Salcombe Music Festival

Well crikey - what fun this last weekend was with the Salcombe music festival.......... I just about had the Thursday and some of Friday to recover from my unexpected little overnight stay in Derriford with my asthma attack when it was Friday evening and the festival was upon us. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Salcombe changes very quickly with it's tourists and we go from being a lovely sleepy little town to a heaving mass of people very quickly!

This was quite different again though - the car park changed over the course of two days from a car park to a stage for bands and acts from all over - a beer tent went up in the car park that was from the Fortesque up the road, a burger stall, a hog roast (blimey the smell of that went right up through my kitchen window and needed considerable restraint not to run and buy some!!). Friday morning I thought it would never be ready for the evening, but of course it was...... Friday evening festival was good - but we had a few issues with under age drinkers. They're such a canny lot these youngsters - I'm sure they think we were never young and can't possibly remember the tricks of trying to get a drink when you're not old enough...!!!

So a few very minor problems on the Friday night - but the organisers were very supportive and the Police were very good. No real problems though, but the take away curries at the side entrance to the Victoria didn't go at all well....? Very odd, we had them at a fiver a throw and they should have flown away but I think we didn't market them properly and secondly the Friday night crowd were youngsters with beer in their bellies but not much money in their pockets!

Can't tell you much about the bands because we were working too hard to stand and listen to them - but what we did hear were very good. We closed our garden to the public at about 5 to stop any potential 'naughtiness', but as we were closing up one of our staff was surprised by a very sleepy young man who HAD found his way into the garden and promptly fell asleep somewhere up there.......don't know who was more surprised the lad or the member of staff who thought he was a ghost!!!

Saturday was very different, great street entertainment - this was grown ups (still pickled mind you!) having a good time. We were 6/7 deep at the bar for a lot of the evening, with the floor being quite awash with beer - as for the loo's - well, lets not go there shall we!! The curries however did sell - I think we sold round about 100 portions or more. My gospel choir - Honest Gospel sang up at the church, and despite my nerves at how my voice would hold up, I sang ok and the choir in its entirety was pretty fabulous! Well done Jo - you got us there!!

Sunday was lovely, very laid back and chilled - some jazz, childrens group, bands, Punch & Judy in the street and a bit of last night of the proms to finish..... all in all we had a great weekend - hugely tiring for all concerned, but I can't wait for next years festival!!

The next blog entry will be all about our afternoon today with the BBC and SOH being interviewed about the beer tie......... blimey so much going on at the moment ................ !