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.
.jpg)
Considering international growth? Markus Stripf, CEO and co-founder of Spoon Guru shares his top tips on how to scale up and take your tech business global!
With more companies turning to influencers to connect with their audience, we ask what makes influencer marketing have such a high impact effect?
Manchester fintech GoodBox, who helps charities embrace the rise of fintech through digital and contactless payments, have raised over £2m for UK charities.
The startup that has created a 3D product configuration and visualisation platform
London-based tech startup Arrive is a new on-demand, zero-emission, female-friendly taxi app, that is as much for the drivers as it is the users.
.jpeg)
How exactly do you go about finding the best office for your startup? Here's some top advice on finding the right place for you.
We take a look at yulife, a new InsurTech startup shaking up the life insurance sector, with customers earning rewards for healthy activities.
A study recently carried out by Volteface, has been revealed that social media platforms are frequently being used in order to advertise illicit drugs.
When it comes to setting up a startup there are certain things to consider before you set up your business in the city.
The edtech startup that's helping students learn by putting the core syllabus to music
Published on: 15th August 2013
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Manchester fintech GoodBox hits £2m donated to UK charities 21st Oct 2019 Manchester fintech GoodBox, who helps charities embrace the rise of fintech through digital and contactless payments, have raised over £2m for UK charities.
- Event at Startup Week Dublin to explore startup collaboration between NI and Ireland 11th Oct 2019 With the impact of BREXIT still very much an uncertainty, our evening event at Startup Week Dublin will explore startup collaboration and opportunities between NI and Ireland.
- Startups shaping future of the smart built environment wanted for RElab programme 8th Oct 2019 Tech startups focused on smart buildings and cities, smart grid, construction tech, predictive maintenance, and other tech solutions - take note!
- Tech startups in telecom infrastructure sought for BT run competition 3rd Oct 2019 BT and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) have launched the third annual competition for startups in telecom infrastructure
