JULY 2012 WINCHESTER TODAY 3 news@winchestertoday.co.uk
Hat’s Terrific! 38 years strong and the city still thrives on Britain’s longest-running street arts festival Kevin Gover
kevin.gover@winchestertoday.co.uk
‘Rime’ - the spectacular new Sunday night show from Square Peg Circus
Hat Fair 6-8 July: Info Areas & Times
Performance Zones Hidden Hat Fair, St John’s House, Iceland Supermarket: Fri, Sat, Sun The Outdoor Living Room, Broadway: Fri 12-5pm & 8.30-9.30pm, Sat 12-9.30pm The Brooks: Fri & Sat, 12-5pm Small Wonders, Discovery Centre & Theatre Royal: Fri & Sat, 10am-4pm Cathedral Zone: Fri 12-7pm, Sat 12-7pm The Big Dance, Great Hall/Law Courts: Sat 12-6pm Hatting Zone, The Square: Fri & Sat 12-5pm Time Out Zone, Abbey Gardens: Fri 12-5pm, Sat 12-7pm Big Show Zone, River Park: Sat 9.30-10.30pm & Sun 7-8pm Oram’s Arbour: Sun 12-5pm
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Continued from front page As I sit down for a chat with the artistic director of Winchester’s Hat Fair – Kate Hazel – in the lofty heights of Hat Fair mansion just off the High Street, I cannot help but be convinced that the event is in safe hands. Not that what you will see around the city is in any way ‘safe’ at all! Her boundless enthusiasm bowls me over. 365 days of work for just 3 days of madness and mayhem: “I think because Hat Fair is so different, the city comes alive, and the streets are taken over by these weird and wonderful people. The acts that we’re bringing to Winchester now are world-class performers, and I think people embrace the fact that they can see them here for free.” I ask if she has her work cut out in deciding who she wants to bring to the city: “Absolutely – sometimes it’s like being a child in a sweetshop, but you also have to think practically as well. That’s probably the most difficult part of my job; not to randomly programme things that sound amazing, but also to make sure I speak with my production crew!” Kate says she’s fortunate to have been able to work with special people: “I know potentially that people think things are thrown together, but it really is planned… wild, but PLANNED wild! The real job about the artistic director is more about creating an overview, so that the audience can engage with what’s going on… creating a cohesive festival to make everything happen.” Kate is overwhelmed by the generosity shown by people and businesses around the city to help them keep going: “You know, there are no permanent members of staff here; we’re all freelancers and sometimes
Artistic Director, Kate Hazel
it’s very difficult to run a festival this size with such a small team. But the audiences are fantastic in how they support the ‘hatters’, and the busi-
Wannabe gangsters and Italian fashion victims Mia Mine and Mr Vita invite you to enter their bizarre and absurd world. Don’t miss the grand finale ‘rubber ducky fountain’.
nesses have kept us alive. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Hat Fair would not be here without that local support.” Kate is also really happy that Hat Fair has moved with the times and embraced modern technology; not least their smartphone app and the ability to donate by text: “We’re launching the ‘Gimme 5’ project – where people can donate £5 by text for next year’s festival – because we need to step up the support. Funding is dwindling and it’s difficult to grow the Festival. We hope to be able in coming years to have the ‘Gimme 5’ commission in specific acts and specific work, so that people can see where their money is going in something created by the city for the city.” Kate feels it’s also important to stay at the top of their game in social media: “It’s been a fantastic way of getting closer to our audience to see how they think. Sometimes it’s actually very brutal feedback! We have people who are now tweeting and keeping Facebook up-to-date as part of their responsibilities. The iPhone app is new and improved on what we had last year. During the Festival there may be problems with timings on acts, so we’re hoping – fingers crossed – that we can provide real-time updates. If we manage to crack that, it will be interesting; there are a lot of other festivals waiting to see if we succeed! But I love technology. People don’t expect us to be on the cutting edge of technology, but we don’t mind being a guinea pig. It’s just another demonstration of how we’re working with local business to try and be able to do that!” You don’t get the feeling that Kate maybe will succeed; you just know.