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Martin Rowson on the demise of the Stoke Newington Festival
 Oh, this is a difficult one. I can only say yes - difficult and expensive and
time consuming as the street festival could be to organise it was critical in terms of
levering in the money from the council. Fifty thousand people can't be ignored very
easily, especially when 65% of them are local voters. Apparently at this year's festival
over 500 questionnaires were filled in and almost every one of them called for the return
of the street festival - so there's definitely a sense of great loss, and hope that it
will return.
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What currently are the prospects of the Festival continuing in
some form next year?
Well, this article is good timing because there's a group of supporters including myself
who are taking the lead on a consultation exercise which will result in a public forum /
meeting on 29 October to ask that question of the community. The opportunity was there
eight years ago and there was a bunch of us prepared to take it on. The opportunity that
exists now is amazing in terms of where a new group would be starting from not to
mention the energy of the N16 fringe, which was great so I hope someone rises to the
challenge. It won't be me, but I'll be sadder than I can say if the wonderful, crazy,
melting pot of creativity and connexion which was the Stoke Newington Festival dies. Watch
the website and the street for information.
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