We're ever so excited!
Earlier on today, we had a dry run in the Royal Avenue Gardens to make sure the new stage we are hiring - for the first time in seventeen years of running the Festival - would fit.
I am pleased to report that the trial was a big success and the Committee is delighted and more than a little relieved - our thanks to the lovely people at Stagerent for coming all the way from Barnstaple to help put our minds at rest.
The stage sits ever so neatly in front of the Bandstand - almost like it grew there - and promises to be bigger, better and most importantly so much less seriously hard work for DMF President Rob Lyon’s Trusty Team, who should be thanked for their superhuman stage-building efforts over the last sixteen years.
The stage will be delivered and erected on the day before the Festival, whereas in previous years the stage building started virtually at daybreak on the Monday before. An enormous amount of hard labour went on - shifting and carrying, hammering and screwing, climbing and dodging (the odd scaffolding pole), cursing and swearing, etc etc - for the next four days, leaving said Trusty Team almost too exhausted by Friday to enjoy the music...
It's not that we didn't love our old stage - we did - but we think this option is going to be so much better all round. There will be lots of room on the stage and also lots of display space for the Sponsors' Banners along the front – in fact the banners are being prepared as I write – and we are sure that everyone will agree that the new stage will be of great benefit to the Festival.
We’ve also decided to re-position the Merchandise Tent to the front of the gardens this year to make it easier for people to browse through the stunning array of DMF goodies – we hope you’ll be surprised and delighted with what we’ll have on offer - in fact I'll be sure to post some photos on the blog as soon as I have some, just to whet your appetites...
Just three weeks to go now, and the sun is shining. See you there - can't wait!
16th, 17th & 18th May 2104
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