Upton House Food and Music Festival Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Mel S-W
I was excited to be able to visit the Upton House Food and Music Festival this year! I’ve heard great things so I couldn’t wait to have a bop to some great music, eat some amazing food and hope that the weather held off for a bit! Parking was easy with sessions costing £6 for either all day or for one session which is on par with about 4 hours paid parking at Upton House. You book this through the Upton House Food and Music Festival website so it was easy to do altogether at https://tickets.uptonhousefoodandmusicfestival.com/events/dorsetfoodfestivals/1130549
Through the flexibility of the weekend family ticket we were able to choose which days we could attend so opted for Friday and all day Saturday. There was a real feel good feeling about the festival on the Friday night, with a mixture of what looked like friends and families with older children. The variety of bands on the bill appealed to a varied audience and the flexibility of having a weekend ticket meant we could come and go as we pleased. Our little boy was tired after school so we were able to go, eat some amazing food whilst listening to some fantastic music and then head home when we were ready so we were refreshed for all day on the Saturday.
Friday evening we had the Bon Jovi tribute – Born Jovi who were brilliant and had a really good chunk of stage time. What was a shame was that we were queuing outside when they started so we missed the very beginning but they did all the classics and those that diehard fans would know. This food and music festival is organised by the same company who puts on Poole Harbour Festival before and they are run very well, but I do find it takes a long time to go through the security checks.
What was great about coming on the first evening was that it was quieter and you really had the pick of all the food stalls to choose from with no queues. At events like this I often struggle to decide what cuisine to eat as there is so much choice, but going on the first evening meant that I could take my time to decide and not just go to the food stand with the shortest queue!
There were a few stalls that didn’t open until Saturday, like the seafood stall but I was blown away by the food I had from the Sobo Smokd stand. I had a Rappy Meal so pork rib on the most amazing chips with all the trimmings whilst my son had sausage and chips which wasn’t too badly priced. My wife opted for Thai, most dishes are on average around £10-12 each with some coming in lower
The event was supported by Hot Radio who organised the competitions such as kids Vs adults and the adults, kid, bratwurst and chilli eating contest. These events gave a bit of humour between the acts and passed the time whilst the band techs set up for the next act
There’s a really good, chilled vibe at the Upton House Food and Music Festival with lots of people up dancing, just a very sociable crowd. I never felt out of place or at home, it was great. The Oasis tribute band Oasiss were great on Friday night but unfortunately my little one was past the point of tiredness so we retreated for a well earned sleep so that we could enjoy more of what was on offer on Saturday.
Saturday came and we needed to be prepared for the British summertime (or lack of it!) with chairs, dry robes, umbrellas and sun cream packed. Carley Varley was brilliant on stage, I have seen her before and her music is great, very easy listening and she has a lovely voice. I think a lot of people initially delayed their arrival due to the weather forecast but we were very lucky with the weather with only a few times we needed to take cover from the rain.
Stereoironics also got everyone onto their feet! Churning out some turns and really getting the crowd up and dancing. Chris Payn was phenomenal! I’ve never seen a guitarist balancing on his head with 2 members of the audience holding his legs up whilst he was doing a guitar solo. Absolutely nuts and absolutely fabulous. When I saw him on the bill twice I was worried that the sets would be the same but he smashed out a lot of Bowie and Queen, it was amazing! We were up at the front dancing and watching such a skilled performance.
There were some food stalls offering a variety of food choices with a couple of them offering kids meals. The ice-cream van was always a very popular choice as well! Food choices from gourmet BBQ, Greek, Thai, Burgers, Mac and cheese and pizza to name a few but there were quite a few options. With the increase in vegetarian and vegan cuisine, I was surprised that there weren’t more stands catering for these foods. I know in the past there has been a cooking demonstration van/tent but this wasn’t present this year, but not sure how long that’s not been a feature.
There were a couple of non-food stands which included a local charity raising funds, face painting and glitter art and a clothing stand selling trousers, ponchos and flower headdresses. The prices for these were what you would expect from a festival and there were a lot of men sporting glitter beards.
There was also some children’s entertainment happening throughout the day further back from the stage so the acts could be heard. Mad 4 Animals was the draw for us as we were enjoying the bands too much. The only problem was that we enjoyed Chris Payn so much in the afternoon session, that we didn’t spend too much time watching the animal show, the guitar playing and the opportunity to watch him playing the guitar whilst standing on his head was too much of a draw!
There were children’s fairground rides that ranged from £3 upwards. I do find these quite expensive. There is always the pleading that goes with walking past these but next time I will be prepared for them and bring my boy’s pocket money with us. £5 for the hook a duck was a tad expensive though. What was quite nice about the venue was there was a huge expanse of land away from the stage so there were families and groups that were able to sit away from the music. There were also rows of benches for people to use in front of the beer tent and also the food stands. We sat in front of the stage and there was a mixture of picnic blankets, chairs and people standing. People were very considerate on where they were sitting and it did get much busier in the evening. If there is a band you like and you want to get a prime spot, sitting to one side of the stage, you would be less likely have someone standing in front of you.
The only thing I would have liked to have seen from the festival was more use of reusable cups and water points. I love collecting cups from festivals that I’ve visited so would have loved to have an Upton House Food and Music Festival cup. There was a lot of security on site that helped to give you a feeling of safety but not that you needed it as everyone was in good spirits and just there to enjoy the food and the music. At the end of the afternoon session, if you haven’t got a ticket for the evening you are asked to leave or buy a ticket at the front gate. I felt that a weekend ticket gave me the greatest flexibility on when and what days I could come. The weather forecast was looking awful but turned out to not be that bad. What it meant was if it was torrential we could leave and come back. Also, going with a child during the day was great fun as he bopped along to all the bands but we had the option for him to be dropped off with relatives so we could enjoy the evening.
A great family friendly weekend, with great food, great music and an amazing atmosphere. We have all said we want to return next year and to make the most of the whole weekend.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets start from £8 (plus variable booking fee) and you can buy tickets for either weekend, morning, evening or all day sessions. We had a weekend family ticket which was great value at £40 plus a booking fee. Parking is chargeable at £6 per session/all day.
You can buy tickets for The Upton House Food and Music Festival at https://tickets.uptonhousefoodandmusicfestival.com/events/dorsetfoodfestivals/1130549?#
The full address is Upton Country Park, Poole Road, Upton, Poole BH17 7BJ