The Big Ones: Local Festivals Part 1: January to May 2024

Featured Image: Colin Rayner Photography

It won’t be long before the only Quality Street left in the tin are empty wrappers and those toffee pennies no one likes, you’re swapping your Santa hat for your festival jesters one and thinking what a mess you can get yourself into in local fields. Yep, bar humbug, for just a moment, there’s the locally based big ones to think about spending your Christmas bonus on a ticket for….it’s festival time 2024!

January

20th & 21st: Bradford Roots Festival, Bradford-on-Avon

Not hanging about, and if you’re thinking it’s likely to be a tad nippy for a festie in January, note the iconic winter Bradford Roots Festival is all under the roof of the fabuloso Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon.

Yet to reveal a lineup, but you need not concern yourself, I guarantee it will host the crème de la crème of local talent and many from further afield. The organisers say, “After the success of last year’s festival,” which it truly was a wonderful thing (you can read my tuppence on here) “we’re bringing Bradford Roots back bigger and better with a full weekend of events and activities. Roots is synonymous with community spirit, local talent and an inclusive atmosphere.” And therein lies my surprise last year; the diversity of the program with lots of upcoming bands as well as ones in the spotlight. Ergo, I’ll leak Devizes-own Nothing Rhymes with Orange, Melksham’s finest, the Sunnies, and the most wonderful Ruby Darbyshire are all booked, and hope I don’t get into too much trouble for doing so!

£22 for a Saturday ticket, £32 for the two-day pass, students or under 18 go half price. I cannot think of a better way to start your festive-filled new year!

27th: 7 Bands in 7 Hours, Calne

Calne Liberal Club plays host to this fantastic fundraiser on Saturday 27th January. It’s a suggested fiver donation on the door and you’ll get an hour each of Homer, People Like Us, Six O’Clock Circus, The Chaos Brothers, The Real Cheesemakers, The Killertones and Mike & the Misfits.

February

2nd-4th: InCider Festival, Weston-Super-Mare

“It’s Weston-super-Mare, Eddie, Weston-super-Mareeee!” Sand Bay Holiday Village plays host to this crazy goodie, established over for a decade, the InCider festival in Feb is only the beginning, with the Cursus Cider & Music Festival running from 24th – 26th May, and the main hoedown, the OutCider Festival from 1st – 4th Aug 2024.

OutCider Festival is an old school, no nonsense weekend of fantastic live music, cider and madness in the Mendips. Organisers clearly state, “no tribute bands. No X-Factor. No Carling lager. No tossers!”

OutCider Festival features 30+ acts over two alternating, barn-covered stages. The mix of music is eclectic, energetic and definitely not anything mainstream. The camping field is lush and spacious and welcomes live-in vehicles.

3rd: DuckFest, Salisbury

Ducking fagic Salisbury Live fundraiser at the Duck Inn in Laverstock. Beggar’s Bash hosts this one-day introduction to the best of live music Salisbury has to offer.

15th-17th: Bath Bachfest, Bath

Bath’s 13th annual celebration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. The festival was founded in 2012 as a complement to Bath Mozartfest and successor to the long-established Bath Bach Festival founded by Cuthbert Bates and later directed by his daughter, patron Elizabeth Bates.

17th: Devizes Festival of Winter Ales

Raise a glass and celebrate with DOCA at Devizes Festival of Winter Ales on 17th February at Devizes Corn Exchange. Renowned and vital DOCA fundraiser this, in collaboration with Stealth Brew Co. Another double wintery session with a hearty selection of ales and ciders from the country’s best independent breweries, alongside music and entertainment.

This 18+ event comes in two sessions, Fraser Tilley provides music for the early session, 11am-5pm, and Manos Puestos at the late session, 5:30pm-11pm, plus cabaret from Able Mabel at both.

Tickets Available online at tinyurl.com/winterales2024 Physical tickets are also available to purchase at Devizes Books and the British Lion, Devizes.

April

21st: VW Campout, Stonehenge

The multi-award winning family run park, Stonehenge Campsite and Glamping Pods, situated close to Stonehenge hosts this gathering of all things VW!

May

The Magic Teapot Gathering, Mendip

This is a late addition to our listings, but looks so lovely I had to add it! Full preview Here.

11th: Westbury Food & Drink

Leigh Park Community Centre in Westbury hosts this inaugural free festie for all things foodie!

11th: Bradford-on-Avon Green Man Festival

A free one-dayer, the festival is organised by the town council, a vibrant, family-friendly community gathering featuring traditional dance, music, song, and folklore which runs throughout the town centre on Saturday 11 May 2024, from 9.30am to 5pm. We preview in full, HERE.

17th-26th Bath International Music

The Bath Festival returns for 2024. Click here to sign up to email updates and latest news.

23rd-26th: Shindig Festival, Dillington Estate, Somerset

Celebrating its tenth year, Shindig is the most contemporary festival of performing arts in the UK, and renowned for being gurt lush! It particularly focuses on dance music, lineup is yet to be announced but tickets are selling out already, based on the festival’s first class reputation rather than acts, but I can say Sister Sledge, De La Soul and many other legends of disco and soul have graced the stage at the Dillington Estate in the past.

24th-27th: Chippenham Folk Festival

The 50th Anniversary for Chippenham Folk Festival Folk Festival thai year was an amazing success, enjoyed by huge audiences with talented performers from across the UK and beyond. Time is now running out to buy EARLY BIRD TICKETS.

Cursus Cider & Music Festival, Weston-Super-Mare

Continuing from the InCider for OutCider Festival, Sand Bay Holiday Village plays host to this second crazy goodie!

25th: Love Saves The Day, Ashton Court, Bristol

Massive names in pop and dance, Love does indeed Save the Day. Fatboy Slim, The Sugarbabes and Years & Years headlined 2023, how they top it this year time will tell!

26-27th: Devizes International Street Festival

Goes without saying, DOCA’s International Street Festival is over this Sunday and Monday bank holiday, it’s free, it’s officially the best day you’ll have in Devizes!

26th: Could Be Real Tribute Festival, Swindon Town FC

Swindon Town FC hosts ‘Could Be Real’ Tributes Festival, bringing together the UK’s finest tribute artists and bands for a huge all day festival to celebrate a whole era of music and culture and this family friendly festival will be available for those aged 12 years and older.

31st- 16th June: Devizes Arts Festival

There’s been a few leaks about acts at Devizes Arts Festival this year, my favourite so far is to catch the wonderful Lady Nade. But hold onto your hats, that’s enough for now, being as this wonderful Arts Festival reaches mainly into June, we’ll feature it again when we come back for the second half of this annual roundup of festivals type thingy, which I will bring you as soon as possible.

All links to all festivals are on our event calendar, and I am sure many will be added over the coming months. For now, hold tight and we will bring new of the big ones over summer and autumn, but I must say, 2024 is already looking rather special!