Setting back up the Kilkenny Beer Festival

ChristIsMurph

Myself and a few others have decided to go about trying to set up the Kilkenny Beer Festival once again. The idea behind this is that it will bring a huge injection of much needed revenue into the city once again. It will be incredible for tourism and for the local economy. I don't really think many people can argue that both are performing well below par, so in that reckoning, any idea such as this should be greatly welcolmed.

Now before anyone goes eating the head off of me for the idea, there will be no drinking of alcohol outdoors. The law states drinking in public places is illegal, we cannot bend the law, therefore all drinking will take place in pubs and in the tent (which was the same in the original beer festival). The festival is also not just being set up as an excuse to get drunk, it will be a celebration to the part that alcohol has played in irish society over the years. From wakes to weddings and from all-irelands to grand slams, alcohol has always brought Irish people together in the form of celebration. Therefore this festival will be a cultural celebration rather than a piss up. There will be plenty of entertainment outdoors as well such as music, etc.

In order to be taken seriously we need the petition signed. Below is a link to the online petition (we hope to be doing a petition around town if we generate enough interest), please sign and send on to as many people as you can. Feedback would also be appreciated if any of you have any opinions?

http://www.petitiononline.com/KKBEER/petition.html

Dymo

ChristIsMurph wrote: »

In order to be taken seriously we need the petition signed. Below is a link to the online petition (

http://www.petitiononline.com/KKBEER/petition.html

In order to be taking seriously I think you need to set a real website it's not that hard, not some petitiononline, get real signatures. Its a good idea but something got to give, Kilkenny has an ample amount of festivals. And an extra one is only going to water down the others. Also remember why the original Kilkenny Beer Festival was finished?

ChristIsMurph

Dymo wrote: »

In order to be taking seriously I think you need to set a real website it's not that hard, not some petitiononline, get real signatures. Its a good idea but something got to give, Kilkenny has an ample amount of festivals. And an extra one is only going to water down the others. Also remember why the original Kilkenny Beer Festival was finished?

And in order to set up a website it costs money, which I really don't feel I should be spending unless we gain sufficient interest. Plus we don't need a website until we actually KNOW there will be a festival.

Ok, from anyone I have been speaking to it was closed due to drinking on the streets and people overindulging. Drinking on the streets won't happen this time, and overindulging will be something we will encourage the publicans to stop.

bubblebee

MURPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






That is all.

fabbydabby

That is all.

Thankfully.

in order to set up a website it costs money

No it doesn't. It takes about 2 hours with something like wordpress. And even if you were to register a domain it only costs the equivalent of two pints at a beer festival.

I like beer. You have my blessing.

Set up a facebook group first, and take it from there.

Deliverance XXV

The website is not that expensive if someone in your group has a little bit of experience in building a website.
Domains cost about €6-8 (.com) and if you go down the line of hosting it'll set you back about €50 PA.
As previously mentioned, Wordpress is probably the way to go.
Five minute installation, thousands of themes/plugins and extremely user-friendly.

As for the Facebook group I think I came across it already, no? Link

If you have a flyer or some sort of print fire it on to me and I'll get it up on onlinekilkenny.com - a bit of free exposure

Threadhead

I think this is a fantastic idea, it'd be great for local economy and if set around the Parliament Street area it could give a fantastic boost to a part of the town that is dwindling.

Plus, with the Smithwicks 300 celebrations kicking it, it might be nice to do it as a one off as part of that and see how it goes. Well worth seeing if they'd sponsor it in their 300th year since they did before. A bit of 'synergy' as it's called.

There was a meet up between bar owners in Parliament Street last year with a view to organising a gig in the Watergate car park and closing off the street, to give the area a shot in the arm. The beer festival down around there could serve something similar.

I was up at Octoberfest in Dublin in eh, October and that did a great job of emulating what you'd be looking at. Lots of tents, lots of food, lots of tourists, lots of song and dance and plenty of frauleins. Of course there was drunks but no more than the average Saturday night. All in all, well organised and great craic. If they can tour it over here there's no reason we can't do it ourselves.

This would need to be very well planned and organised so as to eliminate the threat of the local Funbuster Squad and by god, will they come. Sean Keane, Marie Fitzpatrick, Sean O'Hargain, Elliott Ness et al, they'll grab the editorials, barge forward uninformed and full of typical scaremongering as they usually do. If you want any chance of pulling this off against this lot, it needs to be very well executed and not a booze free for all. Get a good balance of culture in there too. The local politicans who at least have their ear to the ground (Noonan, McGuinness Jr, Funchion) might offer a bit more balance whether for or against. So it's worth seeing how it would be weighed up. The vintners would love it anyway.

Oh, and get a website. The above posters are right, it isn't hard and you won't be taken seriously without one.

But as for the initiative, I'll give you props.

fabbydabby

Deliverance XXV wrote: »

As for the Facebook group I think I came across it already, no? Link

Fof eff's sake lads, set up one with a bit of class will you? Sh!t like this:

but i say rise up and bring the great summer drunkin week back by joining my group.

Makes you look like a crowd of kids who just want everyone to get wasted on cans in the handball alleys. If you are not affiliated to this guy, get in touch, explain what you are doing and how his approach of 'rising up and getting wasted' is the wrong way to go.

I totally agree with Threadhead on this one. You need to put a positive spin on this if you don't want Seargent Bringdown and the Buzz Killers narkin your buzz. Get the brewers, vitners, music, arts and culture involved. Get a website. And get crackin' on it now.

Cabaal

ChristIsMurph wrote: »

And in order to set up a website it costs money, which I really don't feel I should be spending unless we gain sufficient interest. Plus we don't need a website until we actually KNOW there will be a festival.

