Larmer Tree Festival

Last updated

Larmer Tree Festival
KRusby Larmer08.jpg
Kate Rusby at the Larmer Tree Festival 2008
GenreRock and pop, reggae, folk, acoustic, world, jazz, comedy, family, theatre, talks, workshops, arts and crafts
DatesAnnually in July
Location(s) Larmer Tree Gardens, near Tollard Royal, Wiltshire, England
Years active1990 – 2019
Founded byJames Shepard
Website larmertreefestival.co.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Larmer Tree Festival was a three-day music, comedy and arts festival held annually from 1990 until 2019 at the Larmer Tree Gardens, near Tollard Royal on the Wiltshire-Dorset border in England. The 2020 festival was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the event was not held in 2021, 2022 or 2023.

Contents

Performers included Paloma Faith, Jake Bugg, First Aid Kit, Tom Odell, KT Tunstall, Tom Jones, Kae Tempest, Jools Holland and Gomez.

Location

The festival was held in the Larmer Tree Gardens, a Victorian pleasure ground created by landowner Augustus Pitt Rivers. It had a capacity of 5000 audience members per day.

The Larmer Tree itself was an ancient landmark tree on the ancient boundary between Wiltshire and Dorset.[ citation needed ] The setting has lawns and gardens, dotted with Indian pavilions and Roman temples, with free-roaming peacocks and macaws, which also featured in much of the festival's branding. [1] [2]

Organization

Seth Lakeman at the Larmer Tree Festival 2008 Seth Lakeman.jpg
Seth Lakeman at the Larmer Tree Festival 2008

The first festival was held in 1990, founded by James Shepard, who was joined in 1993 by Julia Safe. Rob Challice joined as director in 2015, having previously managed the festival's music programming.

Following the 2018 festival, James Shepard and Julia Safe stepped down as directors. Rob Challice continued in his role, joined by new directors Lauren Down and James Strathallan.

Nearly 500 volunteers from the local area, covering 13 different roles, help out before, during and after the event, and it has links with many local organisations. [3] [4]

The festival organisers tried to minimise its environmental impact, by such measures as recycling as much as possible and insisting on the use of biodegradable trays and wooden cutlery by the catering outlets at the event. They also encouraged festival-goers to take measures such as lift-sharing by signing up to GoCarShare or Freewheelers, recycling, and saving water on site. [5]

Events

See Larmer Tree Festival line-ups for line-up listings.

The music performances took place on four stages – Main Stage, Peacock Palace, The Social and Village Inn. The festival predominately featured acoustic folk, indie-rock, jazz, country-folk, world music, reggae, roots and blues, plus the Late Night Larmer programme which included DJs and disco beats. The Village Inn hosted swing, ska and skiffle performances.

Comedy performers at the Festival included Josie Long, Mark Watson, Dylan Moran, Sara Pascoe and Nish Kumar, new comers, Edinburgh Festival Fringe previews and live podcast recordings.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 event, [6] and it was not held in 2021, 2022 Or 2023. In late 2021 the organisers blamed COVID-related disruption to suppliers and contractors, and potential financial risks. [7]

Facilities

The festival offered a number of boutique camping options from traditional Gypsy-style caravans to well-furnished Bell Tents. There were several campsites including Quiet Camping, Family Camping, General Camping, Accessible Camping, Day Camping, and the Van Field with a panoramic views of the Cranborne Chase. The campsite next to the festival ground was free, with free hot showers. In 2006 the festival toilets won the UK Festival Awards 2006 Portaloo Sunset Award For Best Toilets. [8]

Awards

In 2008 the Larmer Tree Festival was nominated for five awards by UK Festival Awards: Best Small Festival (for festivals of 10,000 festival-goers or less); Best Lineup; Grass Roots Festival Award (for "the king of anti-commercialism"); Family Festival Award and Best Toilets. [9] The festival made the shortlist in three categories: Best Small Festival, Family Festival Award and Best Toilets, and won the Family Festival Award when the results were announced at the awards ceremony in London on 30 October 2008. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glastonbury Festival</span> Performing-arts festival in Somerset, England

