Just So Festival

Hello and welcome back! Yes, it's not just a welcome back for you, but for me as well. I'll admit I neglected this blog recently, it's been waiting for the day I could come back and wow you all with my recent adventures. So, like a man blowing off the cobwebs from his favourite suit, it's time for me to dust off this blog and give it a new entry. With no further ado, it's time to relay my thoughts and opinions about my most recent venture, to the "Just So Festival"...

Why was I there?

Just like my visit to the Towersey Village Festival, I was volunteering with the Institute of Physics on their "Physics In The Field" stand. On this stand we used everyday objects (bottles, marshmallows, handkerchiefs, etc) to demonstrate principles of physics. I was on the stall on the Saturday and Sunday of the event for most of the day, meaning I didn't have much time to explore the festival, but I gave it my best shot!

Tell me more...

The Rode Hall Estate. Lovely.

As you wish, the Just So Festival was a family arts festival taking place at the Rode Hall Estate in Cheshire over 15/16/17 August. As a family festival, it aimed to provide something for the kids to remember, but also something the parents would take pleasure in. A difficult balance, as too much of a focus on child-friendly content can leave a parent bored and the inverse, well, can get a bit inappropriate. But clearly a lot of care had been put in to get the programme right, with child-friendly performances galore during the day and more adult themes later on.

Oh no!

Talking of themes, the festival theme (from what I could guess) was one of general fantasy and wonderment. This theme presented itself everywhere, from the festival areas ("Lazy Days Glade", "High Seas", etc) to the events taking place (Circus acts, wandering tea ladies, a mirror maze). All around the festival site there were posters saying of the disappearance of the "Fairy Queen", who could only be brought back with the help of festival-goers all around the site! Now, I'm not sure on the details, but I believe families could tie bells to trees to help bring her back. The bells showed children still believed in her and sure enough, Sunday evening she had returned! Hurrah!

    
  

Yep, it's a frog.

Animals of all shapes...

The festival-goers were split into various tribes, which competed against each other to win the "tribal tournament". However, the real competition was definitely in who had the best costume, with some people putting in ridiculous amounts of effort to transform themselves into foxes, fishes, frogs, stags or lions (I might have missed one).

Spot the odd one out. I know, purple?

Performances

Time for a song!

During my brief time at the festival, my highlight was wondering into the "Spellbound Forest" and seeing a performance entitled "The Story Giant". A tale about a dying giant desperately trying to find the last unknown story, with his 4 companions. A whirlwind story full of other tall tales ranging from that of a woman with a magical bag to the wise man who came to dinner. Taking place on a stage in the "Spellbound Forest", the performance of the Shanty Theatre Company was thoroughly impressive, with the surroundings also lending themselves to the mystery and fantasy elements of the story. I would definitely recommend seeing any performance of theirs if they're at a festival near you!

Guess which one is the giant. No, it's not a trick question.

Information (Or lack of)

The one disappointment that springs to mind is the lack of information available about and from the festival. For example, on Saturday I asked the information centre if they had the number of a local taxi company. This is information a festival should have listed down. After a brief discussion between the two women on the desk, I was told they didn't know and that I should 192 it, as I didn't have internet available. I was unable to find basic information on their website about their programme, or even their festival map. This is basic info that I'd expect from a festival.

Finishing Touch

To finish off, apart from the information issue, the festival itself was a enjoyable experience. However, it must be noted that I spent little time there, so I will have missed a fair bit, but from what I saw, it seems like a great weekend for the whole family. It's perfect if you've got a flair for fancy dress!

Watch out!