ORGANISERS of the first ever Cotton Clouds music festival are already planning to return the event to Saddleworth Cricket Club in Greenfield in 2018.
The inaugural 3,500 sell out gig wasn’t without teething problems with grumbles over long queues for food and drink outlets.
But the general post event vibe was one of positivity with any short comings negated by the musical entertainment allowing local bands like Proletariat from Mossley and Gardenback from Delph to rub shoulders with Nick Hayward, the Coral and head liners, the Sugarhill Gang.
Even Saddleworth’s notoriously unpredictable weather behaved and after a rainy start, the grey clouds blew away to be replaced with….well, Cotton Clouds!
Greenfield raised brothers Rick and Max Lees were the brains behind the Festival and declared it a “brilliant day.”
Added Rick: “We thought the inaugural Cotton Clouds was a huge success.
“It was an incredibly complex project to launch but seeing the reaction from attendees to the artists we’ve brought to the area made it all worth it.
“We understand that the bar queues were long but I can assure you that we are already working on a solution to avoid this next year.
“Overall, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved and we’re excited to reveal our 2018 lineup early next year.
“Early bird tickets will go on sale in the next couple of months & we hope to see you all there.”
Rick added: “The line-up booked was so commendable. Being a first time festival the budget can only go so far.
“The acts went above and beyond expected. If it can be anywhere near as well curated next year you can expect tickets to sell out way quicker than this time around.”
Trevor Cook, Saddleworth Cricket Club chairman, says the club will have no issues hosting Cotton Clouds in 2018.
“The event went very well. And the feedback we got was positive,” he said.
“There are a couple of little issues to iron out like the queues. But the stewarding and policing was spot on.
“And I was pleasantly surprised by how many families with young children were there, especially in the afternoon.”
The final words go to the Festival goers who weren’t slow to take to social media with their observations.
Delta Blues Higgy posted on Facebook: “Excellent festival I thought it was well organised and had such a cool time thank you hope its the first of many, feeling the love.”
Michelle Caddick added: “Loved it! Didn’t get the whole token for a beer system but otherwise amazing!”
Michelle Wyllie said: “Amazing day…. THANK YOU! Let’s not whinge and moan… ok there was a bit of a wait for bar / toilets, but that’s standard at any live event.
“I’m pretty sure for the organisers of this event a lot of late nights, blood, sweat and tears went into the planning and it was well worth it.”
Lesley Tissington said: “I’m sure that lessons will be learned for next year. More disabled faculties, more portable toilets, more food outlets and many more drinks.
“Much more water bottle sites as well as beer tents. I had to leave early because I was thirsty.”
Wendy Haynes wrote: “As my parents live across the road I was worried on the impact of traffic etc but the organisation has been brilliant and I am very impressed that they exceeded all the promises they made.”
Jayne Dixon wrote: “I don’t think it’s a “lesson to be learned” more a case of common sense. 3500 people, one main bar – you do the math.”
Amy Best wrote: “After all the hard work that has clearly gone into Cotton Clouds, it was absolutely fantastic. The line up was excellent and was such a good atmosphere.
“Yes the queues were long during the peak times, but no different to tramlines recently and hacienda classical in Lancaster last year.”
Jane Neale wrote: “Not allowed to bring drinks in yet we can’t even buy a drink. Stood in a queue 30 mins and no where near the front.”
Adele Stanton said: “Brilliant festival looking forward to next year!”
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