The Balham festival is fantastic but I was wondering if the event could have more of a community involvement such as information stands from community groups, the council etc etc. It would appear quite commercial with the many food stalls (which are fantastic by the way) but I was wondering if more could be done to engage the community. In Lambeth we have the Country show each year with all manner of stalls. There was a considerable gap and space that could have been better used.

I know the music is probably the main focus but I think maybe the organisers could add more of a benefit to local community projects and make it a bigger festival to draw in more people.
I would also suggest that it is advertised further afield to draw people to Balham as over this side we didn't really know much about it.

The Music is excellent and I am sure in the coming years more and more local artists may join the bandwagon but should it not have a wider community appeal, everyone loves a free pen or other freebies to take away as well as learning more about the community has to offer. Maybe this is not what The Balham Street Festival is about. Anyone have any more views on this?

By WeirEstate at 21:05 on 09/08/10

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Have to say, although I wasn't there on the day, this was the impression I'd got too and I agree it would be a shame if true. Can't comment on the quality of the stalls but it's a shame if local shops & organisations weren't really present.

Sounds like the music was good. I've seen the photos and one of the bands (Harrison?) are excellent, I saw them at the Scala a few months ago.

Full disclosure - I run the Balham Ukulele Society, we meet at the Bowls Club every fortnight. We perform too, having played various events in Pimlico, Balham and Tooting. I emailed the promoter of Balham Festival a month beforehand to see if there was any way we might get involved and sadly didn't receive a reply.
Since we're a community music organisation of mostly Balham residents that was very disappointing, but I suppose it might be indicative of the direction they wanted the festival to take this year...

By Ogrizovic at 22:07 on 09/08/10
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Ogrizovic I am glad that I am not alone in this. I would like to see the event more about showcasing Balham and its wonderful diverse and talented community. I am sad to hear that you took an interest and applied to be part of the event and didn't get a response.

In today's society we should be encouraging more people into our local shops and support the local economy, I think the festival is really missing a trick here. It happens once a year and could do more to engage and encourage a better and wider community. yes the music is fab but why not allow local performers to be part of it?

There was only two stalls that i could really see which was the Safer Neighbourhood team and Ironically the Balham Partnership people then lots of the food market stalls, which yes Markets are a dying breed and its great to see Hildreth Street so alive with activity but once a year surely it can give more to the showcasing the great place that is Balham and the many community offerings in and around the area. I am left feeling like 'Balham is an island' or well the festival is! I don't want to sound like I am criticising here or even knocking it as its great music and enjoyable but only for so long, I would just love to see it offer more for the people of Balham and the neighbouring communities.

By WeirEstate at 22:54 on 09/08/10
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I spoke to Kim Bellringer - the Town Centre Manager specifically about the Balham Uke Soc and she seemed uninterested. My sense was that the Balham Festival is run by The Bedford and it's more a Bedford Comes Outside affair. I too was disappointed because I know, from doing this job since February what amazing talent and sense of community Balham has to offer. Next year, could we have both vibes runing alongside each other?

By aloquifique at 23:08 on 09/08/10
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Well then surely The Bedford as a local business should be encouraging more effort in the local community? At the end of the day, you come out into the community to have the event!

Its an even more poor show that they didn't even have the courtesy to respond to the communication from the uke Soc. The Bedford are making a huge mistake and in my opinion are missing a great opportunity to involve and engage with the community more. Surely this could well increase trade. The Balham Street Festival is meant to be just that, a street fest for the people of Balham right? Maybe I got the wrong view of this. Are the performers the people from the Bedford? Surely the town centre team should also have more of say instead of making it a Bedford publicity stunt!

We all live as part of a community and we can share and benefit from the skills and knowledge of that as well as bringing people together. I am not advocating they make it a open talent show by any means but as you say rightly, why cant the two meet together and the event run alongside a community event? Lots of questions...Maybe Balham People can pick this up and take this views forward?

By WeirEstate at 23:23 on 09/08/10
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We residents need to take ownership of this event. Having it organised by outside people not from the area who have their own agendas is not necessarily suitable. Maybe we could convene a meeting to discuss where we should be taking this.