Glastonbury Festival is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England in most summers. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages and performance areas. Films and albums have been recorded at the festival, and it receives extensive television and newspaper coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Big Chill (music festival)</span> An annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy

The Big Chill was an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August. The 2011 line-up included The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Jessie J, Robert Plant, Calvin Harris, Neneh Cherry, Aloe Blacc, Chipmunk, Katy B & Example. The festival has not been staged since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxegen</span> Music festival in Ireland

Oxegen was a music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festival, and, by 2009, it was being cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland, although this claim is highly disputed as green-washing. It was previously called Witnness, which ran from 2000 and was sponsored by Guinness. The event was promoted by MCD and was sponsored by Heineken. Oxegen was originally a three-day festival, but from 2008 onwards, it was expanded to four days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Download Festival</span> English rock festival

Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England ; in Paris, France ; at Parramatta Park, Sydney ; Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne and at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixpenny Handley</span> Human settlement in England

Sixpenny Handley or Handley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge, in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase ten miles (16 km) north east of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,233. The civil parish was abolished on 1 April 2015 and merged with Pentridge to form Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairport's Cropredy Convention</span> UK annual festival of folk and rock music

Fairport's Cropredy Convention is an annual festival of folk and rock music, headed by British folk-rock band Fairport Convention and held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England. The festival has taken place in August annually since 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T in the Park</span> Music festival in Scotland, 1994 to 2016

T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused Balado airfield, Perth and Kinross, from 1997 to 2014. In 2015 the festival moved to Strathallan Castle. It was originally held over two days, and extended to three days from 2007. In 2016 the daily capacity was 70,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tollard Royal</span> Human settlement in England

Tollard Royal is a village and civil parish on Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England. The parish is on Wiltshire's southern boundary with Dorset and the village is 6 miles (10 km) southeast of the Dorset town of Shaftesbury, on the B3081 road between Shaftesbury and Sixpenny Handley.

Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. The name Bestival is a portmanteau of the words best and festival. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organised by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank along with his wife Josie and was an offshoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial Bestival attracted 10,000 people, growing to 50,000 in its final year, 2018. Bestival won 'Best Major Festival' at the 2015 UK Festival Awards, having won 'Best Medium-Sized Festival' in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009, 'Best Major Festival' in 2010, 2012 and in 2015, 'Fan's Favourite' in 2011 and 'Best Innovation' in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinegar Hill, New Zealand</span> Place in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand

Vinegar Hill is a locality on State Highway 1 in New Zealand's North Island; a camp at that locality and an annual Christmas celebration held at the camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs</span> Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England

Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covering 379 square miles (980 km2) of Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire. It is the sixth largest AONB in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bestival 2008</span>

The Bestival 2008 was the fifth instalment of the Bestival a boutique music festival at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. The festival was held between 5–7 September 2008 and over 30,000 people attended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larmer Tree Gardens</span>

The Larmer Tree Gardens near Tollard Royal in south Wiltshire, England, were created by landowner Augustus Pitt Rivers in 1880 as pleasure grounds for "public enlightenment and entertainment". They were the first private gardens opened for public enjoyment in the United Kingdom, and were free to enter. The 11-acre (4.5 ha) Grade II* listed gardens are within the Rushmore Estate in Cranborne Chase, an ancient royal hunting ground and now an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Larmer Tree Festival near Tollard Royal on the Wiltshire–Dorset border is a music and arts festival which has taken place annually since 1990. There are several different stages and areas, and many diverse forms of music, performance and workshops can be found on site.

