Brit Fest At Ashley Hall Showground Sunday Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by H Chan
Brit Fest Sunday, at Ashley Hall Showground Review,
Today was our second day at Brit Fest, held at the Ashley Hall Showground in Cheshire. We had lots of fun yesterday so were expecting big things today. Brit Fest, is on it’s very first year as a festival celebrating all things British, highlighted by it’s British artists and a heavy 90s Brit Pop feel. Although there were a few things which could be looked at and worked on, over all it was well put together and we would return. We are a family of five, with children aged 9, 12 and 15. My middle daughter uses a wheelchair, and everything was accessible for her, there were a few bumps or wires for her to cross, but she managed to get around the site perfectly well. There were also many vendors catering for various dietary needs too, so no need to worry about getting hungry and not being able to find something on site. As a showground, Ashley Hall worked really well. It is a great venue.
The weather was horrendous at the start of the day, which wasn’t anyone’s fault at all, but meant that people were slow to arrive. This contributed to many vendors leaving early so that when we did arrive around lunchtime, there were less stalls and activities from the day before. I spoke to a few of the vendors, who said it had been quiet and got more so over the course of the day as people filtered over to the main stage. There was a lot of space behind the stage, so perhaps next year some of the vendors could utilise that space, although it was nice to have that area for playing and relaxing without being too close to the stage. The stunt jump was still there and looked like it was getting attention, we stopped by the Woodland trust and CAFT, both fantastic charities who had little activities going on. My son particularly liked making pictures of leaves on fabric, using a mallet with the wonderful ladies at CAFT.
We really enjoyed watching The Big Sing choir, who featured on Britain’s Got Talent and of course the Samba Espirito brought their energy despite the cool weather.
We enjoyed snacks from the vendors who remained, my favourite was the Rocket Pizza opposite the ABC stage. It was a shame that this stage wasn’t getting as much attention as the day went on, as there were some really fantastic acts on today.
The main stage acts were great today, we much preferred them to the day before and it seemed that this is where all the festival goers were. Toploader were a huge favourite and brought out the sun singing Mr Blue Sky and their famous Dancing in the Moonlight. Whilst favourites such as Heather Small who finished the day and sang her hit Proud before a very excited audience, Tunde from the Lighthouse family and The Bluetones who gave it that 90s buzz and still sound as good as they did 20 years ago. The atmosphere today as lovely, a proper festival feel, although it was a shame that the first field was pretty much empty and the vendors started to pack up early. We had plenty of room to lay out or picnic blanket on the grass, which was lovely and flat. There was a VIP area, which we didn’t enter but it did look like lots of fun, and they had their own area to dance, right up next to the stage. There was also a raised platform for those with disabilities, with a great view of the stage. We found that we could see the stage well from anywhere in that field and the sound quality was really good.
We visited the fair, which was a bit pricey at £4 per head per ride, so maybe a wrist band with a prepaid number of rides might be a good idea, and we were given a lot of sweets by the Squashies ladies who were super friendly. Over on Mindful Meadows, the yoga team were once again giving their free feel good sessions. These were great fun. Overall we did get to do quite a few things. I also thought that maybe the main stage and ABC stage could benefit from staggering some of their acts as there were some good bands on both sides, I wish I could have seen them all – but that’s just how festivals work.
They are now selling tickets for next year, you can follow their page here for the news for the next one. I can’t wait to see who they have lined up.
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. I’m not sure I would camp personally as we live within an hour’s drive of the showground, and there wasn’t a great deal for the younger ones to do without spending a lot extra, but it would be good for those who live further afield.
We gave today 4 out of 5 stars. The music and the atmosphere at the end of the day pushed it back from 3, not because of the weather directly, but as we found that the children were wanting more things to do, especially with it being so quiet. Once we’d moved over to the main stage it did pick up and there was lots of dancing and singing along with the crowds. I am sure it will be much busier next year. Well done on your first year.
Rating: 4/5
For more information please visit The Brit Fest – TheBritFest