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Fantasy festival: Your ideal Riverfest

Following on from a comment made by user Goo in the comments of the last Riverfest related post, here is a thought.

The consensus in the comments is that this year’s Riverfest is going to be a pile of piss. Alot of the stuff that was memorable about it, such as the Budweiser Beats and the Shannon shenanigans are all a distant memory. It even loos as though for the first time in eons that there is going to be no fireworks display.

So, If you were handed a big ball of money by the people who hand out balls of money to organise festivals, what would you want to have in your Riverfest.

Better still, make suggestions as to what should be at the Riverfest 2009 and we can see if it can be forwarded in a document of some sort to the organisers. Let the public, rather than a select unimaginative few, design the Riverfest.

Only serious suggestions please, any silly or irrelevent comments will be removed.

So lets get the ball rolling with some suggestions:

Music: More emphasis on live music, preferably free concerts or live bands in local pubs and clubs. Get one international act to perform in the newly developed Thomond Park.

Bring back the Fireworks display

Bring Back the Street Theatre

Bring back the River Shannanigans

Anyone want to add to that?

This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 4:02 am and is filed under All. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Roisin
    I agree about not being able to find out what is actually on. I've had a look this morning and now can't be bothered to continue scouring the Internet/papers for anything concrete and useful like specific events and times. Not worth dragging 2 kids in to the city on the offchance something might be suitable for them!
  • It's impossible to find out info about the event... no website, nothing on the Limerick City site and the papers have all sorts of overblown badly-written features (free adverts in all but name) but no integrated schedule. It's just the same as other years -- only worse.

    The markets will be set up to sell us (mostly) overpriced goods. Does anyone see the use in the French market? It's the same few stalls every time.

    The BBQ cook-off will provide only the judges with food. This is so bizarre it beggars belief. Unless you're lucky enough to have a friend cooking for one of the teams it's a great way to inhale smoke and get really hungry for.,.. something that is not available. Why not sell tickets redeemable for snacks at each booth and rate the chefs on these? That's how it's done elsewhere around the world.

    A festival should be about getting everyone involved.

    There is lots of music this year but it tends to the mainstream and expensive gigs, as opposed to open or quirky events. Hat's off to Mick Dolan for doing up the Docks, but what's the city doing of equivalent stature?

    I'm a big supporter of this city but sometimes it's so difficult. Thanks for letting me blow off steam!
  • Fifitricks
    I'm finding it impossible to find out what is actually on this weekend...been trawling the net looking for a schedule of events for this year? What's going on???
    Needless to say I can find LOADS of info on last years fest....
  • 2cracks
    For Gods Sake dont MOAN about Dolans 'big gig'. Its creating an excitement about that weekend that Riverfest - AN ENTIRE FESTIVAL - has failed to achieve.
  • goo
    lets do another 8 ball! :@) lol.

    their ideas were probably too 'edgy' and dangerous for our safely-softly bunch thats running the show now. If a tugowar and face painting are the highlights of the weekend we might as well stay at home and watch telly. Shur why not have a cake sale and three legged race, yeah, that should put limerick back on the tourist map in a big way!

    Jeazuz at this rate the community games looks like a Mardi-Gras in comparison.

    Another thing thats pissin me off, why does every single and little article in the local papers about Riverfest have to include Dolans 'big gig', considering its an independent event (dolans 10th birthday). Its like theyre trying to fill in the gaping void of gig-wise entertainment that is Riverfest 08 by leeching on to the dolans event. Really ppl, there are better ways to attain some credability.

    sorry , i know this is a little off topic but i had to get it off me chest.
  • How about bring back Eightball as organisers. They had so many good ideas but still everybody seemed down on them. I just had a look back on this post from 2 years ago...

    http://www.limerickblogger.org/blog/2006/03/02/making-a-complete-8-balls-of-st-patricks-day-festival

    I remember doing a small bit of volunteer work for them one year and they had great ideas and great enthusiasm but it seemed all anybody in Limerick wanted to do was complain about what they were doing, there was so much bitterness towards them, I'm not surprised they decided not to continue their work. Now I think people can see what Limerick is missing without them being organisers.
  • John
    How about a bonfore of all the illegal drugs siezed over the year... Could be an annual thing
  • Pat Johnston
    Airshow...great idea
  • Rhebogue Ranter
    non motorised boat race would be good. I think this happened last year or year before around the castle and down the abbey river.
    have different categories like kayak, currach, row boat, pedal boat, make your own boat/float

    The free style kayakers look good too up by the curragower. more of it.
  • PoxyShamrock
    Fireworks
    A proper concert in let's say...Thomond Park! :D
    Try and get something like the Red Bull Flugtag back.
    An Airshow! (i know RIVERfest, but it would be cool)
  • goo
    your welcome, glad i thought of it, lol. But really , heres my 2 cents...

    If only to protect the event under the trade descriptions act it should feature the river in more than just name, so..

    -Boat Races of some nature.

    -a boat Regata too..?

