St Barnabas Community Fete
St Barnabas Community Fete (also known as Bowstock) was an annual fête and music festival held on Wennington Green in Mile End Park, Bow, London, England. It was run by local volunteers, who started the fete in 2003 as a non-religious, participatory, free and not-for-profit festival to bring together residents of all ages, faiths, abilities and races, to draw attention to local issues and to encourage volunteering and community action. The festival was directed by the vicar of St Barnabas, Father Brian Ralph, nicknamed the "rock vicar". The festival ran until 2012.
Musical artists played alongside acts from local schools and the community, and acts who have performed there include Babar Luck, The Beat, Black Daniel, The Blockheads, The Bollywood Brass Band, Chas'n'Dave, Saynab Cige, The Dhol Foundation, Heavy Load, Joi, Finley Quaye (a surprise guest at the first fete in 2003), Alaur Rahman, DJ Ritu, Sham 69, Neville Staple, U.K Subs, and Jah Wobble. The festival attracted around 2,000 people.
Around the live music stage, the organisers provided an information marketplace for community groups, and a range of activities for all ages, including a tea dance and extreme sports.
Poster gallery
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2010 poster -
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2004 poster -
2003 poster
References
- ^ "Living Britain: How Britain's towns and cities are undergoing cultural revival" (PDF). Zurich. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ^ "Crowds flock to St Barnabas community fete". East London Advertiser. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ Alex Petridis, 'We played Mencap and they told us to turn it down', The Guardian, 13-09-2008