By ianfreeman at 02:18 on 10/08/10
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Nice to see a bit of a consensus forming here. It echoes what views I'd been able to form (without being there) that it wasn't, in the fullest sense of what it could be, a community event.
I must stress it wasn't Kim who didn't reply to us - she did, and gave me the address for their music organiser, after which the trail went dead. Presumably because they'd already booked the acts they wanted.
Is there a different Balham festival of which I'm unaware?? Seems a bit much to call it that and then not engage more fully with the local community which does, as WeirEstate says, have so much to offer. From what little I could see it was a music concert with some non-local food stores. F'rinstance, how do Trinity Stores and all the other great local food places feel about that? Or the Bowls Club, who've been organising their own summer arts festivals?
If this were the general feeling, perhaps a gentle nudge in the direction of the organisers from us would be all that was needed to open things out a bit. But if a different, more community-owned festival were to spring up then that's certainly the one I (and the B.U.S.) would want to be involved in.

By Ogrizovic at 10:52 on 10/08/10
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How about the Balhampeople Festival once a year? I am up for getting that going!

By WeirEstate at 11:09 on 10/08/10
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Harrisons, some of the Hildreth St traders, and Robbies in Ritherdon Road were involved. I guess what we're saying is that The Bedford, as organisers, could extend out more to the Balham Comminity. I mean has anyone heard the South London Choir, based in Ravenstone School? Amazing!

By aloquifique at 11:57 on 10/08/10
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Most definetly and use more of the local talent other than the ones they think! Balham has a wonderfully eclectic community and a great community spirit as well as a great place to visit. The Bedford as organisers should use and encourage the community more with such an event that is good but could be better served by the and for the community. Information stands, things for people to do.

From what I saw on sunday, people came listened to music for a bit then got bored and wandered off. I would suggest the idea is to encourage people to stay and learn more, this would then encourage people to maybe spend money in the local shops, get to know the local traders and build on the community feel to Balham. They have really missed the trick on this one. I would also suggest they promote it better.

This should be an event by the community for the community (OK with The Bedford as the prinicple orgainsers) but it does come across as a little them and us!

By WeirEstate at 12:05 on 10/08/10
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It's interesting. Although the event is advertised on balham.com, apparently the Balham Street Festival isn't organised by the Balham Partnership (who run Balham.com, and are basically the community of local businesses in Balham). From the comments here, it seems like the festival's more of a Bedford thing, being extended out to other local businesses as well.

In which case, I think it's fair to give it the benefit of the doubt, it's probably just trying to find the balance between being totally local, and being quite commercial. It's a difficult thing to get right. Maybe they are slowly expanding it out to local businesses. Or it's quite possible that Trinity Stores etc. were also asked. Also, as regards the South London Choir, don't forget that the amazing MJ (who runs the choir) also has duties down in Brighton, so she might not have been able to make it. As an aside, I should just say that the South London Choir are absolutely amazing - I saw them at the Brighton festival this year.

All I'm saying is, we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

Full disclosure, like Orgizovic, I'm also in the Balham Uke Soc, but I wasn't at the festival either, so I don't really know where it was on the hippie to business line. I really wish I'd been able to go, it does sound like it was fun.

By icarusfall at 12:12 on 10/08/10
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I know Rocco Buonvino who put the music aspect together very well. He lives in, er, Malta!

By ianfreeman at 12:14 on 10/08/10
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@icarusfall My point is a more community aimed event rather than a business one! It is a balancing act but I don't think I difficult one at all.

The event could so easily be a mix of Music, The Bedford, Local Businesses and The many community groups and orgainsations as well as services like the NHS (Wandsworth PCT free Blood pressure Checks etc) The Council Services Street Care etc. There are so many variables that they could embrace.

The music is enjoyable and great for a while but like I said people get bored and then wander away, which is a shame!

By WeirEstate at 12:21 on 10/08/10
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That's a good point from Icarusfall that we don't know who was and wasn't asked to participate. I know my own experience was a negative one but it would be wrong to speculate about the organising of the event as a whole.
I'm definitely with WeirEstate on the community involvement front though, and the interest and diversity that more of such involvement would bring to a day like Balham Festival. Put another way - if it is a Bedford-run festival which is expanding year by year into the community in lieu of/with a view to becoming the major "Balham" festival then maybe they could use some constructive feedback about how the event went this year. If the views here are representative, then the Balham community could definitely have been more evident in what was there on the day, to everyone's benefit.

