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May Heydays 2025 - catering
by Announcements for May HeyDays 24 Mar '25

24 Mar '25

Dear May Heydays Supporters, old and new We are very pleased to announce that we can now confirm the catering arrangements for May Heydays 2025. It has been a bit of a rocky road; we learned last autumn that the prior onsite company had lost the school contract and a new one was taking over. For some time, it was unclear whether they would provide a service or allow a 3rd party into the kitchen to do so. It was only in February that the answer came as ‘no’. So, with the help of an experienced consultant, we sought mobile caterers to come in and give us a range of options from Friday evening to Monday afternoon. Their detailed menus are now on the new catering page of our website: (https://mayheydays.org.uk/food.html). In summary, we have: Friday night: “StarChip Enterprise” – the local Evesham supplier, Jeff Warren (who appeared outside the gates in 2023), with award winning Fish & Chips, plus other options. Saturday: “Eat Greek” – with a company based in Worcester, Vicky and Demetrios will provide ‘mythically delicious Greek food’ for lunch and dinner. Sunday: “Bowlicious” – hailing from Wales, John Ishmael, a seasoned festival caterer, will provide ‘flavoursome food on the go’ for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Saturday and Sunday: “Really Awesome Coffee”, with Brad Edginton, will be on site from 9am up to about 5pm, providing ‘real’ coffee, some teas and a range of other drink options plus assorted cakes. Monday: “StarChip” will be back. All concessions will have some GF, veggie and vegan options, but note that there will be no breakfast caterer on Saturday and Monday. On Friday and Monday our stewards will staff stations to provide teas and coffees. We are well aware it will never be possible to please everybody when selecting the food options and we have done our best at relatively short notice. Do please use our caterers as much as you can and give us and them your feedback. Our aim is to have ongoing relationships with a range of suppliers so both we and they know what to expect over the coming years. Many thanks – and here’s to seeing a festival-ful of you on the dance floors in May. Monty Crook MHD Ticketing and other stuff PS: as we switch our supporters' email lists over from the set up used previously to that provided by our now ticketing website, some of you may receive two copies of this mail. Please bear with us, on the basis that 2 copies are better than none......

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MHD - 3 days left for an Early-Bird
by Announcements for May HeyDays 28 Jan '25

28 Jan '25

May Heydays 2025 Dear Friends and Supporters, Many of you of course have already booked your bargain attendee or steward tickets - and thanks for that; for others still thinking about it, there are now only three days left to secure one at the Early-Bird rate! The programme is full of variation – from the familiar to the outlandish - and is trying to serve as many different interests as I can get into three days and one venue. And you don't have to take my word for it, have a look here: https://www.mayheydays.org.uk/programme.html . Apart from swapping things around within the grid, there shouldn't be any major changes. We have Colin Hume and Andrew Swaine doing a workshop each on calling gender-free/positionally; you'll know the debate and understand why. Please let me know if you would like to participate in those, or, if not, let us have your thoughts. Monty reports that we could still do with a few more stewards - an even cheaper festival option - and you still get to participate in your sessions. So, hi thee to the tickets page for Early-Birds or send a form to Monty to volunteer as a steward. Best wishes Mecki Director -- Tel 07977 512 639

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May Heydays - news from the front.....
by Announcements for May HeyDays 14 Jan '25

14 Jan '25

Dear Long-Term Supporters and New Comers to May Heydays. This mail serves several purposes: it welcomes our newcomers to Evesham this year, thanks regular attendees who have already booked, reminds those who are still thinking about it (especially those who have not yet ventured into The Vale) that the Early-Bird ticket price of £97pp ends on 31st January, with weekend tickets being £115pp thereafter – and signals that we really need another 10-15 stewards to sign up. (Don’t forget, steward half-price tickets also go up from 1st February.) Also, we do not have our usual photographer this year, so it would be very helpful if one or two keen camera wielders could volunteer themselves to get snapping around the venue over the weekend. Which reminds me to say that it is our standard practice to have photos taken at sessions, maybe show them on a laptop at the event, and later publish selected ones on the website. Anyone concerned about this should approach whoever is behind a lens pointing at them and ask not to be captured on film. Our new Ticket Tailor booking system seems to be working well, with no issues reported by those who have booked. Don’t be put off, its use costs you no extra, you can pay T.T. directly, or into our bank account, or send me a cheque. Meanwhile, Mecki is busy fine-tuning the program, coping with performers who have double-booked themselves (without too much bad language), being sympathetic to our artists assorted needs – and really looking forward to May - our fourth event already! Keep up to date on the website: https://mayheydays.org.uk/ Best wishes to all for 2025 – and we hope to see lots of you at Evesham on May 2nd. Regards Monty Crook MHD Ticketing

