Massive apologies for the radio silence. 2024 wasn't the greatest year for me for various reasons including my health which has not been so great and still isn't the best. Fingers crossed '25 will be a better one!

We've delayed making a decision about our next event whilst I've been focusing on getting well. Even though I'm in a better place now, unfortunately I am still not quite in a position to go ahead this summer. And it is now too close to June to leave the decision any longer and still be able to guarantee a quality event.

So to spread the workload, lessen the stress and to improve our financial prospects, we are going to give ourselves a much longer run up to our next event and the planning begins NOW! The next instalment of Another Fine Fest will therefore be held on: 20 - 21 June 2026 - (with associated events and workshops held in the weeks preceding). STICK IT IN YOUR DIARY RIGHT NOW!

We have not arrived at this decision lightly. Many sleepless nights have been involved! We are so very sorry to the organisations that this festival generates funds for (St Mary's Hospice and Ulverston Food Project) and to all that were looking forward to our next event (or may have speculatively made any plans for it!), whether as one of our brilliant partner venues, promoters or traders, our lovely festival goers or as one of the hoards of awesome creative people who would have been making Ulverston vibrate this summer!

We hope that we haven't caused too much inconvenience for you and are very sorry if we have..

The festival is a rather large undertaking and in reality, is pretty much a year long project which usually begins not too long after the previous one has finished. Ideally, work would have begun months ago. Add to this, the fact that each year it becomes a bit more difficult to pull off such a massive event.

AFF 2024 was by far the toughest one yet to make happen, with a number of new hoops to jump through, increased costs across the board and funding much harder to come by. This all took its toll..

In order to return we are going to need widespread support and we are going to start the ball rolling immediately. I will be spending a lot of my time over the coming months in an attempt to generate as much backing and funding for the event, from as many different organisations and grant funders as possible.

We will also be creating a crowdfunder much further in advance of the event so we know where we stand much earlier. We really need you all to support this if you are able to please! You've got us this far and we love you for that, and now we need your help to keep us alive and vibing for another 10 years!

Last year, 864 fine people donated and we love each and every one of you very much. We simply would not exist without you.

But there are over 13,000 combined followers on our AFF socials and tens of thousands of people attend our event that costs £55k and rising. This means that less than 5% of people who attend suport our crowdfunder. We'd love to increase this ahead of next year if we can. Every single quid counts!

To all the awesome organisations that have supported us in the past, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and hope that you will continue to support us in the future. Please get in touch now if you wish to partner with us or let us know how you may be able to support us in order to guarantee our return.

After a decade we feel that now is the right time to regroup, rethink, and go back to the drawing board in order to protect the festival's future (and my health!).

So many events and festivals across the country have become a victim of the economy in recent years and we are determined to make sure this does not happen to us. We need to do things differently, in order to make this more sustainable financially and environmentally (with our aim to become carbon neutral within the next 10 years).

Volunteers are an important and valued part of all events, (even the ones you have to pay to attend!). But aside from a handful of generous humans who donate a handful of hours to AFF - mainly to help us raise money for our chosen charities and future events - we refuse to become reliant on volunteer / unpaid labour.

It is important to us that everyone investing significant hours / skills into the execution of AFF gets paid, especially in this economic climate.

We want everyone, be they creatives or behind the scenes staff, to all gain from the festival. We also want to ensure that the event remains in the town centre, benefiting town centre businesses and remains free for all to attend.

We want to guarantee that not only do we maintain our high standards, bringing world class talent from multiple art forms to our town, but that we build upon what has come before and offer something truly special, something different and not simply a carbon copy of previous episodes. Ie. we don't want you getting bored of it now do we!

It is our aim to continually evolve, to bring even bigger acts and internationally renowned shows and to continue to provide a platform to the finest local talent. (Please get in touch now if you'd like to get involved in '26!)

We intend to promote the event even further afield to increase the number of visitors to our town, provide more learning opportunities for young people in our area and create yet more high quality artworks for everyone to enjoy. We are even hoping to eventually create an art trail which we believe would be another great way to market our wonderful town and increase visitor numbers throughout the year.

So yes, we are going to need all the support that we can muster in order to return in 2026 but with your help we know that we can do it.

If you would like to see Another Fine Fest still rocking in 2035?!? we invite your feedback and offers of support, as well as suggestions as to what kind of things you would like to see upon our return.

We once again want to thank you all so much for your incredible support and for being a part of this thing over the last decade, we appreciate you all very much indeed and we know that we'd be nowt wi'out ya!

We wish you a most prosperous and wonderful year. Don't worry though, with your help, we ain't going nowhere!

Watch this space for a series of fundraising/awareness raising events between now and Another Fine Fest 2026!

If you would like to get in touch about any of the above - please email anotherfinefest@gmail.com with the title "2026".

Dave Crossley - Festival Director