What Arts Festival?...

I wasn't going to say any of this publicly, but it's been bubbling up inside me for a while now and I feel that the time is right to speak....
The original Tonbridge Arts Festival started life as a literary festival which, granted, was a little too narrow. It morphed into a very decent ten day coordinated series of events held together by a common purpose: to bring the folk of Tonbridge out to appreciate some of the finer things in life and to be properly funded and supported by the community. Yes there were tribute bands and The Three Degrees but there were also evenings of orchestral music and projects like the Big Picture and Dancing in the Street which hit people in the face with wonderful images, involving them and giving them something to ponder on. There were very well attended poetry nights, a lovely evening of short films; art exhibitions, schools events, a literary day on the castle lawn with talks by great authors which was like a mini day at Hay on Wye Lit Fest right here in Tonbridge. There was pottery, ceramic arts, printing and demonstrations of other visual arts on the Lawn. K College, many local schools, Tonbridge School, and Tonbridge council were all among the many groups and hard working individuals involved. Last year's was a great effort but the momentum has perhaps been lost this year and it needn't have been so. Although I somehow doubt it, I do sincerely hope that this momentum is regained for next year's event because last weekend's effort was no Arts Festival, just a few sporadic events occurring over a weekend. Having a business is all about making a decent amount of money but you cannot judge an arts festival on how much profit it makes; that's not the point of it. The bigger events with mass appeal should fund the events which need to be encouraged like poetry, like local band nights and classical music and short film nights. The organisers may not ultimately achieve it but I believe it is their purpose to have a go at stretching the intellect and imaginations of the community. Isn't that after all what "The Arts" are all about. Oh yes and I'd even put up with a fake Freddie Mercury if they made a real effort towards that goal....