On a blisteringly hot Sunday last summer, an estimated crowd of 15-20,000 people descended on Clissold Park for Stokefest 2003, a day packed with entertainment for all ages. The event was organised by Open Source Productions, a not-for-profit company formed by volunteers, whose aim was to provide a community event to fill the void left by the closure of the old Stoke Newington Festival.

The festivities on 15 June kicked off with a procession of local schoolchildren and musicians that brought Church Street to a standstill. It wound its way to Clissold Park where entertainment in myriad forms continued throughout the day in the park and at local bars and restaurants late into the beautiful summer's evening. Highlights included live music from the new bands stage, the Lost Parents DJ area, Thai bar with food from Yum Yum, circus acts and cabaret from Los Vagueness, installation art on the Boxed Art trail, a reggae dance tent with music from Solution Sound and Glady Wax, children's area with face painting, bouncy castles and circus skills classes and demos from No Fit State Circus and Sunstone Leisure, the backgammon tent from Fox Reformed and much more.
So what are Open Source's plans for this year? Will they be repeating the 'party in the park' formula or will they be doing something completely different?

A major hurdle this year is numbers. Dominic Mandrell, one of the organizers involved last year, explains: 'We were overwhelmed by the turnout for last year's festival but sadly what it means for this year is that the police and parks have recommended to Hackney council that we would have to obtain an entertainments licence for 15-20,000 people if we were to plan the same kind of event again. The infrastructure costs of an event of this size work out at roughly £1 a head so it doesn't take a genius to work out that with no core funding on the cards from Hackney Council or anywhere else we are faced with a major struggle to raise funds. We have therefore decided to focus on a single one-off event in the park this year whilst working on identifying some longer term funding for a bigger event for 2005.'

Currently three projects are being planned by Open Source this year. Dominic is keen to stress that their success will be entirely dependent on volunteers providing free services and obtaining sponsorship or assistance in kind from local businesses. The first is an evening of free cinema in Clissold Park on Saturday 12 June featuring anything from major features to short films from local film makers. (Check the website below for details on the criteria for submissions which will be online in a few weeks.) The group is also working on plans to renovate the bandstand in Clissold Park with a view to staging future events there. Thirdly, there is the return of the Opera Cabaret, which has found a new spiritual home at Abney Hall with a scheduled date of Sunday 4 July, sponsored by Kirk Originals Eyewear.

Open Source are keen to promote music and arts in the Hackney area throughout the year and will be hosting some fund raising parties to help get these projects on the road, so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events and please find the time and resources to support them. (The pictures feature highlights from previous parties.) Remember that Stokefest 2003 only came about through the dedication of a group of volunteers and the financial support of local Sunday last summer, an estimated crowd of 15-20,000 people descended packed with entertainment for all ages. The event was organised by Open Source Productions, a not-for-profit company formed by volunteers, whose aim was to provide a community event to fill the void left by the closure of the old Stoke Newington Festival. Anyone from the local community who is interested should feel free to make suggestions and to get involved. From office work to technical assistance to stewarding events, running bars or putting up posters, there is something for everyone that is rewarding and fun. The festival office is currently being set up at The Others and will shortly have a dedicated phone number where you can make enquiries or leave a message. In the meantime if you are interested in receiving a volunteer information pack,
either call in or write to: Stokefest 2004, The Others, 6-8 Manor Road, Stoke Newington N16 or to keep abreast of developments check the website at www.stokefest.co.uk