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May Heydays tickets onsale Novembe 1st
by Announcements for May HeyDays 31 Oct '24

31 Oct '24

Dear Supporters We are pleased to announce that tickets for May Heydays, May 2nd to 5th 2025, will go on sale on November 1st, with ticket prices held the same as for 2023 and 2024. Note that our Early-Bird ticket (Nov 1st to Jan 31st) is £97 per person, and the price increases to £115 on Feb 1st. You will find full details on our website, at https://mayheydays.org.uk/tickets.html. Our one-month delay in starting sales has been due to a decision to adopt an online ticket system, run by TicketTailor and accessed via our tickets page. It is easy to use, has been adapted to meet our requirements and has been thoroughly tried and tested. Payments by bank transfer, cheque and cards are all accepted, at no additional cost to the buyer. Purchasers will need to supply an email to use this system, but ticket application ‘by paper’ will still be available on the website for those who prefer this route. Those who would like to volunteer as stewards will find tickets available at half price – with some free options – on the Stewards page: at https://mayheydays.org.uk/stewards.html. That’s enough of the technical stuff, the great news of course is the wide mix of activities and splendid line-up of talent which Mecki has assembled for the weekend, such as Seth Tepfer, Box of Frogs, Andrew Swaine, Confluence, Colin Hume, Old Time Contra Band, Nicola Scott, Dampiers Round….. and many more, see https://mayheydays.org.uk/performers.html We look forward to seeing many of you again at Evesham in May next year (though we do hear that there are one or two other festivals out there), so pop online, check out all the info – and make your booking! Meanwhile, we trust all is well with you and yours, and send early best wishes for the year-end festive season. Regards from Monty Crook and the May Heydays Team PS: If you no longer wish to be on our mailing list, do drop a line saying ‘No Thanks’ and we will unsubscribe you.

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MHD '24 - closure of advance sales, 9am on 29 April
by Announcements for May HeyDays 26 Apr '24

26 Apr '24

Dear Supporters After a slow start to tickets sales for May Heydays 2024 back in the autumn, it is a pleasure to report that things picked up in January, and we are now at the level we had last year. Over 30% are newcomers to Evesham, which is similar to 2023 and very gratifying. The word is clearly out there and we are established on the folkdance festival circuit. The MHD Team has decided to now close advance ticket sales in the busy few days left to us, so no new applications will be accepted after 9am on Monday 29th April – whether by cheque, bank transfer or the WeGotTickets agency. However, full-day, part-day and evening tickets will be available for sale at the venue for those still pondering whether to dip their toes in. Mecki has most of the performers lined up for 2025, so look out for news on that soon; more will be revealed at Evesham over the Bank Holiday weekend. Best wishes to all, for a better season this summer than spring was, and enjoy your dancing wherever you pitch up. Regards MHD Team

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Last minute accommodation at May Heyday 2024
by Announcements for May HeyDays 11 Apr '24

11 Apr '24

Dear Supporters If anyone is still thinking of coming to MHD over the Bank Holiday weekend but has concerns about last minute accommodation, we have a couple who have had to cancel and have 4 nights booked at the Fish & Anchor at Evesham WR11 8QT. If interested, let me know and I will put you in contact on a first-come first-served basis. For info, the festival has a healthy number booked, slightly higher than last year, and we are all looking forward to it. Director Mecki is now busy lining up the performers for 2025. Regards Monty Crook MHD Ticketing

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Final Early-Bird Email
by Announcements for May HeyDays 31 Jan '24