The UK Festival Awards are awarded annually, with various categories for all aspects of festivals that have taken place in the UK, and one category for European festivals. The Awards were first established in 2004 by Steve Jenner and his team at Virtual Festivals.com. They are voted for by the public via the UK Festival Awards website. To ensure fairness, the votes are weighted to take into account the event capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">End of the Road Festival</span> Annual music festival in England

End of the Road Festival is an annual music festival in England which focuses on independent rock and folk music. It is hosted at the Larmer Tree Gardens, on the border of north Dorset and Wiltshire, and usually takes place over the last weekend of August or the first full weekend in September. The first festival took place in 2006, and after selling out for the first time in 2008, it has sold out in advance every year since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendal Calling</span>

Kendal Calling is a music & arts festival, held annually at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria in the North West of England. It has grown from a two-day, 900 capacity event in 2006 to a 25,000 capacity 4-day music festival. Kendal Calling has 9 stages and has featured live performances from notable artists such as Blondie, Pendulum, Doves, Dizzee Rascal, James, Mumford & Sons, Calvin Harris and British Sea Power. In 2010 Kendal Calling was awarded the Best Small UK Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards, as voted by the public. Kendal Calling also won the industry award 'Best Small Festival' at the LIVE UK awards 2011. Superstruct Entertainment, the live entertainment platform backed by Providence Equity Partners, owns the festival after it entered definitive agreement for the acquisition of several live music and entertainment festivals from Global Media & Entertainment and Broadwick Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Bestival</span>

Camp Bestival is a British music festival, the "little sister" of Bestival, both organised by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank. It is held annually, in July, at Lulworth Castle in Dorset and is targeted at families with small children. In 2019 it had a capacity of 10,000. It won the Best New Festival award from the UK Festival Awards in 2008 and Best Family Festival in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boomtown (festival)</span> Immersive music festival near Winchester, England

Boomtown is a British music festival held annually on the Matterley Estate in South Downs National Park, near Winchester, Hampshire. It was first held in 2009 and has been held at its current site since 2011. Its diverse line-up of bands, DJs and speakers perform on many different stages each a part of a district with its own individual theme. Each yearly event is known as a Chapter and expands on the story line from the previous year, told through the sets, live actors and many forms of alternate reality games. The festival site is split into several districts, and the narrative is reflected in the design of the districts, streets and venues, which are populated by hundreds of actors to play the role of inhabitants. The large scale of the sets and infrastructure require six weeks of construction, and a month of disassembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArcTanGent Festival</span> Annual British rock festival

ArcTanGent Festival is a three-day British rock festival held annually at Fernhill Farm in Somerset, England since 2013. It is the most popular British summer festival for math rock, post rock, progressive metal and experimental music. Previous performers include Explosions in the Sky, Glassjaw, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Meshuggah, Coheed & Cambria, Shellac, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Russian Circles, Deafheaven, Cult of Luna, American Football, Battles, Public Service Broadcasting, And So I Watch You from Afar, 65daysofstatic, Fuck Buttons, La Dispute, TesseracT, Daughters and Mono.

References

  1. "Larmer Tree magic weaves its spell". This is Wiltshire. Retrieved 11 October 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. Keen, Mary (24 May 2003). "A stately pleasure garden". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  3. "The Story So Far". Larmer Tree Festival. Archived from the original on 19 April 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  4. "Volunteers". Larmer Tree Festival. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  5. "Green Larmer Tree". Larmer Tree Festival. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  6. "Larmer Tree Festival 2020 Cancellation". larmertreefestival.co.uk. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  7. @LarmerTreeFest (20 December 2021). "... Larmer Tree has always operated on tight margins and we can't afford to take huge risks, so we have decided not to have a festival in 2022" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  8. "Larmer Tree Festival". Contact Music. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  9. "Larmer Tree Festival 2008: Nominated in the following categories". UK Festival Awards. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  10. "The Winners of 2008". UK Festival Awards. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  11. "UK Festival Awards – Vote for Us!". Larmer Tree Festival. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2008.

50°57′6.82″N2°4′59.86″W / 50.9518944°N 2.0832944°W / 50.9518944; -2.0832944