    -ALL the bridges adorned in some colorful ..stuff etc.

    -Maybe some old steamboat or woodenship or even an appearance by the navy (im over streching, i know).

    Gigs gigs gigs, anything to save us from another sawdoc/sharon shannon yahoo-fest.

    BAR EXTENTIONS (i know its actual exemptions but..).

    Busking Competition.

    Large garda prescence to keep tabs on the scumbags that will surely arrive.

    did somone say FIREWORKS!!! :)

    oh and some crazy tightrope walk accross the river..?

    maybe an anti-litter/polution drive or atempt to CLEAN up the river?

    probly not a bad idea to invite the lifeboat/resuce people, just in case.

    ok, im shutting up right....now.
  • arse_over_tits
    A few events on the river such as the red bull flying thing would be a bit of fun...they had it a few years ago.
    And great ideas there about getting art students involved in decorating areas around the river..agree that arthurs quay park would be a great venue for open air daytime live music.
    Also a great opportunity for the likes of LAW and other organisations to promote what they do.
  • pat Johnston
    Ban drinking on the streets and clamp down on loutish behavior so that families feel safe
  • John
    Get all people invloved!

    For Kids:
    Crafts Tent
    Storytelling
    Kids Theatre
    Facepainting/Street Theatre, etc

    For Teens:
    Free open air gigs (with preformers they know)
    Invite bits of Funderland to set up across the city
    Large Disco (with a recognised DJ or whatever)
    Urban Sports

    For Young Adults:
    Free open air gigs (with major preformers)
    Maybe a Mardee Gra square type thing, outdoor nightclub setup?!?

    For Adults:
    Extended opening hours & free admission to cultural places
    Concerts in Belltable and St. Mary's Cathedral
    Nice markets (French and maybe another)

    For all:
    Firework Display
    Buskers Festival
    More interactive World BBQ Cook off (food given out all day to people & live music)

    All that could be done, maybe with enlisting sponsers... but the likes of having major acts here, playing for free - that would attract people right across Europe to come. Especially if the bands arnt on tour. They dont need to be u2, many bands have international follows who would like the opportunity to see the band and cuse for a weekend break to Ireland.

    Really - the festival needs to be promoted better to attract both the Irish and Europeans to come to the city top soak it up.
  • Gramsci
    The gig's a great idea but not The Frames [Yawn!] preferably someone of international stature to get a good vibe in the national and international media.

    It has to work on many levels - large scale gig/fireworks etc, medium scale pub gigs/markets and small scale buskers/street theatre.

    The river should be the unique angle to differentiate from all other festivals so yes to King John's Castle over Thomond Park and a very big yes to the fab decorate the bridges idea. Get art students and community groups involved and have a competition for the best bridge get corporate sponsors to fund each entry so they are finished to a professional standard.

    But busy busy busy is the key and family friendly. Get the county council to stump up a large chunk of the cash as they do nothing for the city only drain funds out of it.

    There's a lot of voluntary arts groups in the city they should all be encouraged/funded to put something on during the festival to showcase the wide variety of arts activities in the area.
  • Temporarily pedestrianise a couple of the main streets so that people more encouraged to walk around the city. Focus on the river and water.

    And just to make people feel extra safe, loads of gardai wandering through the crowds.
  • rm
    the abbey regatta, did not need thousands of euro to run. And that was a day long event, which atracted hundreds to it. Go back to simple ideas, for entertainment and use the river for all water activity's.
  • I was going to say have the king johns castle gig again but i was beatin to it, The Walls, Mundy & the frames played there and it pissed rain for the whole thing but it was still the best thing in limerick for years. Why the hell have they not opened up again it is perfect for a concert. Dolans festival is a fantastic idea and should be adopted to be an anual event! Arthurs quay park once agin is left to f all , such a great area for a gig or any activity and its just left to rot! FIREWORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Angry Man
    Maybe a busking competition?
  • Angry Man
    Festivals usually encourage live music so I agree with the lads idea of a castle gig.. someone good.. people will pay to get in thats not an issue. The Frames again would have a sell out crowd.
  • On the music front. Most of the pubs in the city in the city get bar extensions for the Friday and Saturday nights of Riverfest. Why not make those pubs have live music as part of the conditions of the extension. So no music no late drinking.

    Every pub won't have the same facilities and such. But reward those that make an effort even if its just someone with a guitar.
  • arse_over_tits
    Have a gig in the castle again...think the frames played there about 4 years ago and it preceeded the fireworks display.
    More live bands in general in the pubs across town...limerick badly needs this as it is.
    Decorate the bridges in town to draw a focus to the river.
    A friday evening themed market, and a bit more continuity to the whole thing.
    A better website and better advertisement in general.
  • Paddy
    How about closing the part of o'connell street opposite penny's and have some sort of free panto there for the kids maybe a wrestling show it was very successful in uch on march 14th. You could put a live band there but that wouldn't be very original would it? And the riverfest is to me about drawing families back into the city centre for a good family orientated time.
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