Tickets have gone on sale for Valley Fest, the family-friendly festival overlooking Chew Valley Lake near Bristol.
Now in its eighth year, the event in August will see Bristol performance art collective Arcadia join forces with the festival team for a spectacular show.
Arcadia is known for its 50ft fire-spitting spider, which has been a Glastonbury highlight for many festivalgoers in recent years.
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Arcadia will bring their Afterburner stage to Valley Fest this year. Built from a Rolls Royce jet engine, the area will be surrounded by a circle of metal trees and flames.
The Afterburner stage has toured the world and it will be located in Valley Fest’s second field this year.
Confirmed DJ acts include Bristol’s Roni Size, Faithless and The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club. The full music and food line up will be announced in March and April.
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For the last two years, Arcadia’s bug stage has been at Valley Fest but this year the spectacle promises to be bigger and better than ever.
By day, kids will be able to make their own Afterburner playground stage, with help and tools provided by the Woodland Tribe.
Farmer Luke Hasell set up Valley Fest in 2014 in honour of his parents who both died within a short time of each other.
Having farmed for generations, they cared enormously for the land and community surrounding it. Their spirit and joie de vivre runs deeply through the festival.
The Arcadia team has long been associated with the Valley Fest. When they first started out, they built their structures in an old cow shed on the farm, filling the yard with prize bits of scrap, picked up from around the country.
Reusing and repurposing is an integral part of Arcadia’s art and now they’re turning their attention to regeneration. This is because they’ve experienced its magic first hand.
Having spent 15 years living in showman’s vehicles in one of Luke’s fields, they’ve seen barren land transform into wildlife-rich meadows and woodland.
Arcadia co-founder Pip Rush says: “After touring four continents, it feels fantastic to be bringing the party home again.
“Many of us have moved into the Chew Valley and have our kids in school. During lockdown, it became clear we should be growing deeper roots at home, both from a social and an environmental perspective.
“We’ve loved working in recycled materials and to sculpt a whole festival environment from the ground up, to plant trees and play the long game is next level.
“This is an installation that we hope will be built by thousands of people and evolved over many generations.”
Valley Fest founder Luke Hasell says: “We could not be more excited. It’s a true homecoming for the Arcadia team and a true celebration of Bristol talent.
"I want everyone to ‘get on my land’, eat some regeneratively-farmed tasty food and have the time of their lives!”
The small, family friendly festival is becoming a firm favourite in the Bristol and South West calendar.
Edged by the rolling Mendip hills, Chew Valley Lake provides the sparkling backdrop, which gives it one of the best views of any UK festival.
Valley Fest takes place alongside Chew Valley Lake from August 4-7.
Adult weekend tickets are £170 and available at www.valleyfest.co.uk
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