‘I owe Solfest a debt’ – Kendal Calling director pays tribute to music festival

Kendal Calling director Andrew Smith said he owed Solfest a great debt.

Solfest announced earlier this week that it was having to go into liquidation following a series of significant challenges – many out of the festival team’s control – and had not been an easy decision to make.

The brand had been a staple in the music festival summer calendar for over 20 years.

Andrew, who is part of the team who runs the county’s Kendal Calling festival at Lowther Park, near Penrith, got in touch with Cumbria Crack to share his memories.

He said: “Solfest was the festival that showed me what festivals could really be, not about big names but about atmosphere, creativity and community, and sitting in Weirdigans at 4am with a mug of tea, listening to someone play a saxophone and realising you might actually like jazz.

“Very sad to hear the news.

“I owe it a great debt, both for what it taught me and for the friends I made in those fields, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.”

We put together a selection of photos from Solfest we’d taken over the last 20 years and asked for people’s photos and memories. See the photos here.