SEPTEMBER | PREVIEW
Movers and makers
A newcomer to London’s competitive festival scene, MAKEMORE, is
drawing on the expertise of Winterville’s founder
T
he five-day event, dedicated to
craftsmanship, is the only festival
event in Victoria Park this summer
apart from All Points East.
It features a programme of live
demos, taster sessions and immersive
performances. Food from Siberia, botanical
baking and butchery will feature, along with
bee-keeping classes and immersive theatre
in a rose garden.
The festival was conceived by Daz Guerin
and his then neighbour and co-founder
James Cartwright. As a maker himself,
Cartwright thought that the energy of the
‘maker movement’ could present well as
a proper festival and he quickly identified
a gap in the market for a scaled event in
London.
The event draws on several events
including The Affordable Art Fair, Taste
London and Streetfeast. Guerin says: “I
helped James frame it into this festival
model, using my experience of when I
created the Winterville festival a few years
ago. We joined with third co-founder John
Wilkie who worked with James researching
the variety of makers and identifying
potential partners that would present well in
a festival setting.
“There was a big question mark over
the upstream demand for the festival from
12
The suppliers
these makers and we were amazed in our
early meeting with these people by their
willingness and excitement for it. As a
team we are passionate about what makes
people engage with an experience, so have
been careful that the content offer has a
requisite amount of fun and entertainment
that fits seamlessly into the wider content of
activities, classes & workshops.”
Of course, securing its prestigious London
setting was no small task, and the organisers
main operational challenge was successfully
securing a premises license for a previously
unused section of Victoria Park, especially
given the high profile on-going public debate
surrounding the number of festivals taking
place in London’s parks and public spaces.
“The sheer number of practitioners
& partners who have signed up for
MAKEMORE for our Y1 offer has been
absolutely astonishing and a true testament
to the passion and backing that the maker
movement in London has given us. The
amount of paperwork & documentation
that has been generated in terms of H&S
& insurance etc is equally astonishing &
challenging to process, for example risk
assessing a colony of bees being on-site
thanks to Bermondsey Street Bees.
“As MAKEMORE is a unique and first of
AP Security - Community Free Love
Stewarding & Links - Group - PA/
security General Lights/
event Staging
supplies
Inglewood
A1 Loo Hire -
Power -
Power and BSW
Site Lighting Marquees -
Toilets
Traditional
Tents
Entertee -
On Stage
Fencing &
Kitchens -
Catering
barrier
M&J Plant
Hire - Plant
& cabins