Five stages, 130 acts, alternative entertainment, and great food & drink
Wye Fayre is a new festival with a magical, non-commercial and ‘old school’ feel. It opens this summer with 130 acts performing on five stages over two days to a capacity crowd of around 5,000 people.
The music quality is amazing: Joan has been known to play with Rufus Wainwright, Viarosa is opening for REM in Dublin on 30 June, ‘massive’ Damien Dempsey and Chris T-T are new signings, there’s Ralfe Band of The Mighty Boosh fame…As a whole, it’s a diverse programme of music curated by Will Rees of The Slaughtered Lamb’s famous Electroacoustic Club in London featuring Mercury nominees, up-and-coming unsigned bands, and established international acts.
There’s a diverse range of other stuff too, with real ale, real lager, wine and cocktail bars, good food, a marketplace, an al fresco record shop, an alternative healing and therapies tent, acres of space for free camping and parking, and even paid accommodation if you’re not a happy camper!
Local roots – national interest
Wye Fayre 2007 is on the site of last year’s Wye Blues festival, but this year the programme of music has grown – hence the name change. The team of organisers includes some of the people from last year, among them Andrew Shore and Nabeil Salama, both of whom are doing PhDs at Wye campus. The Musical Director, Will Rees lived in Wye as a boy, and even the recycling and waste management consultant, Mike Webster, was born and brought up there – some of you might know his Dad, Professor Paul Webster (agricultural economics). Other key members of the team are out-of-towners experienced in this kind of event.
Tickets
Adult weekend tickets are £45.00 (or £25.00 pd) + booking fee, and there are group discounts. 13-17 year olds are £15.00 (weekend OR day), and under-12s free with an adult. Camping and parking are free and there are limited camper van tickets also available. Special rates apply for Wye residents.
*for more ticket information and for news of other discounts, readers should go to www.wyefayre.co.uk
Wye Fayre is at Withersdane Hall, Wye, nr Ashford, Kent TN25 5DA
6 & 7 July 2007
* music from 6pm on Friday 6 July and all day Saturday 7 July
* site open Friday morning to Sunday afternoon
* adult tickets £45.00 weekend / £25.00 per day via www.wyefayre.co.uk
* group discounts / under-12s free / 13-17 year olds £15.00
* free camping and parking (paid rooms available too)
* 10 minutes to Ashford International rail station and five to Wye village
* hear the music and get info at www.wyefayre.co.uk or www.myspace.com/wyefayre
Note for bike lovers: the first stage of the Tour de France spins past about four miles away on Sunday and watch ’em sweat!
For line-ups, see www.wyefayre.co.uk