The first announcements for the Wychwood Festival have been announced and will include The Divine Comedy, Embrace, The Lightning Seeds and Seth Lakeman. 

The festival takes place at Cheltenham Racecourse from 29th - 31st May, with over 100 acts performing across four stages, plus music, dance and arts workshops, a circus school and a programme of talks, debates and comedy for all ages.

wychwoodfestival.com

The Big Feastival has today announced their line-up for 2020 which sees Sigala, Nile Rogers & Chic and Rag 'N' Bone Man headline the 3 days. 

Also confirmed to perform is Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson who has had a string of top ten hits both as a solo artist and a featured artist including Lush Life, Never Forget You and the massive number one hit Symphony with Clean Bandit. Tom Walker will also be joining the bill: the British singer-songwriter had an incredible year last year with a debut number one album and top ten singles Just You And I and Leave a Light On. Brighton born pop singer-songwriter Maisie Peters and Rock Band Reef are also added to the bill.

Now in its ninth year, the festival has become renowned for delivering music of the highest calibre, world class chefs, award winning street food and an unrivalled programme of family entertainment. 

The Big Feastival has also revealed the acclaimed chefs that will be bringing their awe-inspiring masterclasses to the culinary stages, including Marco Pierre White and Mark Hix.

Host Alex James said: “This is now our ninth Big Feastival and I can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the farm. It is such a thrill to see how the festival develops and evolves each year and I have no doubt 2020 will be bigger and better than ever. I couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of Nile Rodgers - the king of funk no less – and CHIC basically playing a gig in my back garden, not to mention hosting culinary rock star Marco Pierre White. The lineup already has something for everyone, with plenty more to come… See you in August!”

The Big Feastival takes place on the Bank Holiday Weekend, 28th - 30th August at Alex James' Farm in Kingham.

Camping and Weekend tickets are on sale now available at www.thebigfeastival.com

The full line-up for the Cheltenham Jazz Festival was announced this morning. 

The festival returns in May with a broad spectrum of world -class contempor ary jazz, blues, soul, R&B and pop. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Cheltenham The Festival Town from May 5-10, this year’s programme once again delivers a balance of core jazz and mainstream offerings from today’s biggest stars, heritage legends and next -generation talent, with an impressive spread of UK exclusives and special commissions in the mix.

Coinciding with the Early May Bank Holiday, which moves to Friday (8 May) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, this year’s festival will host New Wave icons Squeeze with hits from their illustrious 45-year career, as well as rarities from their back catalogue and solo careers, beloved UK soulstress Beverley Knight, R&B funk legends KC & The Sunshine Band, Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May with the Ronnie Scott’s Big Band and multi-million-selling vocalist Emeli Sandé. Blues/folk-inspired co-operative Saving Grace unveil their brand-new project featuring singers Robert Plant and Suzi Dian, Malian pop duo Amadou & Mariam and The Blind Boys Of Alabama present ‘Bamako To Birmingham’, multi-instrumentalist, DJ and cultural pioneer Nitin Sawhney will showcase music from his seminal record Beyond Skin alongside repertoire from his 20-album career, while Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winning Booker T Jones returns to the Festival with material from his new album Note By Note. The Festival’s Artistic Curator Gregory Porter opens the 6-day event with a concert at the 2000-seat capacity Henry Westons Big Top and has selected various acts for the ‘Gregory’s Picks’ series: Lizz Wright, Keyon Harrold, Makaya McCraven and Gary Bartz & Maisha, announced last month.

The Parabola Arts Centre programme presents a snapshot of the global landscape of jazz today, with this year’s line-up stronger and more diverse than ever. Award-winning trumpeter Laura Jurd presents her latest boundary-pushing project Stepping Back, Jumping In featuring a 14 piece-ensemble, Portuguese rock-fuelled outfit The Rite of Trio perform their UK debut as Cheltenham’s pick from the 12 Points Festival European jazz showcase, Anglo-Swiss quintet YDivide celebrate Switzerland’s lively jazz scene and legendary jazz vocalist Norma Winstone teams up with German pianist Pablo Held. British singer Lianne Carroll pays tribute to the legendary Carole King with a concert at The Daffodil and million-selling US vocalist Stacey Kent will delve into the Great American Songbook with acclaimed saxophonist Jim Tomlinson at the Everyman Theatre. 

The Festival’s long-standing partnership with BBC Radio 2 continues with special broadcasts throughout the weekend including Squeeze live in concert and a New Orleans-themed Friday Night Is Music Night with Guy Barker’s Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra. 
Taste-making DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson takes up residence at Warehouse @ The Brewery Quarter – a new pop-up venue, where in addition to his own DJ set will showcase some of the acts he’s championing right now on the UK scene: alt singer-songwriter Rosie Lowe, punk jazzers Melt Yourself Down and the genre-bending Nubiyan Twist.
 
