Dear Friends,
Many thanks to all of you for supporting The Village Trip. We hope those of you who came enjoyed it – certainly there were a number of people who came to all our events and who told us that such a festival is “long overdue” and “should have happened years ago.”
The great David Amram, TVT Artist-in-Residence, spoke of “the tremendous spirit and enthusiasm” he encountered at every event and of “the riches of the past joined with the treasures of the present.” And he expressed the hope that “this will be the first of MANY MORE annual festivals.”
Well, we’re thrilled to be able to tell you that The Village Trip 2019 will take place from September 19-22.
From the outset it has been our intention that The Village Trip become an annual event. What’s extraordinary to me, a Brit for whom Greenwich Village existed in my mind’s eye and ear long before I first set foot here in 1995, is that no such festival existed – because we in Britain long ago began creating festivals in celebration of our own history and heritage: think of Wordsworth, Shakespeare, and Edward Elgar; Ironbridge, birthplace of the industrial revolution, and Liverpool which, like the Village, is a place of many “firsts,” artistic and social.
There is much to celebrate in Greenwich Village and we must do so while those who were part of the shape-shifting movements of the 20th century are still with us and before the wrecking ball of 21st century life sweeps away even more of its hallowed history.
The inaugural festival was made possible by our partnership with the Washington Square Hotel, whose own history stretches back to 1902. The festival’s first sponsor and home base, it was also my home-from-home as I developed the project with a local partner, Liz Law. Raising money for a first-year festival is never easy and we are enormously grateful to those who had faith in us.
Many potential sponsors invited us to come back in Year 2: rest assured, we will – and with a three-year plan. Think of The Village Trip 2018 as a pilot, one to which I personally committed a good deal of money. We are now commissioning a series.
The response from those who came has been overwhelming. So too those involved, performers and hosts, among them Paul Rizzo, owner of the fabled Bitter End, who wrote: “It was a pleasure working with everyone and I hope next year is even more of a success. Just let me know when we want to do it again and we will make it happen. I’m sure that all the spirits that haunt this room were very happy with the performance that night as well. The best part was the glow on the audience’s faces, which we all love to see. It was enjoyed by all. Thanks for a magical night.”
We plan to make more magic in 2019, and beyond, and our many civic partners have committed to working with us. We hope the Village community feels the same way – for it is, still, a community, and it must be allowed to thrive. The Village Trip can bring tourists downtown – plus tourists from out of town and out of state – who will spend money in restaurants and stores that struggle to survive the high rents and who are often part of the history and heritage The Village Trip will celebrate.
If you’d like to be involved – as a sponsor or a donor, or if you’d like to share your expertise – please visit www.TheVillageTrip.com and contact us at info@TheVillageTrip.com We look forward to hearing from you.
With many thanks and all good wishes for the coming holidays.
Liz Thomson
Co-founder and Executive Producer
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