Strawberry Fair 2018
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editor
hiraethified
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
Not at all. It’s going really well, and is still organised by local people on a voluntary basis. Some of them have been involved for a long time, but it also brings in new organisers each year, which keeps it vibrant.
I think one of the reasons it's still going after the very messy events in 2000-2010 is exactly that no-one notable is playing. So there is no longer a massive police presence at the train station...
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
Was it messy for 10 years? I didn’t notice...
I am aware that the organisers had to agree (and were happy to do so, I believe) that they would seek to refocus it as a local, community festival, which included using local musicians and new bands that no-one had heard of.
Is that what you mean?
editor
hiraethified
Yep, They really took the fun out of the day ten years ago.
Strawberry Fair, Cambridge. Police harassment galore.
The years when they had a dance stage and it got massive, the years when the Cambridge police force turned the station into a drug screening pen, from memory that was from about 2003-2009 and then SF took 2010 off.
I definitely remember going up on Friday and crashing on people's settees to avoid Saturday morning at the train station...
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
I know there were times when it got really big, and the locals were complaining about the noise and the mess and the cars, and I also know there were times when the police were a bit overexcited at the railway station, but I still enjoyed Strawberry Fair in those years, and I didn't think it was spoilt.
They took 2010 off partly because of a falling out between the organisers and the council, and also because of a falling out between the organisers, and then they refreshed themselves, and got lots of new people involved, and reassured the Council that they knew what they were doing.
I know there was more to it than that, but it wasn't all bad!
Very belatedly posting 
--- I had a great time this year 
I almost always enjoy it a whole lot -- this year was roughly my 27th or thereabouts
-- but for various reasons I particularly did this time
Plus my mate Andrew came down for the first time from Cheshire -- he was staying in London for a Sunday gig as it happened, but he had time to come up to Cambridge for the day on the Saturday and he really rated it -- we saw some pretty good acts too. It's always nice when a recommendation to a mate works.
--- I had a great time this year I almost always enjoy it a whole lot -- this year was roughly my 27th or thereabouts
-- but for various reasons I particularly did this time Plus my mate Andrew came down for the first time from Cheshire -- he was staying in London for a Sunday gig as it happened, but he had time to come up to Cambridge for the day on the Saturday and he really rated it -- we saw some pretty good acts too. It's always nice when a recommendation to a mate works.
