival workshop was held, facilitated by the Woodford Folk Festival Executive Director, Bill Hauritz (funded by a Commonwealth Government Regional Arts Fund Quick Response Grant) and approximately 120 people attended. 70 attended a follow up meeting at which a festival steering committee was established to develop the festival framework, policy and guidelines. Further funding was obtained through RADF to contract a festival development officer for approximately 20 weeks to assist with the process.
Monthly planning sessions were held and sub committees formed. The first 2003 festival was held on an ordinary weekend, but the benefits of staging it in the June school holidays were recognised and dates changed for subsequent festivals. For the event to succeed financially, it was necessary to charge an admission fee. This proved to be the biggest stumbling block in the first and subsequent years, as most other community events were free. A lot of effort over the years has gone into promoting the festival as a family event and not just for the 'arty' and now there is growing general acceptance of the entrance fee. www.thevillagefestival.org.au
Key messages from the Yeppoon festival:
- Undertake a feasibility study and determine the support of the community through a full consultation process, involving professional expertise where possible
- Establish strong volunteer committee and sub committee structures
- Give all volunteers responsibility and keep them informed of the big picture
- Retain some continuity of volunteers, but avoid burnout by regularly calling for expressions of interest for new participants
Image: Perch Creek Jug Family Band perform at the Village Festival 2008 | Photo: Glyni Cummings