Monday, July 06, 2009

Rise (No) Festival Picnic

One of the first acts of Conservative London Mayor Boris Johnson after his election was to scrap the explicit anti-racist message of the Rise Festival, held on and off in London parks between 1996 and 2008, and subsequently to scrap it altogether. This was one of London's largest free music events, attracting around 100,000 people in the last few years in Finsbury Park. Bands/artists who have performed have included Chumbawumba, Run DMC, De La Soul, Public Enemy, Gregory Isaacs, Roy Ayers, Kelis, Jamelia, Saint Etienne, CSS and Jimmy Cliff.

UpRise is a campaign to get the festival reinstated - since it won't be happening this weekend, they are organising a Rise Festival Picnic in the Park instead: “Sunday, July 12th marks one year on since Europe's largest anti-racism event, Rise Festival, last took place...So, on Sunday, July 12th, we want to show Boris how much we loved Rise Festival and all that it stands for. We can't organise any music due to the council's licensing restrictions and the short notice, but what we do ask is for you to join us in Finsbury Park to chill out, chat to like-minded people and generally have a great day basking in the spirit of Rise Festival! Look out for the UpRise: Save Rise Festival banner ...”

It runs from 2 pm to 7 pm -there's no licence so don't expect a stage with bands, it's more of a 'bring what you expect to find' affair, I am sure some DIY music won't go amiss...

(more details of the picnic on facebook)

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