Brit Fest 2024 At The Ashley Hall Showground ~ Saturday Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.

Reviewed by H Chan

What a day! We had so much fun at Brit Fest 2024, which was held at the Ashley Hall Showground in Cheshire. 

 

As we arrived, there were lots of helpful staff to direct us where we needed to go, the accessible car park was gravel, but flat and easy to find. The ground itself over the showground was flat, but bumpy, so take care if you use a mobility aid or a wheelchair which doesn’t like bumps. Our chair didn’t have any problems, apart from one small section where there were tractor tyre grooves in the ground. It certainly wouldn’t put us off though, as the whole place was very accessible. There was a VIP and accessible area, with a platform for better viewing of the acts on stage, but we didn’t use it this time round. It is a nice feature though for the future. Toilets were spotless most of the day, and the accessible Portaloo had enough space for the chair, but no bench or rails inside.

It wouldn’t have been a British festival without the rain, and it did rain. Luckily it did clear up later on in the day and because it had been dryer all week, it wasn’t muddy. Whilst there were tents where you could shelter from the bad weather, these were busy with others sheltering, or in use by activities. Once the sun was out though, the whole site looked completely different, vibrant, there was plenty of space between attractions, which I liked as I am not a fan when things are crammed in together.

There were stalls selling interesting crafts, cheese and cookie stalls and charity stalls. A mini fair with simple games such as hook a duck (a fiver a go for an idea of prices) and then a larger fair around the other side which was closed due to the weather when we arrived, but open as the sun came out in the later afternoon. There were no queues at all before the evening, but it did get busier afterwards. By this time we were over at the main stage, so couldn’t comment on how busy it actually was at the end of the day.

A highlight for me, was the relaxing sound bath which was free in a large tent in Mindful Meadows. They had free yoga and relaxation events running for the whole day, and it was out of the rain.  

Favourites of the children included the stunt tower jump, sponsored by ABC+. This is a free attraction, where you are invited to jump from one of two platforms onto a stunt crash mat. They also enjoyed the Music place Choir and the entertainment on the main stage. There was lots of space to run around, and run around they did. We also enjoyed listening to the young British band The Bliss, who I think have a bright future ahead of them.

My husband was pleased to see a large screen in a tent to watch the football for a short while, a nice touch for those wanting to keep up with the game in a festival atmosphere. He also enjoyed seeing the classic cars on display.

I think, for things included in the ticket price, there isn’t a great deal for younger ones earlier on in the day, but once the bands come on there is more to do. If you don’t mind paying extra, then the fair and crafts are a great feature, but can become expensive if, like me, you have three children. For example there is a robot building class, which looked so much fun, but at £20 a head we didn’t try it. Some of the crafts were free, but they were either busy or didn’t really suit the ages of my children, they were more suited to much younger ones. There were some things we didn’t have time for, which we plan to visit tomorrow such as the Sol Cinema. We saw those running the cinema standing outside their little caravan with their mega phone and it really brought a smile to our faces. We are looking forward to going back.

You needn’t worry about going hungry, there were ample food trucks and tents in all areas of the site, even when we thought we’d eaten our fill over by the smaller stage, thinking that there wouldn’t be any by the main stage, we found we were wrong. There are also ice cream sundaes around that side too, after we’d thought that nowhere sold them. I noted plenty of gluten and dairy free choices, as well as vegan choices. There were more than enough bars which were quiet earlier on but got busier when the main stage opened, and a few coffee stalls. Prices varied but were all on the higher side as you’d expect with festivals, so a budget is a good idea, it’s so easy to spend whilst there – but the food quality was good so we didn’t mind indulging.

We found that there was another event taking place at the back of the site, called Into the Wild, run by a very friendly bushcraft group who didn’t mind us having a look around. It was free to enter, so many from the festival popped over to the wooded area to see what was going on.

There were two stages, a smaller stage where local and upcoming British acts were playing. Along with acts such as Man vs Food, who my husband and the girls watched while my son and I were in the sound healing session.
Acts on the main stage included The Real Thing, Bonnie Tyler and T’Pau. Hot Chocolate opened the acts on the stage with a very energetic set. Samba Espirito were also great fun and so full of energy.

Overall, as a day out, it was very well organised and seemed to cover a lot of interests. It had a really lovely atmosphere, one which is often missed in larger festivals. It felt more comfortable and a celebration of everything British. If going tomorrow, go and see the lads on the cheese stall, they’re great to chat to, as are the gentleman at the Eastern Clothing stall in the corner by the main stage. We met some very genuinely friendly people today, which made me happy.

Ticket prices were fair for the main stage content. Even if you don’t know the bands or singers, the atmosphere was fun, with many singing and dancing. The children were able to safely and comfortably sit on the picnic blanket and dance along, whilst my husband and I stood to watch the stage. There are two, huge screens if you’re stood further back which means that everyone can see what’s going on. The main stage area did get busier as the day progressed, and by the evening was buzzing. I didn’t think I knew many of the songs from the artists in advance, but as they began it was a lovely surprise to realise that I did.

We collectively gave this event 4 ½ out of 5 stars. It would have been 5 if there had been some extra things for the children to do that were included in the entry fee. With it being advertised as a family event, I thought there might have been.

You can find tickets for BritFest here although Sunday is their last day of this particular festival, you can follow their page here for the news for the next one. Tickets for the day cost around £75 for adults and £39 for children aged 5-17. They also offer weekend tickets, which cost around £185 per adult and £90 per child. You can also camp onsite, in a purpose built area. We’ll be heading back in tomorrow, and definitely next year. Hats off to the organisers, well done for a very well put together and thought out event.

Rating: 4.5/5