Three cheers for the Harringay Festival

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on September 21, 2009 at 15:55

Liz, I suggest an initial chat with Dasos Maliotis - when he's rested and back at work!

As for Haringey staff reading the comments on HoL, I'm glad to say it's not yet one of the websites blocked by the Chinese Government Haringey Council senior officers. So staff can join and read the comments. I'm sure some of the more imaginative and go-ahead people do just that.

Sadly, most Haringey staff are still currently blocked from accessing Flickr. So they won't be able to see people's Festival photos on the Harringayonline Flickr pages.
(Nor our dirty pictures of dumped rubbish.)

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Permalink Reply by the_anke on September 21, 2009 at 13:16

Hey there's my pic! The rest of them are in the gallery here http://www.harringayonline.com/photo/albums/ankes-iphone-pics-from-1

It was great. I'm still full!

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Permalink Reply by Pip on September 21, 2009 at 13:27

I had such a great time yesterday - thank you so much to everyone who put in the work behind the scenes and on the day - I really hope that it happens again next year. Is there someone on the council I should write to do you think?

I particularly liked the feel of the day - its not something you can manufacture, but it felt really good - and comedy people on penny farthings always add an extra something!

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Permalink Reply by wholepint on September 21, 2009 at 15:04

Had a great time - could only pop down for about half an hour but managed to stuff a brownie in my face in that time!


Here are my rather poor camera phone pics (just really wanted to capture a traffic free Green Lanes!):

http://www.moblog.net/view/907410/harringay-green-lanes-food-festival

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Permalink Reply by matt on September 21, 2009 at 16:31

... was a bit of a cop out?

The cops [ ;) ]were definitely out in force. Never before have I seen at a 'community' festival the first thing greeting revellers being a police van with camera on top recording all goings on.

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on September 21, 2009 at 18:24

I for one was pleased to see the police; as I approached the throngs of people, one of the first thoughts that occurred to me were the chances for crime in a crowd of 10,000. The pervasive police presence in public provided partial protection against a possibly a prime position for pick-pockets.

I must look too respectable as a PC at the police stall handed me a hamper of police material.

.

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Permalink Reply by John D on September 21, 2009 at 18:43

@ Matt

Most likely looking for pickpockets and steaming gangs, drugs even.
Have you never been to the Notting Hill Carnival ?

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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on September 21, 2009 at 19:33

I think they are still very worried about the possibility of a continuation of the violence that we saw a couple of weeks ago. They were the very big ones that we pointlessly get in the city.

I think they were flying the flag lest someone else do it, very sensible, no?

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Permalink Reply by Mavic Starfish on September 21, 2009 at 17:03

Superb day out, our whole family had a brilliant time, no doubt helped by the great weather. As so many have said here, it was just nice to be able to stroll down Green Lanes, and listen to great music and see so many people from the locale. Thanks to anyone and everyone who put this event on, same time again next year please.

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Permalink Reply by John on September 21, 2009 at 21:51

I have lived in harringay all my life (44 years) and this was the best thing I have ever seen in the area!

It was a bit strange standing in the middle of the road, I kept feeling I was going to get run over :)

The stage and music was fantastic.

A big thank you to all who made this happen.

It must happen again.

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Permalink Reply by matt on September 21, 2009 at 21:58

> 2 Johns,

Yes have been to NH festival but a million people go to that. I take your points that from the police's perspective they had to make their presence obvious.

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Permalink Reply by Geoff Amabilino on September 21, 2009 at 22:28

First off, I had a great day - about 5 hours on the Woodlands Park RA stall talking to people, making seed bombs and enjoying the friendly atmosphere. Don't know if anyone else was on GL at about 11 when things were setting up, but the road was eerily quiet with few people and no cars!

For my sins, I am on the GLSG and attended some of the Festival planning meetings. The Festival was *expensive* - over £30K, a large chunk of which went on the road closure and associated policing. It would not have been possible without the efforts of the traders association, who raised a substantial amount in advertising, sponsorship and grants.

I take my virtual hat off to Dasos Maliotis and his team, Marcia Connell (Event Manager), Nora Mulready (Stage), Rob Chau and Mr Mehmet (traders), Andy and Sue from GRA and Ian from LCSP. Whatever anyone thinks of the politics, it would not have happened without the active support of Nilgun Canver, Brian Haley and other councillors.

I'm willing to take comments from HOL back to GLSG if you are happy for me to do so.

I agree with the comments about stalls with stacks of cans etc. Perhaps the festival will have been a learning experience for the traders themselves - for some it might have been the first time they have tried selling at a street festival. It seemed to me that most of the food stalls with the long queues were ones I recognised from other events. Hopefully those on the less successful stalls will learn from the others and we will see more creativity.

I would have liked to see the stalls more mixed up - most of the good food stalls seemed clustered in one area.

Someone commented that there didn't seem to be any South American food available - maybe we should have talked to the market people at Ward's Corner. When Wood Green went car-free for a day last year, there were farmers-market style stalls...

Backing the stage up the road is a good idea, but would impact more on residents (noise/parking/access issues). Extra stage, yes, but costs more. Perhaps more street-level music/theatre?

Yes to encouraging traders to clean up shop fronts ahead of the event.

(Sorry to be mundane but...) More rubbish bins!

It would have been great to see an HOL presence.

Finally, and as an optimist, for next year I would like to see increased co-operation between the various community elements and a second, better festival.

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