Art in Action

Moonrising says it all really. It is a wonderful event. I go with my parents and my children and we all enjoy it. We enjoy different things: my son was fascinated by the very talkative glass blower who seems to be an annual fixture, both children really enjoyed the workshops, my daughter enjoys the music and we all enjoy seeing artists and crafts people at work. Sometimes it is only when you see how things are made that you really understand the effort and thought that has gone into them.
My top tips for a day out at the festival are:
Take your own water, some snacks and possibly an umbrella to provide some shade. There are cafes but the queues can be long and slow and it can be very hot.
Buy a programme then sit down and plan what you want to see. You won’t be able to see everything so it is worth spending 5 minutes to work out what you don’t want to miss.
If you want to take part in a workshop get there early.
If you have children who want to take part in a workshop get there early and explain to them in advance that they might not be able to do the workshop they want. The children’s workshops are very, very popular and space is limited. Don’t buy them an ice-​cream until after you’ve queued for the workshop — that way if they don’t get a place you can cheer them up with a large ice.

I hadn’t really heard of this, until my Mum arranged a family day out. It’s a yearly four day event that’s actually been going for thirty years. And I was very pleasantly surprised and impressed. My first contact was with the website, and it was great to see good instructions for people arriving by public transport. So many things out in the country assume everyone has cars! Things got even better on the way. After getting off the coach at Oxford Park and Ride, I found that instead of then getting a bus, they’d extended the courtesy bus, and I got a free ride to the site. Excellent!
Then the event It’s huge! Every type of arts and crafts you can imagine and then some. And there’s finished work, on sale and on display. Workshops where you can try yourself. Huge marquees full of materials and equipment. Far too much to put down here, and way more than we could see in a day. Highlights for me were displays of Chinese art, including silk embroidery where both sides of the work are ‘good’ with no loose threads, or some amazing wooden ducks, with feathers so finely carved they even felt like feathers. There was so much amazing quality on display.
The good organisation continued on site. There were plenty of loos (though some of the men’s got invaded by armies of female pensioners and me. They never have enough ladies loos). Also plenty of food available, and though it was mainly ‘burger van’ type set-​ups they were really nice burger vans! For example you could get rolls stuffed with hot shredded pork and apple, or some amazing pots of ice cream, with flavours like vanilla and ginger. There was even a ‘square’ laid out on the grass with seats, tables, parasols and musicians. Great for eating your lunch.
You’ll have to check the date for future years. Definitely an even for all the family: there was story telling for younger kids, and the older kids in my family found plenty to do. Even if you are not into art, you’d be hard pressed not to find something you liked.