Vale Festival
Encyclopedia
The Vale Festival, commonly abbreviated to Valefest, is a music festival
that takes place on the campus of University of Birmingham
, in Birmingham
, England
. Uniquely, it is planned, organised and largely staffed by volunteer students - it is believed to be the largest solely student-organised event in the UK. All proceeds go to charitable causes.
The 2008 event took place on 10 June. Organisers expected a sell-out event, with capacity crowds of up to 5,500 students. The theme for this year's festival is 'Water for Life' - more specifically, sustainable access to clean water and sanitation in the developing world. All proceeds from ticket sales, which was over £30,000 in 2007, will be donated to three charities: Play Pumps
, WaterAid
and PumpAid. The festival will boast five stages, over forty bands, performances, society events, an outdoor cinema
, workshops, an official after-party and a wide variety of other features. The main-stage headliner will be Misty's Big Adventure
.
-related causes and addressing a death in live music on campus, the Birmingham University Stop AIDS Society
tried to arrange a large festival at Guild building. The Guild of Students pulled out, deeming the event unfeasible. Simultaneously a much larger event was being planned on University, rather than student union, property - The Vale Festival. The Vale Festival team, an independent group of students and the Student Stop Aids committee joined forces. Local bands, student societies and the large team of volunteer organisers worked to make the event, held in the Vale student village, a substantial success. The chosen focus was the crisis in Sudan
. £12,000 was raised, and the event was widely viewed as a major success.
Highlights of the day included performances from numerous bands, singers and DJs - Old School Tie, the Anomalies, First Rate, Vijay Kashore and the fantastic 360 headlined once again, pulling in a crowd of over 200 students which created an amazing end to a great line up of live bands.
DJ, drumming and singing workshops also went on throughout the day, as did drama performances, healing spaces and many, many stalls run by student societies. The day culminated in an outdoor screening of 'The Constant Gardener', and three different rooms for the club night inside Shackleton Hall.
and Action Aid
, and raised over £30,000.
The line-up was as follows:
Main Stage: The Anomalies, The Tommys, Laid Blak, Floors and Walls, Hobbit, Zombies of Ska (replaced Lazy J), Old School Tie, Friendly Fire, Stanley's Choice, University Gospel Choir
Kids for Kids Chillout Tent: Transient Dreams, Two Spot Gobi, Yamit Mamo, Swing Manouche, Tanante, The Old Dance School, KTB, Kid-iD, Hannah Rhodes
ActionAid Dance Arena: Deepgroove, Will Bailey, Aries, Far Too Loud, Joebot, Mikee Lazy, Hobbit & Bass6, Fat Gold Chain, DJ Shei
, Roundabout PlayPump
and Pump Aid.
The main stage, dance tent and Hilltop Tent were headlined by Misty's Big Adventure, Andy Morris and Watch this Fire Spread respectively.
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
that takes place on the campus of University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Uniquely, it is planned, organised and largely staffed by volunteer students - it is believed to be the largest solely student-organised event in the UK. All proceeds go to charitable causes.
The 2008 event took place on 10 June. Organisers expected a sell-out event, with capacity crowds of up to 5,500 students. The theme for this year's festival is 'Water for Life' - more specifically, sustainable access to clean water and sanitation in the developing world. All proceeds from ticket sales, which was over £30,000 in 2007, will be donated to three charities: Play Pumps
Roundabout PlayPump
The PlayPump Water System uses the energy of children at play to operate a water pump. It is manufactured by the South African company Roundabout Outdoor...
, WaterAid
WaterAid
WaterAid is an international non-profit organisation set up as a response to the UN International Drinking Water & Sanitation decade . WaterAid is dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. It is based in London, England and was...
and PumpAid. The festival will boast five stages, over forty bands, performances, society events, an outdoor cinema
Outdoor cinema
An outdoor cinema consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable projection screen, and sound system....
, workshops, an official after-party and a wide variety of other features. The main-stage headliner will be Misty's Big Adventure
Misty's Big Adventure
Misty's Big Adventure are an eight piece band from Birmingham, England. Their music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk....
.
2005
With the aim of both raising money and awareness for AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related causes and addressing a death in live music on campus, the Birmingham University Stop AIDS Society
Student Stop AIDS Campaign
The Student Stop AIDS Campaign is a network of groups based in British universities that campaign about the global HIV/AIDS crisis. The key campaign is currently Access to Care and Treatment, which aims to make anti-retroviral drugs - currently unavailable to many people in poorer countries -...
tried to arrange a large festival at Guild building. The Guild of Students pulled out, deeming the event unfeasible. Simultaneously a much larger event was being planned on University, rather than student union, property - The Vale Festival. The Vale Festival team, an independent group of students and the Student Stop Aids committee joined forces. Local bands, student societies and the large team of volunteer organisers worked to make the event, held in the Vale student village, a substantial success. The chosen focus was the crisis in Sudan
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. £12,000 was raised, and the event was widely viewed as a major success.
