Wychwood Festival was first held in 2005 at Cheltenham Racecourse. It features a mixture of music from world to folk, psychedelic pop to dance. There is live music, acoustic stages and DJs to entertain all, solar powered cinema, various workshops for all ages, including circus skills, taichi and yoga workshops. Wychwood is a very family friendly festival and it has been nominated Best Family Festival at the UK festival Awards two years running.
It is said to be the Gloucestershire's answer to Glastonbury, with 24,000 people flocking to Cheltenham Racecourse in 2007.
Wychwood Festival
The site is divided into the Festival Village (encompassing the Main Stage Arena, The Big Top, The Other Stage, Workshop areas, Global Trade Village and Healing Gardens) and the Campsite which is a short distance from the Festival Village on ‘centre course’.
There are a number of bars onsite serving amongst other things, quality real ale, lager and cider.
The 2007 line-up was headed by The Levellers for Friday night. Other artists included Fun Lovin' Criminals, Badly Drawn Boy, Robyn Hitchcock and Venus 3, Anoushka Shankar, Martha Tilson, Country Joe Macdonald, Ba Cissoko and Tobias Froberg.
2008 brought a rare collaboration project - Folk/world supergroup The Imagined Village, featuring Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Sheila Chandra from Transglobal Underground, Andy Gangadeen from The Bays, Francis Hylton, Johnny Kalsi from The Dhol Foundation, Barney Morse Brown, Sheema Mukherjee and Chris Wood. In addition to The Imagined Village there were performances from The Proclaimers, Phill Jupitus & the Blockheads, indie up and comers Palladium, a touch of country from Truck favourites Piney Gir and the Country Roadshow and Oxford band The Epstein.
Through the festival office on 01993 772580. You can also book online at www.wegottickets.co.uk. Tickets can be also purchased through Cheltenham Town Hall and The Everyman Theatre . Camping is included in your ticket, whether you are in a tent or live-in vehicle. Children aged 11 and under are free at the festival.
