UK & European Blues Festivals Guide 2022

PETER BARTON MANAGEMENT
IN ASSOCIATION WITH COLNE TOWN COUNCIL
PRESENTS

THREE NIGHTS OF INCREDIBLE LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES BY 50 BLUES, ROCK, ROOTS & FOLK ARTISTS STAGED IN THE PENDLE HIPPODROME & COLNE MUNI AND SET IN THE BEAUTIFUL TOWN OF COLNE IN LANCASHIRE.

https://www.colneblueslineup.com/

PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS - NOV 17, 2021

Colne Town Council agrees their final decision for the future of the Blues Festival in Colne.

Earlier in the year the organisers reviewed the Blues Festival, in line with all the services they provide. They agreed that the Blues Festival needed to be changed to become more financially viable and sustainable while still offering a music festival on August Bank Holiday for Colne. There was opposition to this decision. Following many carefully considered meetings, talks and negotiations, last night, Tuesday 16th November, Colne Town Council made a final decision about the future of the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival.

At last night’s meeting it was proposed that ;-

1) Colne Town Council enter into an agreement with Peter Barton to provide artists (at his risk) for the Municipal Theatre (including the Mini Muni), Hippodrome and Little Theatre. The agreement to be based on the Town Council receiving 10% of the total Ticket sales.

2) Colne Blues Society be invited to provide the Fringe Programme for the 2022 Blues Festival.

3) Negotiations continue with the Colne Blues Society with a view to them programming the whole festival in 2023 onward, subject to Colne Blues Society becoming a fully constituted organisation.

4) The Town Clerk write to Pendle Borough Council to ask that they offer Support to the Festival by covering the costs of any extra street cleansing required during the festival and indemnifying Pendle Leisure Trust for any losses they may incur.

Cllr. Mary Thomas, Chairman of Colne Town Council said “The Councillors are happy to have reached a final agreement on the future of this cherished festival. Colne deserves a festival which supports the local community and attracts visitors to the area each summer. As this proposal has been chosen, this means the Council can help facilitate an event in the summer of 2022 which hopes to ‘tick all of the boxes’ an bring the town to life for all to enjoy. There will be some changes to the event organisation, which it is hoped will improve the festival’s financial security while continuing to bring a well-managed blues festival to Colne. We also hope to work alongside the Colne Blues Society on the fringe aspects of the festival, including the Roadhouse venues.”

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ANNOUNCEMENT - Oct 13, 2021

Colne Town Council held a meeting last night, Tuesday 12th October, to discuss the future of the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival with members of the public. Colne Town Council has organised and managed the event since 2017. The public meeting was held at the Municipal Hall, with over 50 members of the public in attendance.

The Council welcomed input from the public and interested parties. Each notion was listened to and documented.

The meeting is available to view online and, despite what is being said in some areas of social media, no firm decisions and changes have yet been made about the future of the event at this time.

Last month, a report by the Council stated: “It is recommended that Colne Town Council does not reinstate the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in its current form in 2022, and that Colne Town Council investigates options for a Music Festival on the August Bank Holiday weekend. The reasons for these recommendations were to allow the Council to still run a festival based on the blues genre on August Bank Holiday weekend, without putting strain on the Council’s resources and finances.”

Councillor Mary Thomas, Chairman of Colne Town Council adds “The Council no longer has the resources to run the Colne Blues event in its current form. However, we are talking with local residents and an organisation who contacted the Council which runs similar festivals. We are listening to suggestions and ideas for the festival from groups of interested parties, local businesses and local residents. What eventual shape this festival will take is yet to be decided.”

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ANNOUNCEMENT - 22/09/21

It is with great regret that we announce the end, as we know it, of the legendary Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival in Colne, Lancashire.

The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival has been bringing wonderful blues music – in its myriad of forms – to Colne for over 30 years. The event was not only one of Europe’s ultimate contemporary blues festivals, but also a one-of-a-kind and much-loved festival for people of the local area.

The 2019 festival, which attracted over 25,000 people to Colne, won the UK Blues Festival of The Year Award and will now be the final festival under the guise of the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Naomi Crewe, Colne Town Council’s Town Clerk (Colne Town Council has organised and managed the event since 2017): “This is a very sad day for the lovers of ‘The Blues’ in Colne, and for all those involved in the event. Deciding to make the 2019 event the finale of the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival was an extremely difficult and heart wrenching one to make. During these unprecedented times a decision has been made to create a summer music festival for the town of Colne, which will hopefully have the town as busy as ever, just as it was during the blues weekend in 2019. This will be in addition to the events the council currently provides for the town and its residents, including Christmas in Colne, Halloween in Colne, Easter in Colne, along with numerous other services.”

Although it’s very early in the planning stages, the summer festival will hopefully take place in Colne in August 2022 and feature bands and musicians from Colne and beyond, supporting the local arts and live music scene and much more.

Councillor Mary Thomas, the Chairman of Colne Town Council adds, “The Council no longer has the resources to run the Colne Blues event in its current format. However, we are going to manage a summer music festival in Colne next August, alongside our other provisions for local residents.”

The report to a full Colne Town Ccouncil meeting on Tuesday night (21st September) stated: "It is recommended that Colne Town Council does not reinstate the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in 2022, and that Colne Town Council runs a Summer Music and Food Festival on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend with an addition to the events budget of £10,000 to cover the event. The reasons for this recommendation are to allow the council to still run an event on August Bank Holiday weekend (or a different date if chosen) without putting strain on the Council’s resources and finances."

Let’s keep the award-winning Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival in the hearts and minds of everyone who enjoyed ‘The Blues’ in Colne and look forward to this exciting new music-based festival in the town.

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Blues Weekend at the Toorak Hotel

Torquay, Devon

Friday 17th – Monday 20th June 2022

Göteborg Blues Festival 2021

Burton Agnes Jazz & Blues Festival 2022

Friday 8th July to Sunday 10th July

16th July – 8th August 2021

PETER BARTON MANAGEMENT
IN ASSOCIATION WITH COLNE TOWN COUNCIL
PRESENTS

Blues Weekend at the Toorak Hotel

Torquay, Devon

Friday 17th – Monday 20th June 2022

Göteborg Blues Festival 2021

Burton Agnes Jazz & Blues Festival 2022

Friday 8th July to Sunday 10th July

16th July – 8th August 2021

PETER BARTON MANAGEMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH COLNE TOWN COUNCIL PRESENTS

PETER BARTON MANAGEMENT
IN ASSOCIATION WITH COLNE TOWN COUNCIL
PRESENTS