There will be no free music events at the Buttermarket during this year’s Rye International Jazz and Blues Festival, the first time in the event’s 14-year history.
A Crowdfunder page launched earlier in the year has failed to reach the amount of money needed. It had been hoped funds could be raised to cover the cost of artist fees, road closures, hire of the Buttermarket and sound, security and safety requirements.
A spokesperson for the Festival said, “Whilst we didn’t reach the minimum funding required to make the programme possible this year, we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who donated, shared the campaign and offered their support.”
There will still be a Fringe Festival with a number of local venues presenting live music across the August bank holiday weekend, including The Lookout, Rye Waterworks and Taproom, The Old Bell, The Winery Taproom, The Grapevine Champagne and Jazz Bar and The William the Conqueror.
Tickets are still available for the seven headline concerts at St Mary’s Church in Rye 28 to 31 August. The line-up is made up of The Van Morrison Alumni Band, Alice Armstrong, Myles Sanko, Elles Bailey, Earl Thomas, Ray Gelato & The Giants, and Mica Paris.
To find more details and to book tickets visit here.
Image Credits: Kt Bruce .
This incredibly sad because it filled Rye with a fun three days of music. We missed the Kino stage last year and now no Buttermarket this year. Sidmouth International Jazz and Blues Festival, run by the same group as Rye, gets better and better each year because the town gets behind Ian Bowden and his team and sees the amazing benefits it brings to Sidmouth. The hotels are full, the restaurants have waiting lists for dinner and the whole town is buzzing.
So Rye why have you not given the same support??
What a terrible loss to the town on the August Bank Holiday weekend and for all the businesses which have benefitted over the years. It didn’t need to happen.