National Dialect Festival 2019

This year’s festival is going to take place again in the land of the Red Rose (which means that Eric will have to dig out his Yorkshire passport again) –  provisional details and draft schedule follow. preceded by a foreword from Sid Calderbank of the Lancashire society:

The National Dialect Festival was held this year in The Savoy Hotel, Blackpool with visitors from as far afield as Northumberland and Cornwall! It is an informal annual gathering of dialect enthusiasts and will return to Blackpool one more time in 2019 then – off around the country again.

By Gum, Folk are asking for this already! Here’s a link to the booking details for this October’s weekend in Blackpool. Pretty much the same as last time, slight increase but we’ve included the Saturday lunchtime buffet in the weekend price. Don’t forget that we’ve got a big room, there’s plenty of chairs and our event is free and open to non-residents as well, so tell all your friends!

NATIONAL DIALECT FESTIVAL 2019 

This year’s weekend will take place Friday 18^th – Sunday 20th October 2019 and will be held in THE SAVOY HOTEL, QUEENS PROMENADE, BLACKPOOL, FY2 9SJ and hosted by The Lancashire Society.

This means that all accommodation, meals and meetings can be held on the one  site and we have arranged a group booking rate for the 2 nights at:-

 £109 per delegate for bed & breakfast   OR

 £129 per delegate for dinner, bed & breakfast and Saturday buffet lunch

Non-residents are also welcome in the hotel and at our event, all meals can be purchased separately.

The hotel have offered us the free use of a function suite and have reserved us 5 single, 10 twin and 10 double rooms with more if required. For this we have to pay in advance so please contact our treasurer, Nick Caffrey, to reserve your place. Please be aware that October weekends are classed as high season in Blackpool as the world famous illuminations (3 miles long and going right past the hotel door) are on at the same time so we need to book early!

The Savoy was built around 1912 specifically as one of Blackpool’s luxury hotels and retains many of its original features and furniture, its dining room is modelled on that of the Titanic.  It has 140 bedrooms and is fully equipped for access and even smoking! (please specify on booking). Having been constructed to accommodate the richest in the land (it was the first hotel in England to offer garage parking and servicing for guests motor cars), it once served the top delegates at political and trade union conferences and now makes its living from coach tours and group bookings. They have 60 car park spaces of their own with a large, 48hr reasonably priced pay & display municipal carpark adjacent.

Please send your bookings to our treasurer, Nick Caffrey at lancssoctreas@gmail.com or 01254 264407.

Draft Schedule

FRIDAY
Reception from 1.00pm Friday for Tea, Coffee and drinks in the lounge and
a chance to jump in your car or on a tram to ride through “Blackpool Lights”
8.00pm – Dinner in the hotel – followed by:-
An evening of Lancashire entertainment provided by Society members.

SATURDAY
Breakfast 8.00am – 10.00am
10.30am Opening Address & Key Note Speaker.
12.00 – Bill o’ Bowes trophy for WRITING in any English Dialect
1.00 – Lunch Break , pre-booked buffet or bar meals available.
2.00 – Sam Laycock Trophy for WRITING in the Lancashire dialect.
3.00 – Eric Topping Trophy for a PERFORMANCE of any dialect piece.

Pieces should be no more than 5 mins long, including introduction, but not including a round of applause (should you get one!) Entries for the writing classes need not be new but must be performed by the author. Song, poetry and prose are all acceptable.

4.00 ish break for coffee and judges deliberations
Followed by trophy presentation
8.00pm – Dinner in the hotel after which Saturday evening will be filled with our traditional social “Merry Neet” where representatives from each dialect region present are invited to perform their party pieces for the Far Weltered Trophy!

SUNDAY
Breakfast 8.00 – 10.00am
Before you leave we are hoping to arrange a historically themed tour to one of Blackpool’s Edwardian attractions or just have a walk on t’sands if t’tides eawt.