Stendhal Festival of Music and Art- From Field to festival!
by Startacus Admin
Stendhal Festival of Music and Art- From Field to festival!
As you have probably guessed by now here at Startacus we get quite excited to hear about innovative or unusual start-ups... that’s pretty 
much a given. But when we come across something as innovative and unusual as a start-up music and arts festival on a country farm in County Derry, our little brains go into overdrive!
Picture the scene, a lovely little farm set deep in the beautiful rolling countryside of Northern Ireland, and a few innovative locals determined to start-up their own music and arts festival. In 2011 their dream became a vibrant reality with the first ever Stendhal Festival of Art, on Ballymully Cottage Farm, Co Derry. Now in its third year the Stendhal festival is gaining huge popularity and is fast becoming a staple of the local music and cultural landscape. It’s a very unusual start-up for a whole host of reasons, here’s an idea of what it’s all about...
The festival runs for two days consecutively every year (this year its 16th and 17th August) and combines music, dance, theatre, art, poetry, sculpture and an exciting array of activities designed to encourage engagement, discovery and a sense of community within a wondrous and beautifully detailed setting. The name “Stendhal” may go someway to explaining the organisers' vision for his festival, Stendhal Syndrome being the experience of rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting and hallucinations experienced by some when exposed to art, particularly very moving art. A very apt name indeed as the festival experience is something quite extraordinary!
Its incredible success in the few short years since its conception is no doubt due to its all inclusive nature and the sheer volume of bands, singers, installations, workshops and displays. Stendhal is not just for lovers of rock music, or budding artists, or children, or dancers...Stendhal is a unique weekend that can be enjoyed by absolutely everyone! Local drama lecturer Helen McGonigal has been attending the festival since it started in 2011 and told us why she thinks this start-up it has been such a fantastic success.
“It’s like no festival i’ve ever attended before, the setting is so unique and I think it’s brilliant how it encourages so many different people to engage and interact with the arts. There really is something for everyone to get involved with over the weekend. But what I find most impressive is the attention to detail that the organisers have, from the beautiful secret garden to the enchanting Karma Valley the festival really looks the part... it’s like you’ve walked into a page from Alice in Wonderland”.
Helen is not alone in her praise of the festival, in fact it has gained such acclaim since 2011 that it has grown from a little known pop-up festival to one of Northern Ireland’s leading cultural events. Testament to this is the huge increases in attendees which they have seen over the past few years, from 1200 in year one to an anticipated 4000 this year!
On top of its own fantastic success Stendhal is also helping other start-up businesses to realise their potential by setting up in its craft market. Here local people and start-up businesses have the opportunity to showcase and sell their products to the huge variety of people that pass through the event. Very impressive stuff!
Hats off to everyone involved for making such a success of the Stendhal Festival of Art and best of luck for this years event!
It just goes to show that with a good idea, a great team and lots of hard work there is no telling what can happen!
If you live in Northern Ireland and are interested in culture / festivals / technology - you might like our previous post on a Sneak Peek at Culture Tech 2013Join the Self Start society! If you like what you see here on Startacus and want to get involved yourself, why not become a member of our growing community by joining for free here!
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Based in the UK or Ireland and got an innovative early-stage idea for the health sector? Validate that idea via the DigiHealth pre-accelerator - applications now open.
The lowdown on watchTowr, the startup that's on a mission to provide organisations with "continuous cyber security assurance aligned to the capabilities of today’s adversaries."
Fin Cope, CEO and Co-Founder of environmentally conscious marketplace GoEthical shares insights on the signs of greenwashing he looks out for to help avoid contributing to environmental harm.
Pet owners take note! GetSetPet is a startup on a mission to become the ultimate destination for your pet supplies.
Andrea Szell, Founder of Spare Desk shares some insights on the positive impact that sharing a workspace can have on our mental health.
.png)
The lowdown on Oxford Quantum Circuits, the innovative Reading-based startup that's on a mission to make quantum computing accessible to all.
.png)
Sodexo Live! and L Marks open call for applications from innovative startups and scaleups to join their inaugural North America Innovation Lab.
.png)
Startups founded by students and recent graduates from the University of Edinburgh secure SMART:SCOTLAND grants to help support their ambitious and innovative projects.
Lydia Kothmeier, VP of Operations at Storyblok shares insights on the processes and policies that every startup should have in place in order to make remote working work.
The lowdown on HoloToyz, the Irish startup and its products for kids that can come to life through the power of augmented reality.
Published on: 15th August 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- DigiHealth Lean Launch Programme opens for applications 11th Aug 2022 Based in the UK or Ireland and got an innovative early-stage idea for the health sector? Validate that idea via the DigiHealth pre-accelerator - applications now open.
- Sodexo Live! And L Marks Seeking Startups and Scaleups for first ever North America Innovation Lab 5th Aug 2022 Sodexo Live! and L Marks open call for applications from innovative startups and scaleups to join their inaugural North America Innovation Lab.
- Innovative University-supported startups secure £500,000 in grant funding awards 4th Aug 2022 Startups founded by students and recent graduates from the University of Edinburgh secure SMART:SCOTLAND grants to help support their ambitious and innovative projects.
- Registrations Open for Inbound Investors 2022 2nd Aug 2022 Inbound Investors 2022 providing NI businesses with the opportunity to pitch directly to leading UK investors over the course of one day.
