Issue 62

EVENTS
LINDSAY MELBOURNE
GEORGE HARRISON
enjoyment of our audience. We
have worked really hard to ensure
that our customers are looked after
from the time they arrive to the time
they leave. The reality is we build
a temporary world, and nothing is
perfect, but as a team of likeminded
professionals who give their heart to
the festival, everything that we do is
with the customer in mind.
How do you work with creatives
to make these spaces work?
We are the creatives. Every part
of the festival has been carefully
curated. My co-founder Deborah
Shilling and I share a mutual love
of the genre and carefully set
about creating a world that was as
authentic as possible. I always have
a building perspective and look at
the festival as a whole. I try to design
areas that give maximum enjoyment
as a space and look asthetically
pleasing and unique. Debs always
drilled down the detail finding an
eclectic mix of props and furniture
that fitted with the whole Americana
theme.
The areas have evolved over the
years, and I believe 2023 was the
best the festival has ever looked.
Moving the main stage and other
structures around really worked. You
have to know your festival site, and
you have to adapt with growth. We
did win several awards in year one,
and also the years that followed, so
we feel that we had got a lot right.
How did you research and source
your infrastructure?
We employed production company
NW Live headed up by Joe Nichols.
He and his team do a great job of
getting the most loyal of suppliers at
the best price.
“INSIDE THE
ARENA, WE
HAVE MANY
STAGES ALL
WITH THE
BEST IN
TERMS OF
TALENT ON
SHOW”
What entertainment do you offer?
Every part of the festival has
been thought about to give as
much pleasure and variety to our
customers. As you enter the estate
you cannot fail to see the beauty
all around you with a 360 vista of
breathtaking scenery. Inside the
arena, we have many stages all with
the best in terms of talent on show.
We have motorbikes and old custom
trucks at the ‘Roadhouse’, we have
the best of low and slow cooking
at ‘Livefire’ offering a wide range
of entertainment, including the
now iconic Gospel Brunch, and the
infamous chilli eating competition.
Looking after the kids’ interests,
there is so much on offer at ‘Young
Folk’. We have a partnership with
‘Caffé Nero’ who bring us the best
in coffee, along with great music
entertainment in the unique space
they create especially for the
festival. The list goes on, but there
are also the most amazing artists to
discover, not only on the Main Stage,
but also on the other stages, ‘The
Ridge’, ‘Haleys’ and the ‘Supajam’.
We really have a lot on offer.
How do you manage admissions
and visitor safety?
We employ professional teams
who manage this process. We have
stringent licence conditions that
we strictly adhere to, to ensure the
safety of everyone on site – that of
our suppliers, teams and customers.
How did you cope during 2020 and
2021?
Unfortunately we were unable to
open our gates in both 2020 and
2021, although we did attempt to
be the first off the blocks in 2021
with a great line up and had started
the build. We had so much in place
to ensure we were Covid safe, and
the excitement on site was palpable
after no one had worked on a live
event for nearly two years. Our then
prime minister decided to extend
the lockdown for one further month,
so we had to pack up and were
unable to go ahead, costing the
festival a huge amount of money.
We had no government help
through the arts council grants and
that left a massive deficit in our
accounting. The worst thing was
that the next day, large sporting
events were allowed to take place.
You can imagine the conversations
that were being had with our
teams about how we felt about our
government.
What ground protection do you
use for cars and footfall?
We use a large amount of trakway. It
is, of course, one of those massively
expensive costs to the budget that
you always hate to see, and if the
weather is great and the trucks and
heavy lorries can drive around on
solid ground, that would be the
perfect secenario. Unfortunately
with the weather in the UK, you
cannot guarantee that, so as the
estate has very little roadways
and hardstanding, trakway is a
necessary cost.
How do you publicise the event?
Through all social media channels,
radio, large external posters and
all the usual channels. It is hard to
build a brand in a genre that is not
totally understood, but gradually
the whole Americana culture is
becoming very popular, especially
with the younger audience through
Tiktok, who follow the fashion and
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