Also on the bill and representing the UK’s kaleidoscopic jazz scene are SE London collective Steam Down, jazz/hip-hop/soul-influenced vocalist and guitarist Oscar Jerome and 8-piece Afrobeat outfit KOKOROKO. Elsewhere, Ibibio Sound Machine, fronted by Nigerian singer Eno Williams will explore a tapestry of African and electronic soundworlds and iconic drummer Tony Allen pays homage to the late South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. And set for Cheltenham are some of the most in-demand blues artists currently touring the world: recent Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Keb’ Mo’, US bassist and founding member of blues-rock band Trampled Under Foot Danielle Nicole and harmonica extraordinaire Errol Linton. 

Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2020 is hosted in a tented festival village in the town centre’s Montpellier Gardens featuring the Henry Westons Big Top stage, Jazz Arena, Free Stage, Yamaha Discovery Space, a programme of family activities and events and a food, drink and market area. The Festival reaches beyond the festival village into Cheltenham bringing jazz to venues throughout the day until late into the night.  These include Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham Ladies’ College Parabola Arts Centre, Hotel du Vin, The Daffodil and a new pop-up venue Warehouse @ The Brewery Quarter plus a dozen more clubs and bars and three street stages in the …around town programme supported by Cheltenham BID. 

Tickets go on sale to Members at 10am on Wednesday 26 February 2020 and on general sale from 10am on Wednesday 4 March 2020. 

www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz

Foals, Loyle Carner and Supergrass have been confirmed as headliners of Wilderness Festival, Season 10.

The 4-day feast of music, the arts, fine dining and the outdoors takes place on July 30th - August 2nd 2020 at the stunning Cornbury Park.

www.wildernessfestival.com

David Gray is coming to The Great Court at Blenheim Palace on June 18th 2020 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the seminal 'White Ladder' album as part of the Nocturne Live series.

Featuring the hit singles ‘Babylon’, ‘Sail Away’, ‘Please Forgive Me’ and ‘This Year’s Love’, ‘White Ladder’ is one of the top 10 best-selling albums of the 20th century in the UK.

Joining him will be The Lighthouse Family. Having recently released their first new album in nearly two decades, the duo will perform new music as well as their classic hits including ‘High, ‘Lifted’ and ‘Ocean Drive’.

Completing the bill is storied singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot playing highlights from her two-decade long career.

www.nocturnelive.com

Arizona four-piece Jimmy Eat World are the first headliner announced for next year's 2000 Trees Festival at Upcote Farm near Cheltenham.

The multi-ward winning festival will take place on the 9th, 10th and 11th July 2020. 

You can buy early bird tickets with a discount by clicking HERE.

Lionel Richie is the first headline act to be announced for Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace in June 2020.

​The multi-award winning singer, known for hits Dancing on the Ceiling and Hello, will perform on Saturday 20th June. 

Tickets on sale Friday 15th at 9am.

Visit www.nocturnelive.com for more information.

I always look forward to The Big Feastival. I have watched it grow since 2012 when Razorlight and Texas were topping the bill, Jamie Oliver and Valentine Warner were doing cooking demos , and Peppa Pig was the highlight in the Little Dude's Den. 

Eight festivals on and all of the original foundations are still there. It's just got bigger and a whole lot better and this year was by far and away the best yet. 

They got lucky with the weather. It was over 25 degrees all weekend and no matter what anyone says, it makes a massive difference. They also got a little bit lucky with Lewis Capaldi. When he was announced on the line-up he was nowhere near as big is he is today. I think many people there on Friday were purely there to see him. 

In keeping with tradition, Friday was brought to a close with a DJ set. This year saw Rudimental turn Alex James' Farm into Ibiza Rocks with their 75-minute set. 

Lucy May Walker was the highlight from The Udder Stage which BBC Introducing took over each afternoon showcasing some rising talent from the UK.

Dodgy and The Zutons both played the main stage on Saturday before Jess Glynne brought the evening to a close. 

The sun was beating down again on Sunday afternoon where Barns Courtney produced one of the best sets of the weekend. He was followed by Alex James' Orchestra and an awesome DJ Set by Jonas Blue that would probably have been suited being on a little later than his 4.30pm slot, but nobody seemed to mind. The sad loss of Jade Bird to illness meant that she was replaced by Abba Tribute Björn Again which is never a good thing, and triggered a quick escape back to the Cheese Hub.

