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Monday, November 12, 2012

4th Valle Luna Festival

      UPDATES here: 
      4th Valle Luna Festival Program(s) 2013
The 4th edition of the popular Valle Luna Festival will take place from the 17th to the 27th of January 2013 in Valle Gran Rey. The festival that started as an ambitious arts festival has been getting somewhat smaller every year due to the crisis, cutbacks in public spending and less sponsorship. It nearly didn't happen at all last year, but was saved at the last minute, when the town hall coughed up some money for the staging of events, but due to the serious fire this summer there is no money available at all. The forthcoming edition will be a 'light' version, according to the organisers, without the larger outdoor stages  to save on costs.  However, there will be lots of street entertainment, pub gigs, and a large full moon party again. If you're interested in taking part, see https://www.facebook.com/valleluna.gomera.
With a bit of luck there might even be some Irish traditional music sessions again, like the one during the Valle Luna festival a couple of years ago described in the 'Irish Examiner' by writer Damien Enright:
'For the last two weeks, a music festival, initiated and paid for by the local ‘town-hall’, has been an enjoyable feature of life in the Valle Gran Rey. A few nights ago we enjoyed a session in a bar, led by Christy Barry, from Doolin, Co Clare. Playing a flute or spoons and giving voice to song, he and the largely voluntary ensemble tooted and fluted and carried the crowd away. 
It was a sesiún in the best sense, an impromptu celebration, with two more flautists fluting — both from west Cork — two bodhráns banging, a banjo twanging, an accordion according, two guitars strumming and the vocal contributions of a-man-from-God-knows-where who had lived on Sherkin Island for seven years (where his wife ran an English language school) then in Tasmania (where he saw the old Courtmacsherry lifeboat moored in St. Helen’s and still bearing the name) and now in La Gomera. 
It was a humdinger of a session: they set the hands clapping and the feet stamping. I think I have never seen or heard a better hooley, even in hooley-land.'
Below a photo and a short video of some of the action of the benefit gig for the Haiti earthquake victims during the first Valle Luna Festival in 2010:
'Red Gap' on stage during Valle Luna Festival 2010 (above)
Below from left to right: Will Bevan, Christy Barry, Willie Kirkham and Michael Nagle,
with visual artist Pero painting the musicians live.


1 comment :

RedGap said...

To See RedGap Live Headlining the Main Festival stage, please click this link
http://vimeo.com/10205232