Riverside

Tue 23 Jun 2009, 19:29

I have just done a tour of the Mill Field in preparation for my by-monthly report on the Field and Watery Lane for the Town Council.

I would like to congratulate the organisers and patrons for leaving the Mill Field very clean and tidy, well done!!

Clr John H

Tue 23 Jun 2009, 12:41

No wish but lots of rolling on the grass, playing with friends and eating hotdogs. Dad occupied buy beer and music. A great couple of days.

Tue 23 Jun 2009, 11:51

It was great, wasn't it! Russell, did your 5-year-olds make a wish for the wish tree? I gather that all the wishes are going to be put up on the Riverside website evetually - keep looking! Riverside is very much a family event, and an extremely successful one.

Tue 23 Jun 2009, 10:08

Well done!

Tue 23 Jun 2009, 10:08

Great Riverside, our visiting friends and 5 year olds loved it.

Well to all those involved.

Mon 22 Jun 2009, 17:11

The riverside agreed was a great success i agree being the first time i had been .The problem on the nineacres were as a result of youngsters being refused entry to the festival with alcohol ,which by the way is absolutely the right thing to do .The result was having youngsters congretating on the nineacres which in itself s not a problem .
The problems are not the local shops selling alcohol ,as alcohol can be bought from outside Charlbury into the town ,the problems are when there is a lack of police patrols on days like this when we have youngsters urinating on the Nineacres in full view of the houses on Nineacres lane ,smashing bottles where young people and adults alike are exercising and dog walking alike are taking place.
I saw not one police officer the whole weekend in Charlbury except the early hours of monday morning after hearing what sounded like criminal damage being committed and a young woman in trouble shouting and screaming ,so the police obviously respond if called .But once again we suffer ,as we do every or most weekends by people shouting on the Nineacres until the early hours and not by the people you would expect ,but well educated youngsters who do not think of anyone but themselves thinking they are not doing anything wrong when shouting thier heads off.

Mon 22 Jun 2009, 11:03

Congratulations to Andy Pickard, Dave Oates and all the other stalwarts who made Riverside such a resounding success this year. Running a free festival with first class bands and two stages is nothing short of miraculous. Long may it continue.
Whist I wouldn't fault the organisation of the festival itself I do think the Town Council and others should look a bit more closely at the effects of the festival on the Town itself. Charlbury looked a mess on Sunday morning with litter everywhere though by 10 o'clock volunteers and festival organisers had cleaned it up and apart from a few grumbles there was no harm done. The tennis club suffered worse. The club hut on NineAcres was, I understand, broken into on Friday night and stuff strewn around and it's likely it was a festival goer looking for somewhere to sleep. On Sunday morning I went down to play at 8.30 and the courts were covered in glass. Some kind souls had been lobbing lager bottles over the fences (the courts were locked) and smashing them on court. It took 2 of us over half an hour to sweep the courts and we didn't get all the glass. Normally the first people to use the courts on Sundays are 8 year olds having a training session.
I don't think there is anything the festival organisers can do about this and I don't think it should get out of proportion and constrain a wonderful event. I'd make the following suggestions:
1. Police patrols on NineAcres on the nights of the festival. We've asked for patrols on NineAcres before and nothing seems to happen
2. Coop and Fiveways not to sell alcohol in glass bottles on the afternoon and evenings of the festival.
3.Coop (who get quite an increase in trade from the festival) to organise a clean up of the area surrounding it immediately after the festval

Thu 18 Jun 2009, 21:41

Ed you are a very perceptive man! Two Fingers of Firewater are destined for big things; The Epstein played at Glastonbury last year, Winnebago dealhave played some major venues both here and around the world and Smilex are on the edge of greatness. Apart from that, there are great local bands - billypure, 1000 Mile Highway, Life of Riley, Bangalore Torpedoes and ALan Fraser to name a few - and it is all free. Nowhere else in the world.......

Wed 17 Jun 2009, 22:54

Thanks, David. Is it true that Two Fingers of Firewater will be playing there? I can't believe that a great band like Two Fingers of Firewater will be playing there for free ... But then - I've just seen the rest of the line-up! There are once-and-future stars right to the bottom of the bill.

Tue 16 Jun 2009, 23:56

Riverside is this weekend!! 35 bands, fantastic food, a bar, the best festival location in the world and the sun - what else could you want on a weekend in June.