Jack Savoretti is riding the wave of success from his hugely successful "Singing to Strangers" album and was perfect as the sun was setting behind the main stag, before Elbow, who I feel were lost on a lot of the younger generation, brought the Feastival 2019 to a close with a customary flawless set that concluded with Grounds For Divorce and One Day Like This from their number one album, The Seldom Seen Kid. 

As the name of the festival suggests, food is a huge part of the weekend. You need more that 3 days to sample all of the incredible street food on offer and without doubt the best food ant any festival I have ever been to. The brisket bun, pickled red chilli from Smokstak and the steak from Carcass were both incredibly good. As was the meat from DJ BBQ where you can sing along to some classic rock with T-Bone Chops, not his real name, on air shovel. The fried chicken from Only Jerkin' and Burger and Beyond burgers were both exceptional, and the queue for Souvlaki Street suggests their amazing looking Greek wraps were hugely popular. Sadly I couldn't fit anymore in and have already noted them down for next year. 

The Collaboration Kitchen returned for a second year serving up some special edition dishes from most innovative names on the UK street food scene. I tasted my first ever mac 'n' cheese pie thanks to My Pie x Anna Maes (Mac Not Crack) which was ridiculously good. 

The NEFF Big Kitchen again played host to an array of demonstrations and Q&A sessions from some of the biggest names in food including Raymond Blanc, Mark Hix, Prue Leith and Gennaro Contaldo. 

The thing I love is that the Feastival isn't trying to be edgy or cool in the slightest. In all fairness it would actually struggle if it was when Dick and Dom introduce Lewis Capaldi to the stage following a quick game of "Bogey".

​It is just brilliantly British with outstanding food, heaps for families to see and do (under 12's go free) and music which is the aural equivalent of comfort eating. 

thebigfeastival.com

Timings for the main stage and The Big Kitchen at The big Feastival have been released. 

The 3-day festival takes place at Alex James' Farm in Kingham, Oxfordshire from Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th August 2019 and sees Lewis Capaldi, Elbow, Jess Glynne and Rudimental all headline. 

thebigfeastival.com

There is just a month to go until The Big Festival returns to Alex james' farm here in the Cotswolds for another year. 

There will be awesome music, incredible chefs and mighty fine food and drink from Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th August 2019.

Here are how the 3 days look. Who are you looking forward to seeing?

Tickets: thebigfeastival.com

There is a month to go until The Cotswolds Distillery will be bringing together some great live music, delicious food and their award-winning Outstanding Natural Spirits and a large range of beers from Hook Norton Brewery for one day at the distillery on Saturday 17th August.

From 12pm – 8pm you’ll be able to relax and enjoy a day filled with incredible blues, jazz, swing and rock music from 7 different acts, including the legendary Kenny Young who will be performing his hit song 'Under The Boardwalk' with 1970's rock band Yellow Dog, swing, rhythm & blues band King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, and Hipkiss fronted by Patsy Gamble and Muddy Manninen (ex. Wishbone Ash).

​Anyone who buys a ticket will be automatically entered into a special Cotswolds getaway competition with the winner announced on the day of the festival. One lucky person and their plus one will win a trip to the Cotswolds Distillery for a Gin or Whisky Blending Masterclass, followed by dinner in The Back Garden and an overnight stay at Dormy House nearby in the Cotswolds. On top of that, breakfast will be included the next morning and full use of the House Spa facilities!

Click HERE for more information and to buy tickets.

I was honoured to be invited to help judge the regional final of the Cotswolds Distillery Cocktail Competition at The Fire Station in Cheltenham yesterday. 

Before arriving I didn't really know what standard to expect. It was very high. We had smoke, chewbacca t-shirts, serious competition, great story telling and a lot of fun with Dan Morgan from Koj Restaurant the overall winner. 

Participants were asked to make both a Cotswolds Gin and a Cotswolds Whisky cocktail in 8 minutes, and were judged on their presentation while preparing the drinks, their brand knowledge of the Cotswolds Distillery and its products, the appearance of the cocktail as well as its aroma and, of course, taste. 

Dan will now go on to compete in the overall final at the Cotswolds Distillery Summer Festival on Saturday 17th August at the Distillery.

​For more information about the festival, click the link below.

Cotswolds Distillery Festival

The Cotswolds has announced that their highly anticipated summer festival will take place on Saturday 17th August. 

They will be bringing together some of the best live music, delicious food and drink here at their distillery near Shipston on Stour in the beautiful surroundings of the North Cotswolds. 

