The homegrown festival, run by Lee Denny and a team of friends, was rebelliously founded in his back garden in Bromley, Kent in 2006 whilst his parents were away on holiday. It has since exploded onto the festival scene, renowned for its focus on supporting emerging artists.
LeeFest is now embarking on its biggest challenge to date – attempting to raise £50,000 so it can grow whilst remaining independent and sponsor free. Instead of taking a traditional route, LeeFest will attempt to raise the money through crowd funding website Kickstarter, handing over creative control of the festival to fans in exchange for small investments in its development. Fans suggested the idea on the LeeFest Facebook page.
Denny (25) explains his motivation behind the move:
‘A community of creative and energetic people has been snowballing around the festival since it began. In order to grow the festival we were faced with a choice to sell out to big sponsors and investors, or do something different. We owe our current success to the amazing individuals involved, so raising finance from the people and giving them creative control of the festival in return seemed perfect!’
A link to the Kickstarter Project will be available from 9:00 on Wednesday 3rd April.
Artists announced for the 2013 event include Delphic, The Other Tribe, King Charles, Stanton Warriors and Public Service Broadcasting with many more to be added.
http://www.kickstarter.com/
LeeFest now has 30 days to raise £50,000 and become the most unique festival in the world!