YET another new music festival is planned for the area this summer – and it is aiming for the posh end of the market.
Bigfoot will make its debut with a three-day celebration of music, food and drink in the grounds of Ragley Hall, near Alcester, over the Warwickshire border, from June 19- 21.
The site is blessed with abundant woodland and a lake which will be transformed into an event which organisers describe as “a festival wonderland of creativity, inspiration and hedonism”.
It will feature more than 60 music acts across five stages, with Fat White Family, Little Dragon, Baxter Dury and Hot Chip Megamix. A Sasquatch Bandstand will be the home of experimental, innovative performance and a Treehouse Dance Stage will keep the beats going late into the night for revellers who aren’t quite ready for bed, with a line-up of DJs including George Fitzgerald, Erol Alkan and a DJ set from Maribou State. A Signature Brew Live area will feature emerging talent.
Its foodie bill boasts15 restaurants and eight chefs, and the offerings of 50 craft breweries, natural winemakers and artisanal spirit producers.
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With an emphasis on nature, wholesome pursuits and good food, it follows very much in the footsteps of our own Wilderness festival, at Cornbury Park, but it could also give Cornbury Festival, at Great Tew, and The Big Feastival, in Kingham, a run for their money.
The announcement, this week, comes hot on the heels of the unveiling of another stately home festival – Kite at Kirtlington Park,from June 12-14.
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Bigfoot also claims to showcase pioneering chefs, top restaurants and street food. A banqueting tent will feature zero-waste innovator Douglas McMaster of London eatery Silo, Matt Orlando of Copenhagen restaurant Amass, and Chase Lovecky of Shoreditch’s Two Lights (famous for their signature sardine sandwiches – tails protruding from white bread). They will host Blackout Dining, a sustainable vegetarian feast cooked using no electricity. Up to 200 guests will dine elbow-to-elbow under the stars, at candlelit tables stretching along the banks of the lake.
There will be a boutique camping area for those looking for a bespoke experience, as well as a Lakeside Cinema showing classic movies and cult favourites throughout the evenings.
Festival-goers will be able to boat and swim across the lake, or take a relaxing dip in the open-air, timber-clad hot tubs. Bigfoot will also be the perfect escape for families with a curated line-up of sessions for little ones including kids’ raves, forest foraging and mini yoga, and even a dedicated family camping area.
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Organisers Daniel Sylvester and Greg Wells, co-founders of We Are Beer, will follow the success of London, Bristol and Edinburgh Craft Beer Festivals. Greg and Dan have brought together 50 of Europe’s top craft brewers, including Verdant Brewery, Church Farm and Northern Monk, and Danish microbrewery To Øl available at four dedicated bars.
Greg says “Bigfoot is our ideal version of a modern lifestyle festival.
“We’ve designed this from the ground up to showcase the incredibly dynamic culture around craft beer, cutting-edge food and great music.
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“Ragley Hall is an incredible backdrop for this, the perfect venue for us to launch this celebration.”
Daniel adds: “The time is right for something new in the festival world. There’s been a revolution in Britain’s appreciation and love of food and drink and Bigfoot will be somewhere that festival-goers can discover fantastic beer and wine, eat incredible, world-class food, and really let their hair down to the sound of some of the most exciting acts of the moment.”
Bigfoot tickets are available now and are priced at £120, with early bird tickets starting at £80. Boutique camping will start at £280. Children 13 and under go free.
Confirmed acts:
- Fat White Family
- Little Dragon
- Hot Chip Megamix
- Maribou State (DJ)
- Baxter Dury
- George Fitzgerald (DJ)
- Gerd Janson
- Erol Alkan
- Lake of Stars presents a southern African showcase
- London African Gospel Choir perform Graceland
Food:
- Matt Orlando & Douglas McMaster & Chase Lovecky present Blackout Dining
- 10 Greek Street
- Dough & Brew
- Patty & Bun
- Original Patty Men
- Club Mexicana
Beers & Drinks:
- Verdant Brewery
- Church Farm
- To Øl (Denmark)
- Lervig
- Braybrooke
- Five Points
- Stone & Wood
- Northern Monk
- Signature Brew
- Wild Beer
Features:
- Lakeside boutique camping
- Swimming and boating
- Children’s activities - from forest foraging walks and pizza making to kids raving
- Dedicated family camping area
- Full health and wellness programming from DOSE
- Lakeside Cinema & Hot Tubs
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