By Ogrizovic at 12:35 on 10/08/10
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@WeirEstate. OK, that's fair enough - and I agree that it sounds like it would be much better to have a really community-focussed festival. I'm just saying organising a festival isn't necessarily as easy as it looks...

If the word goes out for volunteers to help next year, I'll gladly help out. I'll keep my eyes out.

By icarusfall at 12:51 on 10/08/10
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I do recall Kim Bellringer mentioning that Balham doesn't have much space for a big Festival? Sainsbury's carpark is a good space I would have thought but I guess there are rules about that? The Exhibit would loved to have been asked to get involved. People want to get excited about Balham!

By aloquifique at 13:45 on 10/08/10
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@aloquifique I am surprised as there appeared to be lots of space that could have been better used and simply better placing of stalls next to each other as well as better placing of the main stage and then of course theres round the corner to the rear of Sainsburys heading towards The Exhibit. Again its awfully sad that they was not invited to get involved.

You are absolutely right people want to get involved and get excited about what Balham has to offer, it would appear the support is out there and I am sure many of the other agencies and organisations would jump at the chance to get involved and be part of the event. I have send a request for comment from the folks at The Bedford through the delights of twitter (how on earth did we ever live without it! LOL)

Balham is a great place and more can be done to showcase it!

By WeirEstate at 14:14 on 10/08/10
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@WeirEstate I wouldn't hold your breath, they haven't tweeted since March 10th! Maybe they mostly use it as an info feed.

@aloquifique I imagine the town centre manager knows best what spaces are and aren't available for a big festival - though presumably that means there's some reason why Tooting Common couldn't be used?
That said, no one here is saying it has to be much bigger, necessarily. I've seen all of the space @WeirEstate describes used efficiently for markets before, it is quite a big space from end to end.

Someone mentioned to me about a local fete happening soon? Are they right and if so what is that?

By Ogrizovic at 14:41 on 10/08/10
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@WeirEstate - I've emailed them your tweet asking for them to read this thread.

By ianfreeman at 16:22 on 10/08/10
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Thanks Ian! Thats a good idea, would love to hear their view on the whole subject! :)

By WeirEstate at 18:12 on 10/08/10
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As far as I am aware, Rocco Buonvino (Balham/Malta resident) is responsible for the genesis, planning and implimentation of this event. The Bedford's involvement was merely by proxy since the person who oversees the music at the venue is a good friend of Rocco's and helped him host the show. Whilst helping with sponsorship, and possibly putting the organiser in touch with some acts I don't think it is fair to say that this event was 'a Bedford Comes Outside affair', nor to suggest that the event was programmed by The Bedford.

By helping with the costs The Bedford felt it was positively contributing to the community and at no point set about railroading the event.

In short, some of you are barking up the wrong tree!

By thebedfordpub at 23:36 on 12/08/10
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@thebedfordpub Its great that you have responded to this, thank you!

It is also to be highly commended in that you are and have provided support both in ways of getting acts and provided revenue, my apologies if we appear to have got the wrong impression though I can also see as to why this impression may have been given. No more so the big Bedford banner on stage which signifies it was a 'Bedford run event' however as you point out you have kindly just supported the event and I hope you will continue to have this involvement. Maybe you can ask Rocco Buonvino to look at this topic himself and see the views of those in Balham. These are not meant as a criticism more what can make the whole event better and more community orientated. The Bedford is a highly respected and well known social and entertainment venue and its only right that you are involved but also surely other local businesses should follow your example and be allowed to do the same as well as encouraging local artists to take to the stage, I question how many of the those performing are local to Balham or even have a residency in yours or any of the local venues. I am sure it wouldn't be difficult to locate local groups musicians (likely many come into you enquiring?).

Maybe if someone viewing this can ask the organisers to respond that answer some of the issues raised in this topic. .

The Balham Street fest (particularly in todays economic climate and with the real threat of a double dip recession) should be about promoting local business and local communities as well bringing the people of our area together and bringing new people to the area thus increasing your trade as a local business.

By WeirEstate at 23:57 on 12/08/10
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