Tolpuddle Festival’s leftie love-in

Tolpuddle Festival review by Pierre Marshall

The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of farm workers who formed an early trade union in 1832 and were heavily persecuted by the government. Their suffering is celebrated annually by trade unions and the political left at the Tolpuddle Martyrs festival. As festivals go it’s quite small, taking place over two fields and three days.

The festival’s main attractions are speeches and debates by political figures and the shows performed by poets and singers. These artists tend to be relatively unknown and provide a refreshing counterpoint to
the mainstream pieces at more popular festivals. Nonetheless, high-profile people such as Billy Bragg or Tony Benn also made appearances.

The debates are quite open and members of the audience are encouraged to engage with the discussion. There was even an open-mic slot when members of the audience stood up and contributed their own
song/poem/speech.

I recommend visiting the Tolpuddle Martyrs museum behind the mainstage. Despite it’s small size it did  a good job of explaining the complete history of the Martyrs on colourful displays. Education can
also be gained browsing the stalls around the place which distribute pamphlets on a whole variety of topics. People manning the stalls are generally happy to explain their ideas and answer any questions.

As for the children there’s a ‘Kids Area’ which I confess I didn’t visit, from what I gather from the leaflet it featured storytelling, a coconut shy and a bouncy castle. Both the Woodcraft folk and the Young
Communist league are present at the festival, and they provide an opportunity for children to take part in activities and make new friends.

Travel to the festival is relatively tricky, trains stop at Dorchester and require a bus from there. From where I was in Oxford this was fairly expensive, thankfully the local Trade Union Council organised a
bus for a subsidised fare.

The main criticism one of my friends made was that the singing, speeches and activities all became monotonous and boring, while I disagree it’s still a legitimate concern. I can see how the constant
talk of socialism and trade unions could feel repetitive after some time. It’s not for everyone and if one’s not interested in politics it’s probably best to avoid it.

On the other hand the festival was buoyed by a great friendly atmosphere, the campers were all eager to help one another and create a good community. There was even someone on the main stage translating
everything to sign language so that deaf comrades would not be excluded. And in the end I was exposed to lots of new music of which I would have previously been unaware.

Lastly there’s the price: camping cost £40 for small tents up to £60 for really big tents. This included breakfasts, hot showers and car parking space. The toilets were simple portaloos and were full enough
to require a short queue for most of the day. Entry to the festival itself is actually free, which is a welcome surprise when most festivals charge just for attendance.

• Check out Pierre’s pictures from Tolpuddle here.