A History of the Wychwood Festival

Cheltenham Racecourse

The Wychwood Music Festival was launched in 2005 by music and festival enthusiasts Graeme Merrifield and Sam Shrouder who wanted to create an event that was both intimate (even with an average of 20,000 attendees) and thrilling like a big festival. With its name deriving from the ancient forest that once covered large parts of Oxfordshire, the festival has really found its home over Gloucester and is steadily becoming the counties largest and most popular music festival.

Running for a consecutive three-days with camping options available, the festival offers an idyllic campsite that sits beneath the Prestbury Hills with Tipis, Yurts, pillow camping tents and bell tents. Consisting of four stages, the festival has hosted some great, well-known artists such as Duffy, The Proclaimers, Bill Bailey, UB40’s Ali Campbell and many more. However, although the festival is well known for it’s music, it is also very much well-known for its other activities including 100 workshops, a headphone disco, the Children’s Literature Festival, comedy and even a cinema.

When comedy was first added to the programme in 2006, the event included a very special and intimate performance from Mark Thomas. From this, there have since been many other acts perform at the festival, such as Andy Smart, Steve Steen, Stephen Frost, Jeff Green and many more in 2008. In fact, 2008 was the most successful Wychwood to date, with the festival coming close to selling out!

By 2011, the festival saw even more expansion with even bigger and better workshops from dancing to arts and crafts, beatboxing and ukulele lessons. Not only this, but there was also some great shows such as the Magic show, Punch and Judy and walkabout characters that added to the magical atmosphere for kids and grownups alike. In addition, the area also included the Children’s Literature Festival with a variety of great children’s authors who read their work and met their fans.

In 2015, the festival re-partnered with promoters Smashing Blouse, BBC introducing and the University of Gloucestershire who provided the festival with some great emerging bands. Not only this, but the Tone Radio society at the University also ran the Wychwood FM radio station to cover the event, capturing interviews and acoustic sets with many of the acts.

In most recent years (2018), the festival offered 5 music stages instead of 4, from those already famous to those just starting out. Not only this, but the 2018 event offered relaxation in their Healing Gardens with an extensive range of different massages, facials and even ear candling!

This year, the festival is encouraging festival-goers to cycle to the event, make new friends and reduce environmental impact with Red Fox Cycling. For those involved in this, the festival offers a limited number of discounted tickets for cyclists, with the rides beginning in major locations in Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Overall, the variety of entertainment offered by the event has led the festival to be nominated Best Family Festival in the UK Festival Awards each year. Not only this, but in the first year of the festival (2005) the reaction towards the event was so positive that the festival made it onto the Times Top 7 Festivals of the summer, leading the festival to carry on its great work at providing entertainment for the masses.

 

More Details

More details about A History of the Wychwood Festival (External Link)

 

Wychwood Festival

The UK's favourite family festival takes place within the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, with over 100 acts performing across four stages.

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