ORGANISERS of The Village Pump Folk Festival, which comes to Westbury for the first time this weekend, are confident of a great festival whatever the weather.
The festival is bringing some of the top names in British folk and roots music to White Horse Country Park. From the 20th-22nd July, acts at the festival include Cara Dillon, Show of Hands, Seth Lakeman, Karine Polwart, Oysterband, Three Daft Monkeys and Ben Waters. The weekend is a rebirth of the successful festival in Trowbridge, which has built up a reputation for quality folk entertainment since it was established in 1974.
This year the festival kicks off with an open mic session for local performers on Friday afternoon from 3.00pm, before the main stages open at 7.00pm. Saturday will include workshops from 10.00am with the main stages opening at 1.00pm. Sunday will also be a full day of music with workshops from 10.00am and main stages open from 1.00pm.
Clive Woodland, a member of the organising committee, says the festival is confident of a great weekend. “It’s all going to plan, ticket sales are ahead of our expectations at this stage. We think one of our bonuses is that all the shows are undercover so we haven’t many worries about the weather, unlike other festivals where they are very concerned there.”
Clive says that, although the festival will have to assess how this year’s event goes, they hope the event will remain in Westbury in future years. For a festival that prides itself on a friendly and intimate atmosphere, featuring great music from acts with an international reputation, the site has plenty to offer. The Village Pump Folk Festival has chosen the White Horse Country Park as its venue because it is a compact and flat site with excellent facilities of its own, including a dance hall, bar and restaurant.
Clive said, “Everyone who has seen the site has been very positive. And another thing is that whereas a lot of festivals jack the prices up for beer and drinks, the country park has made the decision to keep them lower than pubs!
“We are trying to concentrate on the festival as something for local people. There will hopefully be around 2,500 people and we hope a good proportion will come from very close by.”
Full details of the Village Pump Folk Festival can be found at www.villagepumpfolkfestival.co.uk Weekend tickets, including camping cost £110 or £55 for children aged 10 – 17. Children under 10 are free. Day tickets are also available: Friday £30 (Children £15) Saturday £55 (£27.50) Sunday £55 (£27.50) Tickets are available from the Trowbridge Tourist Information Office or Bristol Ticket Shop.
• Congratulations to Vicky Brown of Westbury, who won two weekend tickets, worth £220, to the festival in the ticket competition featured in the last issue of the White Horse News.
