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What’s the impact of Sidmouth’s festivals?

  • by JW

“Environmental concerns are of great significance and can be effectively managed through targeted mitigation strategies.” [Report to Sidmouth Town Council on Sidmouth Regatta and Air Show]

“As a town dependent on nature-based tourism and surrounded by sensitive ecological sites it’s important we care for nature and the town festival lowers its carbon footprint as much as possible.” [Report on Exmouth Festival 2024]

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EAST DEVON FESTIVALS’ FOOTPRINT:

Overtourism in the West Country is becoming a real issue – just as it is in many other beautiful parts of the world. However, there are many practical ways to tackle unsustainable tourism, particularly in rural areas such as Devon. The council and other players are promoting green tourism in East Devon, aka ‘regenerative tourism’, “adding a positive impact to the local community and environment”.

And ‘impact’ is really what it’s all about.

Bee Cart – Pif Paf were at this year’s Exmouth Festival

This month’s network meeting of the Arts and Culture East Devon groupat the Manor Pavilion will be covering all sorts around the arts world – including a session on ‘Decarbonising Exmouth Festival’, with Jess Magill (Arts Manager) and Zoey Cooper (Climate and Ecological Emergency Resilience Officer) from Exmouth Town Council. After all, the Exmouth Festival 2024 was an eco-friendly event – as the blurb on sustainability at this year’s Festival said: 

As a town dependent on nature-based tourism and surrounded by sensitive ecological sites it’s important we care for nature and the town festival lowers its carbon footprint as much as possible. This year’s Exmouth Festival is focusing on the health of our planet, with lots of ways you can help to support our efforts – ask our dedicated ‘Green Team’ who will be on hand to answer questions.

SIDMOUTH FESTIVALS’ FOOTPRINT

So, how are the various Sidmouth festivals doing when it comes to their footprint?

Sidmouth’s Festivals Forum, launched in November 2023, is about sharing knowledge, initiatives and resources – as their ‘statement of intent’ makes clear:

We want to bring together festival organisers in Sidmouth and the surrounding area, to explore and implement sustainable initiatives aimed at reducing costs, minimising carbon footprints and fostering a mutually beneficial system of volunteer support. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to creating events that not only celebrate our community but also contribute positively to our environment and overall well-being.

And an excellent presentation “Festivals done right” by Tina Veater provides a guide for responsible festival goers in East Devon. All of which is part of the wider drive to brand the town as “Sidmouth: festival town“.

How, then, are the individual Sidmouth festivals doing when it comes to their footprint?

There is an Environmental Impact overview from the Sidmouth Folk Festival. The Sidmouth Sea Fest is all about “promoting environmental awareness and celebrating the beauty of East Devon’s marine and coastal environment”.

The Sidmouth Science Festival focusses on fostering a “deeper understanding of the underlying science and technology” – and in fact it sprang out of the Transition Town movement.

SIDMOUTH REGATTA’S FOOTPRINT:

The Sidmouth Regatta is another big festival for the town and beyond – and one of its highlights is the Air Show.

In terms of ‘environmental impact’, the Red Arrows and carbon emissions have been under scrutiny for some time now. Three years ago, the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors put together a questionnaire on the future of the Sidmouth Air Show. And two years ago, Sidmouth Town Council created its own survey on the future of the Sidmouth Air Show and its impact:

The online poll attracted 869 responses from the EX10 area – almost all extremely supportive. Just under 91 per cent said they thought the event brings an overall positive benefit to the people and community, and almost the same percentage wanted the Airshow to return in future years. But the survey did not ask for views on the show’s environmental impact, and some people took to Facebook to express those concerns.

The Town Council decided to take further time to consider this – and next Monday 7th at its monthly meeting it will be looking at a full report put together for Members to vote on:

Sidmouth Regatta Review

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to follow up on the 2022 evaluation of Sidmouth Regatta and Air Show and make recommendations for the future of the event. This follows the resolution of council in November 2022, to “take the next 18 to 24 months to look at options for a more environmentally friendly event. This event to be held over the August Bank Holiday period, with a view that an Air Show may not be the future central event.” The 2024 Regatta Weekend provided an opportunity to compare a Regatta which did not have an Air Show Day to previous years where there had been an Air Show.

RECOMMENDED:

  1. That taking into consideration the value of Sidmouth Regatta to the town and its popularity among residents, the Air Show continues to be the central event of the Sidmouth Regatta Weekend for the next 5 years, with a commitment to continued ongoing sustainability and improvement;
  2. That the Town Council should work with the event organising team and others to reduce the carbon impact of visitor numbers;
  3. That additional Revenue and Sponsorship for the event should be explored, together with further rejuvenation of the land and sea elements of the Regatta;
  4. That the Town Council should maximise the opportunities presented by the large number of visitors attracted to the event.

3) Conclusions

The Sidmouth Regatta Airshow in Sidmouth has become an iconic event, drawing thousands of visitors each year. It boosts the local economy, promotes tourism, and offers a great annual event, which is free for all. The annual Sidmouth Regatta Airshow display has become a highly anticipated event that significantly contributes to the town’s cultural and economic landscape. This business case argues for the continuation of these aerial displays by examining the environmental concerns, economic benefits, media impact, and positive effects on residents. The analysis demonstrates that the advantages of hosting the Regatta Airshow far outweigh the challenges, supporting the ongoing tradition of this iconic event.

3.1) The Council should retain the Red Arrows display as a key annual event, with a commitment to sustainability and ongoing improvement. The Regatta Airshow display in Sidmouth provides significant economic, media, and social benefits that are essential to the town’s prosperity and community well-being. Environmental concerns are of great significance and can be effectively managed through targeted mitigation strategies

GREENER WAYS TO ROCK:

Finally, all festivals are of course about celebration – and so festival organisers do not want to over-egg the ‘environmental awareness’ or ‘responsible behaviour’ thing. Nobody wants to be a party pooper. And yet festivals searching for greener ways to rock can make such an ethos part of the attraction if not the fun. This piece from the BBC earlier in the year starts in Sidmouth:

Hannah Love is a lifelong festival goer. She counts her first festival as the Sidmouth Folk Festival, when her mum was eight months pregnant with her. Now a baby sleep and parenting expert, Ms Love tells me she has attended festivals every one of her 46 years.

Hannah Love

“My children and I would choose a festival over a holiday,” says the mother of three. She says when she’s bringing her children along, she looks for festivals that entertain the whole family. “For example, I love Wilderness as there’s woodland crafts, swimming, good headline acts, plus there’s playing fields for the kids who can go off and explore. We feel safe.”

While the acts and activities are the main attraction, she says the values of a festival are important as well. “I think the kind of festivals I go to place a big emphasis on sustainability and attract people like us who do think about the environment. Going to a festival has a much lower carbon footprint than travelling abroad.”

It’s something the whole festival industry is thinking about. It takes a lot of electricity to run a festival, and they are often in remote areas where there’s no connection to the national grid. Many festivals rely on generators that run on fossil fuels, which pump out carbon dioxide, the main cause of climate change. The UK festival community alone uses in excess of 12 million litres of diesel annually, according to research by A Greener Future, a sustainability consultancy, and industry think tank Powerful Thinking.