Illuminating York Festival to return (From York Press)
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Illuminating York Festival to feature artwork by Vic Reeves
9:00am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News
By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter
An artist’s image showing how the face of comedian Vic Reeves will light up the front of the Yorkshire Museum for the Illuminating York Festival
YORK’S Museum Gardens will be transformed into a “magical wonderland” when the Illuminating York Festival returns this autumn – assisted by comedian Vic Reeves.
Three large-scale cutting edge projections will light up the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey, the Yorkshire Museum and part of the City Walls as part of the York 800 celebrations.
Organisers said Vic Reeves, who is an artist as well as a top TV comic, has been “given free-rein to unleash his absurd and magical creations”.
A spokeswoman said that, inspired by absurdist works such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Reeves and partners Bright White Ltd, Chetwoods and Arup, would be “creating a new world that turns the expected upside down and revels in the beauty of the unexpected”.
The ten acres of gardens will also be brought to life using innovative lighting around trees and plants, through a new partnership with Blackpool Council, who have allowed the creative team to borrow many core items from their enormous store of lighting technology.
There will, however, be a charge for the first time for such an event.
A spokeswoman said such a hugely ambitious project had cost implications. She said: “It is for this reason that we have introduced a ticket price of £5 per adult. We have also reduced the impact this will have on families by charging six to 16 year olds £1 and under fives will get in free.”
She said ticketing the event would allow staff to monitor the number of people in the gardens, creating a relaxed environment.
Coun Sonja Crisp , City of York Council ’s culture cabinet member, said: “The scale and ambition of this year’s festival will be truly spectacular. We have never attempted anything this big before and after seeing the plans I can’t wait to see the gardens transformed into a magical and surreal experience right here in the centre of York.”
The festival will take place between Wednesday, October 31, and Saturday, November 3, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Tickets will go on sale from Monday at the Theatre Royal box office.
Comments(34)
M.Lucas
says...
9:53am Wed 12 Sep 12
Claiming that: "ticketing the event would allow staff to monitor the number of people in the gardens, creating a relaxed environment" is ridiculous. That's not the reason!
Will the Illuminate York event in the Minster reported by the Press last week also have a charge? How much will this formally free festival end up costing residents (and tourists)?
It will be a real shame if the urge to cash in ruins one of the best events that York has had in recent times.
pedalling paul
says...
9:58am Wed 12 Sep 12
MrsHoney wrote:Hope we see him riding a bike across the front of the building.....
Excellent, can't wait to see what Vic comes up with!
amike
says...
10:09am Wed 12 Sep 12
Add in to this the sponsorship mentioned above so what is the money for and how many more events will we have to pay for?
If a charge is necessary why not have one pass that admits to all events?
Indigi
says...
10:51am Wed 12 Sep 12
witheryjack
says...
11:17am Wed 12 Sep 12
(I trust Sonja Crisp will pay for her ticket and not get in on a freebie.)
Platform9
says...
12:17pm Wed 12 Sep 12
roskoboskovic
says...
12:27pm Wed 12 Sep 12
whitehorse
says...
12:44pm Wed 12 Sep 12
NoNewsIsGoodNews
says...
1:12pm Wed 12 Sep 12
“It is for this reason that we have introduced a ticket price of £5 per adult. We have also reduced the impact this will have on families by charging six to 16 year olds £1 and under fives will get in free.”
So by the time myself, Mrs NoNews and the two off spring have driven to the park & Ride, then bussed it to town, we would be down by about £20 before a light switch is flicked on
Ah well, looks like another local event will be missed by us.
YSTClinguist
says...
1:23pm Wed 12 Sep 12
BigJon
says...
1:29pm Wed 12 Sep 12
£5 for York Minster (no mention of whether minstercard holders get in free).......
£4 for Treasure's House (Yorkcard holders free but only on 31st Oct and 1st Nov!!)......
£9.50 for CHOCOLATE........
£14 for Fairfax House.......
£4 for Cliffords Tower.......
£8 for Merchant Adventures Hall......
£2 for Bar lane Studios..........
OUCH!!!!
There are some freebies but it seems like I'll be giving a lot of the festival a miss this year.....which, after last year's excellent show, is a shame.
amike
says...
1:48pm Wed 12 Sep 12
mjr119
says...
5:08pm Wed 12 Sep 12
You put these events on to showcase what a great place we live in, to show that York's an imaginative place with fantastic architecture and somewhere different to A. N. other town.
