FOR music lovers, it has been another summer of cancellations but, to the delight of festival fans, the country’s tastiest event will go ahead with a star-studded line-up of artists and chefs.
The Big Feastival will attract thousands of fans of food and music to the farm of Blur star Alex James in Kingham, this weekend, August 27-29. The event will feature sets by Sigala, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Nile Rodgers, Morcheeba Reef, Judge Jules and Ella Eyre.
And the charismatic bassist-turned celebrity cheesemaker says it can’t come soon enough.
“I cannot wait to welcome everyone back to the farm this summer for our 10th Birthday party!” he says. “We’re all in need of a serious celebration this year so we’re pulling out all the stops to ensure this is our best line-up yet.”
Also pitching up at the rolling site, near Chipping Norton will be Norman Jay The Cuban Brothers, Max & Harvey, Zara Larsson, Tom Walker, All Saints, Maisie Peters and Emily Burns, and Kawala.
The host, bass player with Blur, also takes to the stage with his own Alex James Orchestra.
Showing off their culinary skills will be chefs Nathan Outlaw, Tom Brown, Mark Hix, Ching He Huang, Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, James Knappett, Steven Lamb and Romy Gill.
More unusually, rapper Professor Green will team up with chef Gizzi Erksine for their Giz ‘n’ Greens show. The duo inspired millions over the last year with their ‘Monday Night Fakeaways’ series, leading to their own pop-up restaurant in Shoreditch.
The family-friendly event is a magnet for celebrities, with the likes of TV presenter Kelly Brook, Professor Green,Downton Abbey actor Matthew Goode, film director Sam Mendes, actress Amanda Holden, comic actor Simon Pegg, local singer Jack Savoretti and former PM David Cameron frequently seen enjoying the fun. Jamie Oliver, who previously co-hosted the festival, is still a regular visitor, as is neighbouring farmer Jeremy Clarkson.
Multi-platinum selling DJ Sigala will be Friday’s highlight, with summer anthems Wish You Well, Came Here For Love and Just Got Paid.
On Saturday night the festival welcome’s the king of funk Nile Rodgers & Chic. With an unrivalled career spanning more than five decades and 500 million albums sales, Nile will doubtless have the farm boogying along to hits such as Le Freak, Good Times, We Are Family and Let’s Dance.
The weekender will come to a close on Sunday night with Brit Award winner Rag’n’Bone Man, still riding high after the release of his long-awaited second album Life By Misadventure.
With his critically acclaimed four-times platinum debut Human and smashes such as Skin and Giant under his belt, the artist, real name Rory Graham, has firmly established himself as one of the most powerful voices to have emerged from the British music scene in recent years.
Joining the line-up and making her Feastival debut will be Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson, who will have fans singing along to hits including Lush Life, which spent more than a year in the UK chart and has a whopping 950m streams on Spotify, Never Forget You and chart-topping single Symphony with former Big Feastival headliners Clean Bandit. She also comes armed with tunes from her new album Poster Girl.
Festival favourite and Waiting All Night star Ella Eyre, whose collaboration with another former Big Feastival headliner, Rudimental, topped the charts and received a Brit Award for British Single of the Year performs on Friday.
Singer songwriter Tom Walker, the Brits 2019 British Breakthrough Act best known for his platinum singles Leave A Light On and Just You And I, will keep festival-goers going on Sunday.
The Big Feastival will also feature quality family entertainment, including Children’s TV megastar Justin Fletcher, Horrible Histories, Andy and the Odd Socks and Aardman Animation – creators of Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run.
To celebrate their involvement, the Aardman crew presented Alex James with a specially designed model of himself.
In celebration of Alex’s cheesemaking and giving a nod to Aardman’s iconic character Wallace’s infamous love of Wensleydale, the figurine grasps a portion of cheese.
Aardman will be giving festival goers the chance to learn how to make their very own Shaun, Gromit or Lu-La character at modelling workshops on Friday. Led by one of their expert model makers, they’ll also get the opportunity to ask questions about the tricks of the trade from the Aardman studio.
Alex says: “We are pulling out all the stops for this year’s Big Feastival – returning with a bigger line-up than ever before for our special 10th edition.”
What's on...
FRIDAY
MUSIC: Sigala, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Ella Eyre, Max & Harvey, Morcheeba, Duke
CHEFS: Theo Randall, Jack Stein, Giz & Greens, Candice Brown, Ping Coombes
ALEX JAMES CHEESE HUB guest DJs: Lottie, Norman Jay, Alex James & friends
THE BANDSTAND: Joe Hicks, The Yoko Mainwaring Experience, Fun DMC, Naughty & Nice, The Dunwells, Swing Patrol , Toto Popadopulous, Dick and Dom – DJ battle
BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING STAGE: Campbell Sibthorpe, Ruth Kelly, Pandapopalypse, Izzie Derry, Rampton Prom, Candid, Eny
SATURDAY
MUSIC: Nile Rodgers & Chic, Zara Larsson, Tom Grennan, Judge Jules, Norman Jay, Kawala, The Cuban Brothers
CHEFS: Nathan Outlaw, Mark Hix, Ching He Huang, Gizzi Erskine, Romy Gill, Juliet Sear, James Knappett, Ralph Rolle
ALEX JAMES CHEESE HUB guest DJs: Danny Rampling, Fat Tony, Alex James & friends
THE BANDSTAND: Drum and Bass Workout, Duke, Rockeoke, Marie White, Secret Guest, Disco Dance Soul Train, DJ BBQ
BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING STAGE: Zkeletonz, Dolly Mavies, Chasing Deer, Laura Christopher, Reece Bahia, Jules Rendell, Easter Island Statues
SUNDAY
MUSIC: Rag’n’Bone Man, Tom Walker, All Saints, Maisie Peters, Reef, Emily Burns, The Alex James Orchestra
CHEFS: Skye Mcalpine, The Orange Bakery, Matt Tebbutt
ALEX JAMES CHEESE HUB guest DJs: Krafty Kuts, A Skillz, Alex James & friends
THE BANDSTAND: Mel Bel, Hula Hoop Workship, Maddison Douch, 80s themed pub quiz, Dave Flack Sunday Session, 80s power ballad workout, Ultimate power does the 80s
BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING STAGE: Some People, Jen Berkova, Premium Leisure, The Rising, Wandering Wires, Chikaya, Juno Dream
GET THERE: The Big Feastival site is on Alex James’ Farm near Kingham, four miles southwest of Chipping Norton and just a four minute walk to the festival site from Kingham railway station. Trains from Oxford take just 26 minutes.
TICKETS
Weekend, camping and Saturday and Sunday tickets are already sold out. Friday tickets are on sale at thebigfeastival.com
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