Ever thought about planning your own festival? Well, that's exactly what local business owner Oakley Hayward did — and it's coming to the Cotswolds this summer.
The eponymously named Cotswold Fest launches in Cirencester in July 2024 and its debut year is bursting with exciting musical acts, a whole load of fairground rides and fantastic festival food.
Oakley Hayward's daily life usually involves working on cars as a body shop specialist, but after gaining experience at festivals in the past and building a relationship with a local landowner, he decided to take on the challenge of organising his own big event.
With festivals such as Barn on the Farm taking a year off and Nibley Festival coming to an end in 2024 after 16 years, Oakley saw a perfect opportunity to step into the world of live music events in Gloucestershire.
He said: 'With a lot of other festivals closing down after many years of hard work and great times, we thought it'd be such a shame for people to miss out, so we want to pick up the baton and put something big on for the area and provide that much-loved and sought-after entertainment for families this summer.'
While the live music line-up features acts such as The Faux Fighters, Noasis, Jonny 2 Bad, Chasing Kites, Mellowmatic, Shades of Silver and much more, festivalgoers will never find themselves bored with a huge selection of fairground rides on-site.
South Cerney Airfield in Cirencester is set to transform with a giant ferris wheel, a 50-foot inflatable obstacle course, funfair rides including bumper cars, teacups, bouncy castles and much more.
Plus, dazzling spectacles are set to take place across the weekend, with the Ken Fox Hell Riders taking on the Wall of Death in an unforgettable motorcycle show fit to impress the wildest adrenaline junkies — expect entertainment everywhere you turn!
Part of the excitement, visitors can take a break and refuel at some of the many vendors on site, with food and drink options including Mediterranean flavour from The Greek Graze Co; classic fish and chips from The Cotswold Chippy; and something sweet from Dolcetti Ice Cream and Sorbet or Sugar Shack Bakery.
And be sure to catch Kaleb Cooper's boozy horse box, as Kaleb's Cider hitches up to pour pints of Hawkstone Brewery cider and lager throughout the festival.
Both campers and day-ticket holders will want to stick around for the firework display rounding off the Saturday night — a highlight recommended by Oakley himself.
'We've got a firework show, professionally put together by Illuminatus Pyrotechnics that people won't want to miss.
'It's on par with what they put on in London — people pay up to £20 on fireworks night, so why not grab a ticket to Cotswold Fest and get incredible fireworks alongside all the other entertainment we've got — no brainer!'
Tickets to Cotswold Fest 2024 cost £39 per adult, per day; £99 per adult for the whole weekend; and £10 for under-18s, with under-fives attending for free.
But please note that tickets bought on the day at the gate are £49 — so pre-booking is advised!
For the full details and to book your tickets, be sure to visit cotswoldfest.co.uk.
