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Past news...

A look back at all the past events and news.

Just click a read more to see the full article.

LOOK WHAT YOU MISSED.........

A look back at all the stars from Festivals Past..

Here you can take a look back at some of the top artists who featured at each festival - a fabulous star-cast from our wonderful world of organs and keyboards. You can also download example programmes for three events each year during 2010 - 2011 and 2012. If you haven't joined us before this should show you what a spectacular "cram-packed-full" weeks entertainment programme we provide at every single event. With a main theatre programme running from 9.30am-11.30pm, and a late night bar running even later - in addition you will find a full "dealers diary" of events held in the many exhibitions rooms that are part of the event. No other festival comes close to offering such a comprehensive range on concerts, teach-ins, seminars, dancing, late night jams, afternoon informal shows, morning chat's dealers diary events and much more. If you have joined us before, this section is also a chance to take trip down memory lane. We also provide a simple list of artists names for the earlier events going right back to the Caister events.

2012 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME DOWNLOADS

Spring Pakefield 2012

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

Blackpool 2012

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

Photos from Blackpool 2012 more downloads after these -

Blackpool 2012 ...

September Pakefield 2012

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

2011 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME DOWNLOADS

Spring Pakefield 2011

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

Blackpool 2011

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

September Pakefield 2011

Click here for the main programme

2011 Festival Advert

Click here

2010 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME DOWNLOADS

25th anniversary

Spring Pakefield 2010

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

Blackpool 2010

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

September Pakefield 2010

Click here for the main programme

Click here for the dealers diary and exhibitions

2010 25th anniversary Festival advert

Click here

A taster of earlier events................................................................

"Cavalcadians at the Castle"

In 2010 we moved our Blackpool venue to the Norbreck Castle hotel as part of our 25th anniversary celebrations. Below is an image of the leaflet we sent out to Cavalcadians at that time

Our letter following the first event at the Norbreck -

We have just returned from our first ever festival at the Norbreck Castle hotel Blackpool and we are very pleased to say that a vast majority of Cavacadians voted our new musical home an outstanding success and as one Cavalcadian said “ a very nice step up much better than Pontins, although we will miss the ants!”

We could all enjoy everything under one roof without worrying about the biting cold wind and the public areas were a revelation with comfortable sofa’s, a big conservatory with multiple seating and the ballroom corridor/orangery all having sea views and great ambiance. Every one of the many exhibitors all also gave the hotel a big thumbs up, they were nicely spread out with proper carpeted exhibition rooms adding to the more upmarket and comfortable feel of the venue.

LOOKING BACK.

HOW DID IT ALL START- A LOOK BACK

As Sceptre Promotions Keyboard Cavalcade Festivals celebrate their 28th year, we take a brief look back to the roots of these special events and how it all started. Founded by Roy Neal, Sceptre Promotions first `Keyboard Entertainment ' festival was launched in May 1985 - but you don't just decide to start an organ festival, so how did it all start?

Roy Neal followed in his parent’s footsteps by opening his own retail shop initially selling jewellery and watches, while his passion for music (jazz) was fulfilled by forming his own band called “Roy Neal and His Rhythm”. The years passed and his business interests developed well although they changed to better meet his personal interest in music and reading/writing. The jeweler's shop became a bookshop, and then the books shared space with records, followed by various musical instruments, as the shop became known as Reading, Records & Rhythm! The big change came about because of a chance visit by a keyboard salesman in the early 70's, the salesman unveiled a single keyboard "Tiger Organ", resplendent on its own stand and featuring chunky plastic `pull-out' switches to operate the voices. It was quickly snapped up, found its way home and a new personal passion for the wonderful hobby of making your own keyboard music was born. Self taught, Roy's passion for the organ grew by the day and gradually he managed to earn a living from his hobby by developing his retail business into a company called Treasure Music. The chain of keyboard shops grew to become one of the UK's largest organ retailers and Roy’s son Grant eventually joined the business, starting as tea boy and ending up managing one of the locations which included all musical instruments (not just keyboards), this was probably a good thing for a long haired youngster with a passion for heavy metal music and Martial Arts, a sport Grant still enjoys today, it was Taekwondo at that time and he claimed a podium spot at a UK national competition!

Do you remember these names from the 70’s: Thomas, (remember Harold Smart), Gulbranson, Riha, Eminent, Wurlitzer, Elka, Selina, Panasonic/Technics, Kawai, Farfisa, Crumar, Bentley - all sadly no longer around - the `note glow' system that Thomas introduced, the first multi-voices from Riha and that terrible third keyboard synthesiser on the bigger home Wurlitzers? One of the favourites of the day was the Lowrey Symphony Holiday with real Leslie speakers and Symphonic Strings, many featured a built-in cassette recorder, in fact I bet some of you still have a tape recording somewhere, from the days before sequencers & burning CD’s! Of course Lowrey are still going strong today over a quarter of a century later, along with others who have been at the top since those early days in the 70’s - Hammond, Yamaha, Orla, Wersi, Casio, Roland, Korg, Bohm and others! How technology has moved on, to bring us sampled sounds, Midi, disk drives, USB and much more, today the organ is certainly the complete home orchestra/instrument. Treasure Music saw over eleven years of success spreading the word on all things organ, there was even a mobile demonstration van that appeared at local markets around the region, sadly the early 80's recession saw the closure of the chain, but the passion lived on. All those years of `keyboard experience' were put to good use elsewhere!

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