Festwich!

This September a brand new music festival arrives in North Manchester. It's been a long time in planning and on the 1st & 2nd of September 2012, the biggest rock tribute acts in the UK will appear at Festwich

The 2 day festival will take place in St Mary's Park, Prestwich. It's more than just a rock festival with something on the bill for all the family, this promises to be a great weekend.

The best news of all is that Festiwch is FREE.

We wanted to know more about Festwich and spoke to Prestwich resident and festival Director Jools Taylor.

Where did the idea for holding a festival in Prestwich come from?

I am a resident of Prestwich and live across the road from St Mary's Park, I've been doing events for nearly 20 years and I thought it would be amazing if we could do something on on our doorstep for the community. The event had to be Free though, it has taken more than two years to be able to get the event into a position whereby we can give the tickets away. The other reason why we wanted to do it for Free is because of the economic climate, I asked myself the question Why does everything have to have a price especially the high cost of Festival tickets, and wouldn't it be amazing if we could do something that was Free for the people of Prestwich to come and enjoy. There are similar events to Festiwch and they charge £80 a ticket. Also I'm very proud of Prestwich and its a good way of showing people who don't usually come into Prestwich what else is on offer and the spirit of the people.

How did you decided on the line up?

The line up had to be across the board and in some ways emulate what you would get at a usual music festival. I've worked with most of the bands on the line up over the years and know the quality of their performances and am more than confident they can deliver to huge audiences. It was important when programming the line up that we could reach different audiences and provide something for everybody at the same time being guaranteed some classic tracks and big hitters !

What's the capacity for the festival?

5000 per day

Is this a family friendly festival?

Absolutely, we have already had huge numbers of take up on the tickets for families and a lot of people have been asking whether they need a ticket for their babies, which we have asked them to get as we can monitor numbers in attendance this way.

How important is this festival to Prestwich?

It's extremely important to Prestwich, more than people realise. It is a huge confidence booster to the area and a large number of business's will also benefit from the event. It also brings Prestwich into focus and puts us more on the map, as I said earlier it will bring people over to Prestwich to see what else is going on and on offer. We have some fantastic cafes,restaurants bars and pubs in Prestwich and a fantastic village community spirit. We are going to have quite a few local smaller business's too in attendance at the festival from crafts to food and its important for these people as it gives them the opportunity to showcase their business to a new market and network.

How have the community of Prestwich reacted to the festival?

In general the community are extremely excited at the prospect of the event and cant believe they are lucky enough to have it going on, the tickets that have been allocated locally are literally flying out. On the flip side we have had some negativity from local residents who are worried about litter, parking and all the usual potential issues that an event can bring. We are working very very closely with the council and the police to deliver this event as not to cause any negative impact. Its important to both the team and I as we want to get this right for the future of Prestwich and the community.

What makes 'Festwich' different to other festivals?

The fact it is Free has had such a huge impact, people sometimes have been very suspicious at the fact it is free and asked "whats the catch?" it takes while for the penny to drop, it really is Free ! The fact its a homegrown production makes it different and in Prestwich !! It's also a question that maybe should be asked after the event with it being the first, because I truly believe the people of Prestwich will bring the energy to make it a truly memorable occasion.

Who are you looking forward to seeing on the line up?

Honestly, I think I'll be too busy to enjoy the line up, no doubt I'll get snippets, but if I was allowed to sit and watch the bands I can honestly say all of them ! I've been lucky enough to put the lineup together and its a fantasy wish list of the real deal and they are all just as good, you'll see !! ITV are currently making a documentary on the festival and the bands, it will give you an insight to how dedicated the bands and musicians are to performing.

Other than the music what can we expected at Festwich?

Festwich will have on offer great entertainment, we have installed a new stage for community based talent, we have allsorts from comedy to face painting for the kids. There is a lot of effort being put in for the children to keep them entertained, from a funfair to a 100 ft inflatable indoor paint balling experience. We are also looking at putting in a silent disco, on top of that a huge craft fair and fantastic food stalls amongst many other things.

Is this a one off or the start of an annual festival for Prestwich?

We intend to make this an annual event for Prestwich growing it annually and adding new and exciting forms of entertainment. We also have some other very exciting plans for Prestwich, so watch this space !!

For more information on Festwich visit the official website or to go straight to ticket information click here