Hosting costs very little these days...say 3-5e a month, if you design the site yourself its free, plenty of templates and stuff like wordpress that can do the job VERY easily.

Online signatures sadly count for crap, get out on the streets if you want to make a real change with signatures

Of course if you actually approach the pubs, Vintners and other partys that would be involved this would help as well.

granturismo

From the facebook page;

unfortunately because this drinking became so bad that the entire street was laid out with people unconscious

QUOTE=ChristIsMurph;64314508]therefore all drinking will take place in pubs and in the tent (which was the same in the original beer festival). The festival is also not just being set up as an excuse to get drunk, it will be a celebration to the part that alcohol has played in irish society over the years.Therefore this festival will be a cultural celebration rather than a piss up. There will be plenty of entertainment outdoors as well such as music, etc. [/QUOTE]

Does anyone remember how bad the beer festival got? and why it was cancelled? The beer tent was like O'Connell & Dame Streets on Patrick's Day - except the drunks werent 14 year olds.

Good ideas on entertainment. I think the best option would be mix of the beer festival and arts week, less weekend winos and less high brow art types.

Threadhead

Absolutely bang on!

And yes, that Facebook page is a disgrace.

The more about arts and beer culture the festival is, the less amount of idiots it will attract. Just good ol' respectable drunks.

fabbydabby

Indeed. Respectable drunks indeed.

If you could incorporate cigar smoking, fine cognac and heated fireside debate on matters of conservative policy I think that I could probably get some of my associates on board.

PhilipMarlowe

An evening chez fabbydabby?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS37SNYjg8w

fabbydabby

Ending up in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm09d4z65Bg&feature=related

Threadhead

That's exactly what it should be. Utterly mannerly and civilised.

As long as it can avoid having a bunch of stupid, drunk people acting the maggot and, I dunno, upsetting people from Newpark:

fabbydabby

That was most entertaining indeed. I like the remixes too.

Perhaps Sniffy could persuade the local elders of Kilkenny to reinstate the Beer festival with some more choice cutz from his repertoire of radical rhymez?

thetonynator

a few capital letters wouldn't hurt that much would they???

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=287820074336&ref=search&sid=100000011128713.3192100580..1

ChristIsMurph

Ok I've taken all the advice, I've managed to be added as a mod to the group on Facebook and cleaned it up a bit. So the facebook group will now act as the central hub for the attempt to revive the festival.

fabbydabby

Right, that's better. Next thing you want are attractions:

*Craft Brewers (believe it or not, not all beer is controlled by diageo)
*Brew pubs : The Porterhouse, Messrs MaGuire, (Dublin) The Franciscan Well (Cork)
*Beer tasting and appreciation workshops (try and get the wine centre on board with this one, they have the best stock in town)
*Home-brew enthusiasts giving demo's / workshops


Try to steer clear as best you can from the getting trashed aspect of the festivities (you seem to be doing alright so far) but remember you can only play the 'alcohol is part of our culture blah blah blah' card once and it will only get you so far. Say that to people in charge and they'll say 'we know it is. so what?'.

You need to offer more, like all the sh!te I just listed and more besides. I don't know what went on at the festivals back in the day. What do they do in Oktoberfest?

The local publicans and hoteliers will only be too glad to get on board and there's music and theatre groups that would probably get in on the action as well

ChristIsMurph

fabbydabby wrote: »

Right, that's better. Next thing you want are attractions:

*Craft Brewers (believe it or not, not all beer is controlled by diageo)
*Brew pubs : The Porterhouse, Messrs MaGuire, (Dublin) The Franciscan Well (Cork)
*Beer tasting and appreciation workshops (try and get the wine centre on board with this one, they have the best stock in town)
*Home-brew enthusiasts giving demo's / workshops


Try to steer clear as best you can from the getting trashed aspect of the festivities (you seem to be doing alright so far) but remember you can only play the 'alcohol is part of our culture blah blah blah' card once and it will only get you so far. Say that to people in charge and they'll say 'we know it is. so what?'.

You need to offer more, like all the sh!te I just listed and more besides. I don't know what went on at the festivals back in the day. What do they do in Oktoberfest?

The local publicans and hoteliers will only be too glad to get on board and there's music and theatre groups that would probably get in on the action as well

The original festival had stuff like a folk/trad band competition every year, beer tasting competitions, a parade, etc. Which will hopefully all be revived

We would be looking to include stuff like bands playing outdoors (perhaps in the grounds of the castle park), maybe try get a local theatre company involved by doing a play relating to beer in society, try see can we do something with tours of the brewery, and hopefully something with beers from around the world would be great too.

Supra lover 87

ha ha sniffy

We should get this idea going

frankie2shoes

Craft beers and microbreweries are the way to go. It brings the focus off getting drunk and onto an appreciation for good tasty beers. was at a craft beer festival up north a few years back and it was great. People were having a ball, and although some were fairly well on there was no trouble.
It could be used as a way to promote and highlight small Irish breweries and thus be seen to promote irish business and culture.
Check out the irish craft brewerws website.
irishcraftbrewer.com/
there may be people on there who can give ya advice.
Also pop into the bull and castle in dublin, up near Christ church. their pretty involved in the whole craft brewing scene and have run beer festivals themselves, albeit in their own pub.
Best of luck in this most noblest of endevours.....
and mine's a pinta Galway Hooker!!!!

djScarey

From my somewhat hazy recollections, the Festival wasn't so much drinking on the streets, as overspill from overcrowded pubs. The Beer Festival became increasingly more violent over the years, leading to numerous stabbings in Rose Inn Street and elsewhere in the last year of hosting.