2006
The Vale Festival 2006 took place on the 6th June. Attended by over 3,900 students, and raising approximately £25,000 for two charities - UNICEF and SPW, for their HIV/AIDS projects in Kenya and Zimbabwe respectively - the event has been hailed as probably the biggest and best event ever to be staged at Birmingham University.Highlights of the day included performances from numerous bands, singers and DJs - Old School Tie, the Anomalies, First Rate, Vijay Kashore and the fantastic 360 headlined once again, pulling in a crowd of over 200 students which created an amazing end to a great line up of live bands.
DJ, drumming and singing workshops also went on throughout the day, as did drama performances, healing spaces and many, many stalls run by student societies. The day culminated in an outdoor screening of 'The Constant Gardener', and three different rooms for the club night inside Shackleton Hall.
2007
The 2007 festival was held on the 12th June, with just over 5,000 students on the day. The event aimed to raise awareness of the humanitarian effects of climate change on people in poorer nations. Vale Festival '07 supported two charities, Kids for KidsKids for Kids
Kids for Kids is a British charity that was created to help children struggling to survive in remote villages in Darfur, Sudan. It is one of the three nominees for International Development Charity of the Year at the UK Charity Awards....
and Action Aid
ActionAid
ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the focus primarily being to provide children with an education. Global accounts are now reported in Euros and in 2007 and 2008 turnover was close to 180m Euros...
, and raised over £30,000.
The line-up was as follows:
Main Stage: The Anomalies, The Tommys, Laid Blak, Floors and Walls, Hobbit, Zombies of Ska (replaced Lazy J), Old School Tie, Friendly Fire, Stanley's Choice, University Gospel Choir
Kids for Kids Chillout Tent: Transient Dreams, Two Spot Gobi, Yamit Mamo, Swing Manouche, Tanante, The Old Dance School, KTB, Kid-iD, Hannah Rhodes
ActionAid Dance Arena: Deepgroove, Will Bailey, Aries, Far Too Loud, Joebot, Mikee Lazy, Hobbit & Bass6, Fat Gold Chain, DJ Shei
2008
Vale Festival 2008 took place on the 10th of June and had as successful attendance as 2007, reaching full capacity. The festival focussed on the issue of sustainable access to clean water in the developing world and raised £30,000 for WaterAidWaterAid
WaterAid is an international non-profit organisation set up as a response to the UN International Drinking Water & Sanitation decade . WaterAid is dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. It is based in London, England and was...
, Roundabout PlayPump
Roundabout PlayPump
The PlayPump Water System uses the energy of children at play to operate a water pump. It is manufactured by the South African company Roundabout Outdoor...
and Pump Aid.
The main stage, dance tent and Hilltop Tent were headlined by Misty's Big Adventure, Andy Morris and Watch this Fire Spread respectively.
Organisation
The festival takes months of planning. The event is organised by a central committee of about twenty students. The committee is non-hierarchical, meaning there is no single individual who is in charge of the event. The central committee is divided into sub-committees which take responsibility for different aspects of the festival, such as entertainments, student societies, promotions, decorations etc.See also
- Official Vale Festival web site
- Official MySpace page
- Action Aid
- Kids for KidsKids for KidsKids for Kids is a British charity that was created to help children struggling to survive in remote villages in Darfur, Sudan. It is one of the three nominees for International Development Charity of the Year at the UK Charity Awards....
- Student Stop AIDS CampaignStudent Stop AIDS CampaignThe Student Stop AIDS Campaign is a network of groups based in British universities that campaign about the global HIV/AIDS crisis. The key campaign is currently Access to Care and Treatment, which aims to make anti-retroviral drugs - currently unavailable to many people in poorer countries -...
- Students Partnership WorldwideStudents Partnership WorldwideStudents Partnership Worldwide is now Restless Development, the youth-led development agency.What they know?Young people are most affected by the persistent problems facing the world. And yet they are frequently overlooked as being the ones to help work these issues out.What they believe?Young...
- People and Planet
- UNICEF
- WaterAidWaterAidWaterAid is an international non-profit organisation set up as a response to the UN International Drinking Water & Sanitation decade . WaterAid is dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. It is based in London, England and was...
- Roundabout PlayPumpRoundabout PlayPumpThe PlayPump Water System uses the energy of children at play to operate a water pump. It is manufactured by the South African company Roundabout Outdoor...
- University of Birmingham Guild of Students
- Birmingham LINKS