Your traders do really well out of it, the car parks and buses rake it in and the residents feel good about the city they live in. Everyone thinks, fair play to York council, what a brilliant event, thanks very much.
I remember going last year when my brother visited. We went to the museum, then had dinner and a few pints and then went and watched it again.
You don't cheapen it by charging £5 to walk round a garden for an hour. I'll pay to go, but York Council really should have a bit more class.
Even AndyD
says...
5:38pm Wed 12 Sep 12
mjr119 wrote:Whilst I agree with that, you still have to acknowledge that were it free, there would be a load of moaners on here saying it was a waste of 'their' council tax. Or that York doesn't need showcasing (unbelievable I know, but yes - people do write such things on this forum - often), etc etc.
The council just don't get how events in cities work.
You put these events on to showcase what a great place we live in, to show that York's an imaginative place with fantastic architecture and somewhere different to A. N. other town.
Your traders do really well out of it, the car parks and buses rake it in and the residents feel good about the city they live in. Everyone thinks, fair play to York council, what a brilliant event, thanks very much.
I remember going last year when my brother visited. We went to the museum, then had dinner and a few pints and then went and watched it again.
You don't cheapen it by charging £5 to walk round a garden for an hour. I'll pay to go, but York Council really should have a bit more class.
Whether it is fireworks, or Xmas lights, or Tour De France or whatever - with some people, you can't do right for wrong. And most of them bleat about it on here!
mjr119
says...
5:49pm Wed 12 Sep 12
Even AndyD wrote:I agree, but those people fail to see that their money will be wasted all over the place. So we may as well have one waste that is enjoyable.
mjr119 wrote:Whilst I agree with that, you still have to acknowledge that were it free, there would be a load of moaners on here saying it was a waste of 'their' council tax. Or that York doesn't need showcasing (unbelievable I know, but yes - people do write such things on this forum - often), etc etc.
The council just don't get how events in cities work.
You put these events on to showcase what a great place we live in, to show that York's an imaginative place with fantastic architecture and somewhere different to A. N. other town.
Your traders do really well out of it, the car parks and buses rake it in and the residents feel good about the city they live in. Everyone thinks, fair play to York council, what a brilliant event, thanks very much.
I remember going last year when my brother visited. We went to the museum, then had dinner and a few pints and then went and watched it again.
You don't cheapen it by charging £5 to walk round a garden for an hour. I'll pay to go, but York Council really should have a bit more class.
Whether it is fireworks, or Xmas lights, or Tour De France or whatever - with some people, you can't do right for wrong. And most of them bleat about it on here!
Singinggirl
says...
7:06pm Wed 12 Sep 12
Protography
says...
8:13pm Wed 12 Sep 12
BertieBrompton
says...
8:27pm Wed 12 Sep 12
SelbyRich
says...
9:05pm Wed 12 Sep 12
I've always thought that York should do much better with it's festivals, but as it's such a lovely city, organisers know that people will turn up so can afford to be complacent.
Think I'll stay at home and watch the street lights.
chuckynorris
says...
9:45pm Wed 12 Sep 12
flickK
says...
10:02pm Wed 12 Sep 12
It would have been nice if it was for free but current economic times and the removal of huge amounts of arts funding to support the Olympics doesn't make that a realistic proposition if you want a completely original and world class event on your doorstep.
I for one cannot wait and bloody well done to everyone involved for creating this in York.
MrsHoney
says...
8:16am Thu 13 Sep 12
Protography wrote:Me too! I've never been to see it before but I think I will this year, it's only £5, practically the cost of a sandwich these days!
Looking forward to it!
mjr119
says...
8:56am Thu 13 Sep 12
flickK wrote:Yeah, you've missed a couple of points.
What a load of small minded comments. Just perhaps, someone from York (Bright White) came up with a project that demanded world class architects and lighting specialists (Chetwoods, Arup) to pull off, that captured the imagination of an A list celeb who million of people love (Vic Reeves), who gathered any funding they could that was available from Arts Council England and the local Authority, who gave their professional time freely to create the project and still found they were short of cash. Instead of giving up, they introduce a charge of £5 per adult to guarantee it can go ahead and at the same time have an entry system so that families can explore the environment they create with an expectant sense of wonder - I say fair play to them. It sounds so much better than anything that has gone before (especially last years rather piecemeal set of installations) and will cost an adult a quarter of the cheapest Mystery Plays ticket.
