Great North Festival (GNF)
The Great North Festival Company GNF) is a charity (No. 1151529) with two main aims:
to promote sustainable development by celebrating innovation.
to promote sustainable development and educate the public – especially young people who are 25 and under – by organizing lectures, debates and discussion about the future of the North East.
The original idea was floated in September 2011, and the main points of the argument made then can be read on the GREAT NORTH EXPO page. This year we hope to begin our realization of the first aim by cooperating with the British Science Association Festival (September 7-12, 2013), in highlighting North East innovation in a trail of exhibits. There will also be an event towards the end reflecting about North East innovation (see GREAT NORTH EXPO page)
This will be by way of a taster for some future larger Great North Festival. We had hoped to organize such an event this year along with the other festivals, the June 2013 Festival of the North East and the Lindisfarne Gospels Network (July 2 to October 2013) – and we are running events with each festival – but realize that something as large needs longer.
So this year is a year of preparation We are organizing a series of debates (see DEBATES page) - the first one was on April 13th, see EMBRACING THE FUTURE under NEWS. Later in the year, in November (November 24 to December 1, 2013 in St Nicholas Cathedral) there will be an exhibition of art created locally by young people. The final event, after a debate on the significance of the 2013 festivals for the North East, will be a dance of hope. (see WEEK OF HOPE page). Our theme is celebrating innovation and discovering hope.
We are including short musical items at a number of our events. This means we can engage creative young people in presenting them. We are also working with a film company that trains young people – those not in employment, education or training – to create films. Already there has been a film made of the April 13th debate.
GNF seeks to act as a catalyst to encourage the North East to celebrate its innovation and encourage, especially our young people, to discover hope.
For links to North East festivals this year see our PARTNERS AND SPONSORS page.
