ORGANISERS of Fishponds’ Party in the Ponds festival are looking to celebrate its 10th anniversary in style this year.
The free all-day festival in Vassalls Park grew out of an event organised in Fishponds Park in 2016, as part of the citywide Make Sunday Special programme.
It returned as a standalone event the following year, switched to Saturday and was renamed Party in the Ponds.
Since then it has continued to grow in popularity and size, moving to Vassalls Park in 2022.
This year’s festival will take place on June 13, and organisers have been auditioning bands, booking stalls and seeking sponsors as part of their preparations.
The volunteer-run event is free to enter but costs around £20,000 to stage, and in addition to extra sponsors, the organisers have also set up a donation page seeking around £1,200 in public donations towards the costs.
Co-organiser Gareth Edwards said a sponsorship opportunity is still available for the event’s second stage, known as the Grassroots stage.
Gareth said: “Every year the costs for the event rise as we are required to provide more and more facilities, safety measures and security as the event grows.
“We are always struggling to achieve funds, particularly in these difficult economic times.
“What we don’t want to do is turn it into a paying event,. It’s a community event and we need the community involved – if everyone in our Facebook group could give 50p, that would be enough to meet the target.”
A link to the Gofundme donations page can be found on the event’s website, partyintheponds.co.uk.
Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or volunteer should email partyintheponds@gmail.com.