Féile An Phobail means 'festival of the people' or 'community festival' and it was established in 1988 as a community reaction to challenge the negative and damaging portrayal of the West Belfast community. It was also a community response to funnel the tensions each August around the commemoration of Internment on August 9 into a positive celebration of the area.

Féile An Phobail is first and foremost a community-led festival with a strong local committee of 12 members, elected annually, together with a sub-committee on Finance & Personnel, 9 Working Groups and a series of established partnerships and networks with over 200 groups. It has the support and good-will of the local community as evidenced by the sponsorship from local businesses, the audience attendances, the range of events co-ordinated with local groups, the number of volunteers and the positive press coverage.

However, it does not fall into the common conception of a community festival for a number of reasons. Firstly the unique location of the festival in West Belfast means that it attracts a significant number of visitors from outside the area who come out of political interest. Secondly, the scale of the festival, with attendance records in excess of 250,000 people and a turnover of close to £1million per annum, takes it out of the normal range of community festivals. It is noted that the average festival has an income of c.£70,000. Thirdly, the content of the Féile programme which has a strong focus on debate on political and contemporary issues - be it expressed in drama, literature or in a debating forum - widens the appeal of the festival to a greater number of people from outside the area. The continuing success of Féile An Phobail is attributed to the dynamism and creativity of the people of West Belfast, and the wealth of talent and community spirit that exists here.

August Féile the largest community-led festival in Europe is now entering its 19th year. Our programme of events is of the highest standards of quality entertainment. August Féile has  had similar acts to three major UK festivals - Glastonbury, the Cambridge Folk Festival and the London Fleadh. These are all recognised internationally for the quality and breath of their acts.

August Féile was essentially set up to highlight the creative and dynamic community that resides in West Belfast and to promote the community on the world stage; each year we bring world-renowned acts to West Belfast. However an important part of our ethos is to promote local talent and we actively ensure that some of our acts include both established and up and coming local / national artists.

August Féile incorporates ten days and nights of music and concerts, exhibitions, discussions and debates, children's events, literary events, dramas, Féile FM radio station, community events, carnival parade, an International Food Fayre, Sports, Tours and Walks.

The August Féile, the flagship of Féile An Phobail, has grown from being a small local festival into a ten-day festival with a reputation that attracts artists and speakers of the calibre of Oscar winner Michael Moore, acclaimed journalists and writers such as Robert Fisk and Naom Chomsky and the hottest headline performers in comedy and music. On top of that it provides the performance arena for showcasing local talent in drama, literature and music and gives local people and visitors an opportunity to experience West Belfast in new ways by partnering with local community groups to put on open days, and organising tours, hill-walking, nature trips and other sports-day type activities for children.

Source:http://www.feilebelfast.com
          http://www.makinggoodmoney.org