Story by the New Deal executive team
What makes the Abbeyfield Festival such a success? We asked Panni Poh Yoke Loh, Events Coordinator at Green City Action who organise the event, for the low down…
Q1. Tell us your top five facts about the Abbeyfield Festival.
The Abbeyfield Park Multicultural Festival was first held in July 1999. 5,000 people attended following the success of a ‘Chinese Lion Dance’ event held by Green City Action in April of that year.
Not many people know that several of us actually stayed up all night in the park before the first Multicultural Festival to cover the insurance protecting the marquees. Now we have enough funding to pay for professional security guards!
As soon as one festival is over we start organising the next, it’s an ongoing process.
In 2004, we had 12,000 visitors with performers from as far away as Zimbabwe. We had visitors from Burngreave, other parts of Sheffield and from across Britain.
In 2004, we had 100 activity stall units with about 80 local community organisations involved.
Q2. What is the best thing about the festival?
The very best thing about the festival is seeing people of many different cultures alongside each other talking and laughing sitting on the grass and under those fantastic mature trees in Abbeyfield Park. In fact, one of the best things about Burngreave is that we all live alongside each other and have so much potential for integration.
I also really enjoy seeing those people, who you don’t normally see at community meetings, out and about enjoying themselves, this is the real value of the festival and makes it worthwhile.
Q3. How important do you feel an event like this is to Burngreave?
Burngreave needs a place to relax, celebrate, acknowledge each other and have fun together. Having highlights in your life is a natural human need that raises morale in a way that positively affects everyone’s wellbeing.
Burngreave has a lot to celebrate and to be proud of and it’s important for us all to take time to do this.
Q4. How did it feel to win the Social Cohesion award at the 2004 NDC awards?
It was great to have won the award – despite challenges and setbacks, to have been part of instigating this fantastic festival is something that will always have a special place in my heart. It’s very rewarding to know that in an era where we know that differences cause separation, disharmony and wars, in Burngreave where we have an abundance of diversity, we have been granted a national award for cohesion.
Q5. How about the festival in 2005 – what can we expect?
The Abbeyfield Park Multicultural Festival 2005 will be great as we have some core funding and we’ve managed to generate some income for 2005. We have the sound foundations of this wonderful event, the increased cooperation and professionalism and understanding of local people so we can only make it better.
Let’s look forward to increasing participation in the carnival parade and really decorating the park to make a lovely backdrop for the amazing local talent we have on the stages, stalls and workshops.