St Barnabas Community Fete (also known as Bowstock) was an annual
fête
In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments.
Village fêtes
Village fà ...
and
music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
held on Wennington Green in
Mile End Park,
Bow, London, England. It was run by local volunteers, who started the fete in 2003 as a non-religious, participatory, free and not-for-profit festival to bring together residents of all ages, faiths, abilities and races, to draw attention to local issues and to encourage volunteering and community action.
The festival was directed by the
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
of
St Barnabas, Father Brian Ralph, nicknamed the "rock vicar".
The festival ran until 2012.
Musical artists played alongside acts from local schools and the community, and acts who have performed there include
Babar Luck,
The Beat, Black Daniel,
The Blockheads,
The Bollywood Brass Band
The Bollywood Brass Band is a brass band playing Bollywood and traditional Indian music, based in London, England.
The band was formed in 1992 to perform with the Shyam Brass Band from Jabalpur, India, at the International Festival of Street Mu ...
,
Chas'n'Dave, Saynab Cige,
The Dhol Foundation
The Dhol Foundation is both a dhol drum institute in London and a musical group playing bhangra music. The dhol school was founded in 1989 by former Alaap member Johnny Kalsi when several musicians asked him to be their teacher, and a first alb ...
,
Heavy Load,
Joi,
Finley Quaye
Finley Quaye (born 25 March 1974, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish musician. He won the 1997 MOBO Award for best reggae act, and the 1998 BRIT Award for Best Male Solo Artist.
Life
Finley Quaye is the son of vaudeville pianist Cab Kaye and t ...
(a surprise guest at the first fete in 2003),
Alaur Rahman
Alaur Rahman ( bn, আলাউর রহমান; born 1960) is a Bangladeshi-born British singer.
Early life
Rahman was born in Alagdi, Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, Sylhet District, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He attended Madrasa, primary s ...
, DJ Ritu,
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...
,
Neville Staple,
U.K Subs, and
Jah Wobble. The festival attracted around 2,000 people.
Around the live music stage, the organisers provided an information marketplace for community groups, and a range of activities for all ages, including a
tea dance
__NOTOC__
A tea dance, also called a ''thé dansant'' (French for "dancing tea"), was a dance held in the summer or autumn from 4 to 7 p.m. In the English countryside, a garden party sometimes preceded the dance.''Party-giving on Every Scale ...
and
extreme sports
Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...
.
Poster gallery
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2010.png, 2010 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2009.png, 2009 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2008.png, 2008 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2007.png, 2007 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2006.png, 2006 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2005.png, 2005 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2004.png, 2004 poster
Image:St-barnabas-community-fete-bowstock-poster-2003.png, 2003 poster
References
External links
*
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Music festivals in London
Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Bow, London