When Pursuits Festival comes to the Rec in May it will be all about Stratford and its people, promises organiser Kate Livingston
“Anxiety inducing” is how the organiser of Stratford’s new free riverside festival jokingly describes her feelings about the impending event.
But really Kate Livingston has years of experience putting on festivals, and so the Pursuits Festival, which takes place on the Rec on 11th to 12th May, is certainly in a safe and confident pair of hands.
She has been involved in putting on the hugely successful Art in the Park in Leamington for the past 11 years, becoming festival director in 2019.
When Warwick District Council needs a festival running, Kate is its go-to person, as she explains when the Herald meets her at the bandstand, which will be a focal point of the new festival.
“I run EcoFest for the council in Leamington, and usually do another one called Good Time in July,” says Kate. “But we’re giving that a skip this year to concentrate on Pursuits, which we’re also bringing to Warwick in June.”
Kate is helped by Steve Bazell, who runs That Gin Company, famed for its double-decker cocktail bus, and they’re both firmly rooted in Stratford. Steve is from the town and Kate, who lives in Warwick, got a grounding in hospitality working at the Pen and Parchment from the ages of 18 to 23.
After graduating university with an MA in art history, Kate started her career running an art gallery in Leamington.
“I loved putting on the event side of the activities in the gallery, but I realised that I had too much energy to sit in the shop and serve day-to-day,” she says.
“Stratford was crying out for something, especially with the cancellation of the River Festival,” continues Kate. “We saw that demand then arranged meetings with both councils. Obviously these things take time, so it’s been about a year to try and get the project to this point.
“For me, it felt like what was needed was something with a similar feel to Art in the Park, a cultural community event, but with more to it and offering something a bit different,” says Kate.
Called Stratford Pursuits Festival, as the name implies it will include everything from hobbies, entertainment and food and drink, all with an emphasis on the town.
“Pursuits is a bespoke festival for Stratford. So it’s the town’s community groups, performers and vendors and local charities. It’s embedded in the community, all the vendors come from within a 15-mile radius,” says Kate.
While business vendors pay full rates for pitches, charities and community groups can have a presence at a reduced rate.
The festival has also been sponsored by Stratford Self Store and Boutique Marquees; while Stratford Town Council has supported the entertainment.
“Pursuits is based on four areas of interest: music and dance; history and literature; sport and well-being; and art and theatre,” continues Kate. “There’ll be two activity tents, one dedicated to art and one to well-being. There’ll be demonstrations, workshops and talks in both of those tents, and then the bandstand will host music acts, all local. We will have performers in the front of the bandstand in between acts.”
Saturday night will end with some Two-tone action, with SKAlectrics taking the headlining slot.
Kate is careful to emphasise that Pursuits is not a new River Festival.
“We don’t want to be the River Festival, we don’t want to be compared to that. The idea is that people come and enjoy themselves really and be inspired and learn something new.
“You might be coming because your son is doing a football demonstration, but actually you fall upon Zero, the Stratford store which cuts down on waste, and learn about that.
“But likewise, people can have a drink, sit down and watch some entertainment.
“At the end of the day, hopefully the weather’s lovely and we can just sit back, enjoy the music and the festivities and free activities,” adds Kate.
And then the same again next year?
“We certainly hope so!”
