Tag: Festival

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has again chosen not to attend the Almedalen political week this year. The PM told newspaper Aftonbladet that he would not take part in the event, which gathers political leaders and grass roots activists from across the country. Taking place every July since 1968, Almedalen is a unique festival where political parties, businesses, media, and other organizations gather for a week of seminars and events. “Almedalen has become too much the realm of lobbyists and business interests and not enough a place for popular movements and individual citizens,” Löfven said to the newspaper. Instead of appearing at Almedalen, Löfven will embark on a tour of the country, as he did in 2017. “I want to see all of our country and hear about the dreams, problems and challenges faced by different parts of the nation, and shape policy based on that,” he told Aftonbladet. Social Democrat economic spokesperson Magdalena Andersson, the Minister for Finance, will take Löfven’s place on the stage at the week-long political festival. Almedalen political week is scheduled to take place between June 30th and July 7th. READ ALSO: Almedalen: Sweden's summer politics extravaganza in numbers

It was mercilessly lampooned last summer as the “Tory Glastonbury” – a paddock of largely male Conservative supporters in red chinos who could only dream of aping the adulation Jeremy Corbyn received from young fans at the music festival months earlier. The vision behind the Big Tent Ideas festival, brainchild of the Tory MP George Freeman, was to to connect the party with young people and build a centre-right movement to propel it forward. One year on, however, the festival has returned with a new strategy. “It’s totally different. I have made it non-party political so that MPs, peers and others from the centre left can also get involved,” said Freeman. The writer Maya Goodfellow, a Labour supporter, said it also derived from a notion that politics and culture should not be separate. Goodfellow said of her experience as a speaker at Labour Live: “The thing I really enjoyed was that people came up to me afterwards and wanted to continue with the discussion after the event had officially ended, and we were able to do that. Meanwhile, “festivals of ideas” have become part of the university landscape. “People are genuinely concerned and, personally, I think that they like engaging more directly with speakers because they often just don’t feel they are listened to by political decision makers.” Freeman said events like the Big Tent Ideas festival were important because “for a generation under 40 the traditional party conference is as dead as a dodo”. The left has actually been a bit better at recognising that but we are changing that.”

With the anticipation of the 18th Hot Corner Food and Music Festival, co-owner of the World Famous, David Eduardo and Montu Miller brought are blending politics with Athens nightlife and raise funds for the upcoming festival. The Town Hall Benefit Bash for Hot Corner Fest on May 10 will host local performers, a raffle and a variety of Athens candidates. The event will be at the World Famous and begins at 9 p.m. and continues until midnight. A $5 donation is suggested at the door. "It's political season, so this event is for people who didn't necessarily go to the forums or couldn't make the events during the daytime," said Miller, who has been involved with Hot Corner Fest for the past eight years. "We wanted to bring the politicians to the night scene in Athens." One way this festival is able to continue to grow is through benefit events such as this Town Hall Benefit Bash, Miller said. The Hot Corner Festival is a celebration of black arts, Miller said. "There are black people all over Athens," Miller said. The Hot Corner Festival will take place on June 8 and 9 with Athens food vendors and performers.

Paul LePage, Sens. The online application for parade entrants already includes the new policy. “The Maine Lobster Festival Parade is a nonpartisan, secular and neutral private event which celebrates our community, our people and our lobsters. Board President Cynthia Powell said in these highly charged political times, there were other entrants to the parade who did not want to be marching alongside and be associated with various political groups. Powell said the policy is fair because it excludes all political groups. I know many of the candidates that have marched in previous parades – Democrats, Republicans, third party and independents, all whom I am happy to call friends and acquaintances.” “I’ll add that the Lobster Festival is not a ‘private event,’ since it is held in a City park and the parade runs down City streets,” Weinand said. A Knox County representative of the Republican Party also questioned the action but said a formal statement should come from Knox County Republican Chairman Blaine Richardson, who did not issue an immediate response. The Yarmouth Clam Festival’s parade application states that “entries that are political, religious or controversial will not be accepted.” The Lobster Festival last year limited political groups to walking the parade and not using vehicles, Powell said. The Maine Lobster Festival is scheduled to be held Aug. 1-5 on the Rockland waterfront. Share

The festival board voted Tuesday, April 24, to exclude all political organizations and candidates from the annual parade held the first Saturday in August. The online application for parade entrants already includes the new policy. "The Maine Lobster Festival Parade is a non-partisan, secular and neutral private event which celebrates our community, our people and our lobsters. Board President Cynthia Powell said in these highly charged political times, there were other entrants to the parade who did not want to be marching alongside and be associated with various political groups. Powell said the policy is fair, because it excludes all political groups. “I am troubled by this decision," said Rockland Democratic Chair Gerald Weinand. "Maine has a long tradition of candidates marching in parades held throughout the state, where they often zig-zag from curb to curb to shake hands and have a brief chat with constituents. A Knox County representative of the Republican party also questioned the action, but said a formal statement should come from Knox County Republican Chair Blaine Richardson. Zachery Annis, chair of the Knox County Democratic Committee, said, "We're disappointed that candidates from across the political spectrum won't be able to march in the lobster parade, because political engagement and representation is so important to a thriving, democratic community. The Lobster Festival last year limited political groups to walking in the parade and not using vehicles, Powell said.

ROCKLAND — Gov, Paul LePage, Sens. The Festival Board voted Tuesday to exclude all political organizations and candidates from the annual parade scheduled for the first Saturday of August. The online application for parade entrants already includes the new policy. “The Maine Lobster Festival Parade is a non-partisan, secular and neutral private event which celebrates our community, our people and our lobsters. Board President Cynthia Powell said in these highly-charged political times, there were other entrants to the parade who did not want to be marching alongside and be associated with various political groups. Powell said the policy is fair because it excludes all political groups. I know many of the candidates that have marched in previous parades; Democrats, Republicans, third party and independents, all whom I am happy to call friends and acquaintances.” “I’ll add that the Lobster Festival is not a ‘private event,’ since it is held in a City park and the parade runs down City streets,” Weinand said. A Knox County representative of the Republican party also questioned the action but said a formal statement should come from Knox County Republican Chair Blaine Richardson. The Yarmouth Clam Festival’s parade application states that “entries that are political, religious or controversial will not be accepted.” The Lobster Festival last year limited political groups to walking the parade and not using vehicles, Powell said. Share

What can poetry do in the face of gun violence? Critic at large Adriana E. Ramirez attended a reading — in Florida, not long after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland — that paired the work of poets with the voices of the families of survivors. "Throughout the anthology and evening, the image of a loved one, usually a mother, still crying, still holding on, permeates," she writes. "The image emerges again and again, but it's never old. The pain of losing someone is always fresh, always necessary." Entering our nonfiction list this week is "After/Image" by Lynell George at No. 9. The Los Angeles author and journalist is also a photographer with a keen eye; this book looks at Los Angeles' disappearing landscapes through a personal lens. George will be at the Festival of Books on the panel "Photography and Narrative" with Geoff Dyer and Karen Tei Yamashita, moderated by David L. Ulin.