What To Expect
Music, everywhere, and amazingly most of the DMF music is free!
Staggering variety. In 2009 there were almost 100 different acts including: Blues, Soul, Reggae, Big Band, Classical, Rock, World, Drum, Bluegrass, Celtic, Dance, Folk, Country, Jazz, Latin/Salsa, Military, Organ, Rhythm & Blues, Youth, Sea Shanty, Appalachian and Acoustic. Truly music for all.
To get a taste of the variety take a look at our DMF teaser, or view all of our podcast output from 2009 on our own YouTube channel.
Although some events at the indoor sites like the Flavel Arts Centre are ticketed (items in the programme listing marked with an "I" button are ticketed or have other special conditions), nearly all outdoor events are free.
However, there is no such thing as a free lunch, the way we traditionally raise funds to pay for the bands is largely by collecting tins. If you enjoy the event and want to see it continue, you just throw some money in the tins. It seems to work very well. Plenty of good company and little ill-will, virtually every Pub, Club and Restaurant will have some entertainment scheduled for the DMF weekend.
It seems that it's quite OK to talk to folks you don't know and the music seems to bring folks together.A wide age range. The fantastic scope of our musical programme means that Dartmouth will be playing host to folks who only normally listen to Radio 3, right through to those who most make their own music or grab it from bit-torrent.
To see real Policemen, on the street not just in patrol cars, maybe even dancing. Give them a smile they're one of the reasons DMF runs so well. Don't give them any trouble, they enjoy the music too but they will be looking for the few who came for less sociable reasons and have a zero tolerance approach to under-age drinking and disorder.
You'll need cash, not Plastic. Many of the establishments in Dartmouth either exclusively take cash (and cheques) but cannot/will not accept credit cards. Avoid the rush, draw your cash early. At peak times in Dartmouth (like DMF and Regatta) it is not unknown for the cash points to run dry. There are four ATMs on the street in Dartmouth. Outside Nat West Bank, HSBC, Lloyds and a Link cash point outside Mccools Newsagents. You can also draw cash during opening times at the Dartmouth Post Office, the Kingswear sub-Post Office and the bank branches listed.