31 Jan '24

Dear Supporters, 1) As you may be aware, our programme is under constant review. While the published draft is pretty much what is going to happen, Mecki has been working on some fine-tuning, and the changes are now on the website. So take another look to see if May Heydays delivers what it prides itself on: a well-balanced programme, catering for folkies with very varied interests. 2) There are still spaces on the callers' training programme. Please send Mecki (director(a)mayheydays.org.uk) an email if you would like to participate. 3) The Early-Bird form will remain on the website until some time on 1 February to allow for different time zones. This means a short extra window for late deciders... The May Heydays Team

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May Heydays - all steward slots now filled
by Announcements for May HeyDays 29 Jan '24

29 Jan '24

Hello All Just to advise anyone still contemplating volunteering as a steward, we now have sufficient for our needs, and do not plan to accept further applications (unless already in the post and arriving before Jan 31st....). Many thanks to those who have stepped forward, plus to all who have booked weekend tickets and/or have offered encouragement for our 3rd festival at Evesham. Early-bird tickets are still available, until 31st January...... Regards Monty Crook May Heydays Ticketing

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From May Heydays: Regency to Ragtime, Cotillions to Squares - and more! Get your tickets here.
by Announcements for May HeyDays 16 Jan '24

16 Jan '24

Hi All American caller Susan de Guardiola is probably most famous internationally for her knowledge of English "Regency" and she will lead the Regency Ball on Sunday evening. Her dance workshop programme at May Heydays has now been finalized, covering historical social dance forms and dance reconstruction, with aspects of dance history and a wide variety of group and couple dances - 16th century to the early 20th century - with a few odd dabblings up to the present day. Different styles, countries of origins and eras are included: • English Cotillions • Early 19th century German couple dances, allemandes to schottische • Early American (1776-1812) longways and squares • 16th century Italian folk dances • Early 20th American Ragtime dances • Late 19th century American - longways & squares Susan will also give a talk about Louis-Julien Clarchies (b. 22/12/1769, d. 25/12/1815), a French dancer, musician and dance composer. Of Curacao origin, he become famous in Paris in the 1800s, composing ‘contredanses, valses (anglaises et sauteuses)’, and he apparently ‘invented’ the move now termed ‘the Ocean Wave’. Some musical accompaniment will be included. So, it all sounds a lot of fun, with something there for everyone: slow and fast, easy and a bit more difficult, unusual and amusing. Drop in to whatever catches your eye – and enjoy! More details will be posted on the website. https://mayheydays.org.uk/performers.html Mecki MHD Director director(a)mayheydays.org.uk Our thanks to those who have already booked Early-bird and Steward tickets; numbers look very reasonable at this stage, but there is room for lots more of you lovely dancers - and some more volunteers to steward. Don’t forget, Weekend tickets will be £115 from 1st February, with Steward tickets at £57. Booking forms to 31st January are attached. Monty MHD Ticketing tickets(a)mayheydays.org.uk Tel 01308 423 442

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Greetings from May Heydays for January 1st
by Announcements for May HeyDays 01 Jan '24

01 Jan '24

Dear dance friends and MHD supporters Now that the stresses, strains, expense, pleasures and fun of the festive season are (mostly) past, just a reminder that you have 30 days left to order your Early-Bird tickets for May Heydays 2024. Hi thee to it! Mecki and I are enjoying seeing two noisy, boisterous, young granddaughters amidst a foot or so of snow and temperatures of -12C (and expected to get to -20), at a very basic farm here in Norway - part of my convalescence from a right side mastectomy on Dec 12th. Yep, I found a lump on Oct 3rd and things then took their course. It was an interesting, if disturbing, way to end one year and enter the next - but the news was as good as it could be. I mention this, really, to say that this was well below my radar, as I suspect it would be with most of you, male or female. My message is that it may be rare (less tha 1% of UK and US breast cancers), but it's out there and often caught late, so I do urge all men to check now and again, and advise their pals to do likewise. And women, nag your parters or male friends about it as well. Good wishes are taken as read and I wish us all a happy healthy dancing year - and 3rd Evesham festival! Monty MHD Ticketing

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