From 12pm – 8pm you’ll be able to relax and enjoy a day filled with incredible blues, jazz, swing and rock music from 7 different acts, including the legendary swing, rhythm & blues band King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, 1970’s rock band Yellow Dog with their hit song ‘Just One More Night’ and Hipkiss fronted by Patsy Gamble and Muddy Manninen (ex. Wishbone Ash).

A number of local food producers from the Cotswolds will be on offer, so whether you’d like pizza, paella, tacos or a BBQ, there will be something to tickle your fancy. The distillery will, of course, be serving their award-winning spirits and ales from Hook Norton Brewery will be available.

Tickets are just £20.

www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/blogs/news/the-cotswolds-distillery-festival

The music line-up day splits have been announced for the 2019 Big Feastival. 

Friday will see the Fun Lovin' Criminals, Lewis Capaldi and Rudimental headline, Jess Glynne and The Zutons will draw Saturday to a close while Elbow and the newly announced Jonas Blue will wrap up the festival in style. 

The Big Feastival takes place at Alex james' Farm in Kingham from the 23rd -25th August 2019.

thebigfeastival.com

The line-up for Barn on the Farm Festival is always one to look out for in the summer. Previous years have seen Ed Sheeran, Bastille, James Bay and Hozier all perform and this year it's no different with Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender and Maggie Rogers attending. 

The 10th anniverary of the festival takes place at Over Farm on 4th - 7th July 2019

You can find the full line-up and tickets at www.barnonthefarm.co.uk 

Jess Glynne and Elbow will be Saturday and Sunday headliners at this year's Big Feastival alongside Rudimental who will be doing a DJ set to close Friday night. 

Lewis Capaldi, The Zutons and Fun Lovin' Criminals are all on the line-up. 

Confirmed chefs include Raymond Blanc, Prue Leith and Gennaro Contaldo. 

The festival takes place from the 23rd - 25th August on Alex James' Farm in Kingham. 

thebigfeastival.com

The line-up for Wilderness has been revealed this morning with Bombay Bicycle Club, Tom Odell, Freya Ridings and Tom Grennan all featuring. 

The festival takes place at Cornbury Park from Thursday 1st - Sunday 4th August 2019.

www.wildernessfestival.com

The line-up for the Cheltenham Jazz Festival has been confirmed with some big names on the bill including Gregory Porter, Jamie Cullum, James Morrison, Sergio Mendes and Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night. 

The festival takes place from the 1st - 6th May 2019. 

Members tickets go on Sale on 27th February at 10am, 16-25 Members on Sale on March 1st at 10am and General Sale goes live on March 6th at 10am.

www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz

Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls will headline the Thursday of this year's 2000 Trees Festival. 

The multi-award-winning festival is a 3 day extravaganza set Upcote Farm in the stunning Cotswold Hills.

​He joins You Me At Six, Rolo Tomassi and former My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero and his Future Violents band. 

The festival takes place on the 11th, 12th and 13th of July 2019. 

www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

The Specials and Keane will join The Beach Boys as headliners of this year's Cornbury Festival that takes place on the 5th/6th/7th July at The Great Tew Park. 

The rest of the line up will be announced in March. 

www.cornburyfestival.com

Legendary punk band The Stranglers will close the Wychwood Festival on the Sunday evening this summer. 

Now in its 15th year, the festival takes place on 31 May – 2 June 2019 at Cheltenham Racecourse and is one of the leading family festivals in the UK. 

The Stranglers will join funk and soul DJ Craig Charles, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam band,  Scouting For Girls, T'Pau, Toyah +many more across the weekend. 

wychwoodfestival.com

The Stereophonics are the latest band confirmed to play Forest Live this summer. 

They will be coming to Westonbirt Arboretum on Thursday 23rd June 2019. 

You can find all information here - www.forestryengland.uk/music/stereophonics-westonbirt-arboretum

The Beach Boys have been confirmed as Sunday night headliners at the Cornbury Festival in 2019. 

The festival takes place on the 5th, 6th and 7th July at Great Tew Park. 

www.cornburyfestival.com

Tears For Fears have been confirmed to play at Blenheim Palace on Saturday 22nd June 2019 as part of the Nocturn Live events. 

They will be supported by White Lies & Scritti Politti. 

For tickets visit nocturne.seetickets.com/tour/nocturne-live

Paul Weller and Kylie Minogue have both announced dates to play in the Cotswolds in June 2019. 

The "Modfather" is playing at Westonbirt Arboretum on the Forest Live tour on Friday 14th June 2019 while Kylie is live at Blenheim Palace as part of their series of summer concerts. 

You can find more info on both below. 

Paul Weller - www.forestryengland.uk/music
Kylie - ​www.nocturnelive.com