Everyone loves festivals, but over selling have led to many of them being over crowded, too expensive and a lot less fun. So if you love the atmosphere of a festival, what’s the answer? Let us introduce festival style parties, the next big thing for a bit of festival camping.
Over the last decade or so festivals have become a regular feature in the summertime calendar. They appear in locations across the world (and particularly in the UK) and with line-ups to suit all tastes.
Go with a group of friends and you’re assured of great music, good company, an extended weekend of fun, theatre, escapism and a bucket-load of memories.
But recent commercialisation of some festivals, has led to the development of the mini-festival. This involves groups of like-minded individuals keen to explore their own creativity, but who – for a variety of reasons – don’t fit into the typical festival demographic.
We’re now seeing festival-goers who want to enjoy a weekend within their own friendship group, without the hassle and high prices involved with larger festivals,
..explains Rebecca Cork of Honey Woods Events.
People who want to make camping a highlight of their weekend, but who don’t want to pay inflated food and drink prices and are there to relax and enjoy themselves in the outdoors.
They may want to avoid the crush of crowds at the big stage, take their young children with them or want to spend time as a group, rather than fighting to get around the site.
Peter Garrett of band, We Happy Few, concurs with Rebecca’s comments, and is due to put on his first mini-festival this summer.
We are aware that small intimate festivals are becoming more and more popular, so we have recently decided to attempt a 100-guest mini-festival.
A good mate has been running small annual camping events for friends which he named ‘Flummoxed’, so we have decided to combine the two and turn it into a musical event.
Our band, We Happy Few, has been playing shows in London and around the UK for some years. We always wanted to play at a festival, so we had an idea to put on our own event!
Rebecca has provided the skills and expertise to ensure the Flummoxed Festival meets all legal requirements and is structured appropriately.
I have worked and volunteered for festivals for several summers, learning about the site rules and regulations, health and safety, how to cope in an emergency and, more importantly, how to prevent one in the first place.
Critically, I’ve learnt how site layout and planning can make or break an event! This summer will be my eighth and I can’t wait for it to start!
But mini-festivals don’t stop at this level, with small established bands. Hannah Squires of Funky Monkey Tents has seen a definite demand for providing larger tented spaces for groups already booked into camping or glamping sites who just want to have an informal jam session at the end of each day.
We are being asked to provide a yurt or bell tent to be used as communal space for people who have already organised a gathering at a camp site.
The tent or yurt is somewhere they can meet up in the evenings, chat, play music and enjoy their friendship in a natural setting.
Each year since the business was founded, Hannah and husband Mark have provided canvas accommodation for a friend’s mini-festival. This year they will be supplying tents in the form of tipis and their alachigh. Creative music and a circus-theme should ensure this is quite a unique event.
Amanda Dunn of BillyOneHorn has also seen a surge in enquiries for mini-festival style events.
In addition to the wedding side of our business, we are regularly receiving enquiries and bookings for people wanting to hire our fields in order to celebrate birthdays and home-comings (from travel abroad) with a mini-festival style event.
People are looking for more than an evening’s celebration these days, they want an extension to that.
Our role is as facilitator to this type of event. We provide the location and list of suitable suppliers. Then cover the legalities (ie H&S, environmental health and insurance) while our customers enjoy demonstrating their creative flair.
A secluded field with a large firepit provides them with a natural ambience. By the time they’ve added a hand-crafted yurt or tent, some acoustic music, traditional outdoor games, delicious barbecue food and plenty of friends. They really do have all the ingredients for a memorable celebration.
Copy credits: Billy One Horn, and contributors Honey Woods Camping, We Happy Few, Funky Monkey Tents
Picture Credits: Funky Monkey Tents
