How to Plan a Weekend at the Stortford Music Festival

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:PlanWeekendStortfordMusicFestival
Post By :
Anonymous
Rate:
Vote

How to Plan a Weekend at the Stortford Music Festival

Introduction

Held each year in May in the small market town of Bishop's Stortford in east Hertfordshire (about 30 miles outside of London), the Stortford Music Festival is a showcase of local musical and artistic talent. The family oriented festival, which has been going since the late 1990s, is spread over a whole weekend and is aimed at encouraging people to enjoy and participate in folk arts and entertainment.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Steps

1

Step One

Book your Stortford Music Festival tickets online by visiting the festival website (see Resources below) or purchase them at the gate on the day. Tickets cost around ?￡10 per day for adults and ?￡5 per day for children aged between 10 and 16. Alternatively you can buy a ticket for about ?￡15 for adults and ?￡10 for children, that covers entry into all events for the whole weekend. Admission for children under 10 is free when they are accompanied by an adult.
2

Step Two

Download a copy of the Bishop's Stortford Accommodation Guide from the town council's website (see Resources below) to help you book your lodgings for the weekend. Thanks to its proximity to Stansted airport, Bishop's Stortford has a wide range of hotels and guesthouses to suit all tastes and budgets.
3

Step Three

Reach the town of Bishop's Stortford easily by road by leaving the M25 at junction 27 and following the signs. Alternatively regular train services run from London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport from where you can get a taxi into town or change trains to go to Bishop's Stortford's own railway station. The Festival itself is held in Stortford's St Mary's Catholic School Field.
4

Step Four

Plan which bands and artists you'd like to see whilst you're there. There are two stages of music at the festival, the Green Stage and the Acoustic Marquee, and music begins at about 11am each morning and ends at about 10pm each night. Details of the line-up can be found on the festival's website in the run up to each year's event.
5

Step Five

Take your kids to the Arts Marquee where they can take part in workshops ranging from drama to storytelling to fashion and puppet making. Workshops start at around 12pm each day and children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
6

Step Six

Visit the many stalls at the festival that will be selling art and handicraft works from all over the world. There are even stalls selling plants and musical instruments for you to take home, and some offering hair braiding, face painting and even massages.
7

Step Seven

Grab lunch from one of the food stalls at the festival. There's plenty on offer if you don't fancy the normal greasy festival food, including a carvery and juice bar.

Tips & Warnings

  • Disabled persons and those who are coming to the festival in large groups are usually eligible for discounted tickets.
  • You can earn yourself a free weekend ticket to the Stortford Music Festival and free meal vouchers for each day by offering a few hours of your time over the weekend to be a Volunteer Steward. Duties will include things like checking tickets and manning the car park and you can download and application form each year from the festival website.
  • No dogs (except guide dogs) are allowed on site.
Tools: |