Burnley's Blues Festival to be scaled down from 3 days to 1 (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

Burnley's Blues Festival to be scaled down from 3 days to 1

10:00am Saturday 31st October 2009

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BURNLEY’S famous blues festival is set to be slashed to a single day because of financial worries, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.

Promoters behind the Easter spectacular, which is usually held over three days and celebrated its 21st birthday this year, said a lack of sponsorship had prompted the shock move.

This year saw the end of three-year deal with aerospace giants Aircelle and organisers had been trying to secure fresh backing for months.

It is understood the three-day festival cost around £25,000 to put on.

Publicans across the town said the decision was a “great loss” to Burnley, with the festival attracting leading American blues exponents and the UK’s finest bands to East Lancashire since 1989.

Landlords have already vowed to keep the spirit of the three-day festival alive by staging their own mini-music or beer festival over Easter weekend.

Paul Young, licensee of the Inn on the Wharf in Manchester Road, a fringe venue for the festival which usually hosts the popular blues cruise along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, said he was saddened by the announcement.

He said: “This changes the whole tilt of the weekend, it really is a landmark event for Burnley and this will be a great loss for eveyone.

“It will mean a loss for us in revenue but it is also one of those things which puts Burnley on the map.”

Ken Southern, landlord of the White Hart in Church Street, another fringe venue, said: “It does bring a lot of people and trade to the town. It is a great thing and people look forward to it.

“If they did get sponsorship between now and Easter then I’m sure it could still go ahead over three days as it previously has.

“But I am confident that we will still be able to go ahead with something on the fringe, whatever is happening at Burnley Mechanics.”

The event’s organisers are now seeking a meeting with fringe venue landlords to get their feedback and see who plans to be involved in the truncated gathering.

Burnley council’s chief executive Steve Rumbelow said: “Burnley Blues Festival is a major international music event that attracts people from across the country and abroad to the town.

“However there is increasing pressure to stage the festival on a more commercial basis to reduce the cost that has to be met by local council tax payers.

“We are working hard to ensure that next year’s festival is just as successful as ever but in a different format that is concentrated on one big day rather than stretching it over several days .

“We’re hoping the fringe events will still go ahead at venues around the town centre as before.”

The cutback is not the first time that the blues festival has been under threat - councillors were considering axing the event as part of £1million proposed savings in late 2004.

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