It would have been nice if it was for free but current economic times and the removal of huge amounts of arts funding to support the Olympics doesn't make that a realistic proposition if you want a completely original and world class event on your doorstep.
I for one cannot wait and bloody well done to everyone involved for creating this in York.
These world class organises don't deserve the title if they didn't do their coatings. It's easy you add up what everything is going to cost and take away what funding you can get.
Second, look elsewhere at the World class public events in other towns and cities, then look how much they charge.
Charging £5 to get in to a public area is really naff. You don't have a birthday party and charge your guests to get in.
mjr119
says...
8:57am Thu 13 Sep 12
mjr119 wrote:This phone is hard work.
flickK wrote:Yeah, you've missed a couple of points.
What a load of small minded comments. Just perhaps, someone from York (Bright White) came up with a project that demanded world class architects and lighting specialists (Chetwoods, Arup) to pull off, that captured the imagination of an A list celeb who million of people love (Vic Reeves), who gathered any funding they could that was available from Arts Council England and the local Authority, who gave their professional time freely to create the project and still found they were short of cash. Instead of giving up, they introduce a charge of £5 per adult to guarantee it can go ahead and at the same time have an entry system so that families can explore the environment they create with an expectant sense of wonder - I say fair play to them. It sounds so much better than anything that has gone before (especially last years rather piecemeal set of installations) and will cost an adult a quarter of the cheapest Mystery Plays ticket.
It would have been nice if it was for free but current economic times and the removal of huge amounts of arts funding to support the Olympics doesn't make that a realistic proposition if you want a completely original and world class event on your doorstep.
I for one cannot wait and bloody well done to everyone involved for creating this in York.
These world class organises don't deserve the title if they didn't do their coatings. It's easy you add up what everything is going to cost and take away what funding you can get.
Second, look elsewhere at the World class public events in other towns and cities, then look how much they charge.
Charging £5 to get in to a public area is really naff. You don't have a birthday party and charge your guests to get in.
Organisations
Costings
whitehorse
says...
9:37am Thu 13 Sep 12
YSTClinguist
says...
1:52pm Thu 13 Sep 12
MrsHoney wrote:Where are you buying your sandwiches from? A lot of readers here might agree with me when I say if I'm caught in town and need to eat I pop into Mr Sandwich in the Shambles where they're all £1. I fear this affordability mentality is clearly split by the dividing line between the 'haves' and 'have nots'. It's a shame so many workers are in the 'have not' category.
Protography wrote:Me too! I've never been to see it before but I think I will this year, it's only £5, practically the cost of a sandwich these days!
Looking forward to it!
Rich Picking
says...
2:22pm Thu 13 Sep 12
peppergirl
says...
7:28pm Thu 13 Sep 12
Older Sometimes Wiser
says...
11:48pm Thu 13 Sep 12
York is becoming increasingly expensive due to its tourist economy. Tourists are seen as milch cows able to afford anything which just puts up the prices for everyone.
BigJon
says...
6:48pm Fri 14 Sep 12
peppergirl wrote:I don't know about the best, but it definitely won't be the biggest. The Museum and Abbey frontages were used (free) about 3-4 years ago for a very good display showing images through history (religious on the Abbey & scientific on the Museum) - and why isn't Deans Park being used this year as it has been, successfully, in the past.
It's a pity that they feel that they needed to make a charge for this years event but that wont put me off going. I try and see Illuminating York every year and it always totally blows my mind!! Sounds like this year will be the biggest and best yet, and exceed anything that has been done before! The Museum Gardens is a beautiful venue for the event, what a spectacular way to showcase the work of all the talented people involved - I can't wait!
On a separate subject, I hope that Museum Gardens will actually be usable by next month for the illuminations. I went through there today and was surprised to see large sections, including all access to the Abbey, roped off while damage from the Mystery Plays 'theatre' is still being repaired.
Even AndyD
says...
10:56am Tue 18 Sep 12
Even AndyD
says...
10:56am Tue 18 Sep 12
jibber jabber
says...
1:51pm Tue 18 Sep 12
No doubt the power supply to your £5 light show comes from a council supply which York residents have already paid a premium for, only to be re-charged a further £5 each to observe!!
Some folk make me sick, and this years light show organisers are amongst them!
Shame on you light show organisers, shame on you!!
MrsHoney says...
9:26am Wed 12 Sep 12