and that was the moment I decided I was going to bring some of the things that makes a music festival so much more than what the everyday person expects to one of my events. A festival to me is a celebration of all the arts, of a life that isn’t plugged in at the wall, and is a way of seeing what really matters. This is what I am creating with Smile: a festival that stays true to the grassroots-style festival of years past. What can people expect at this year’s festival? This year is another step up for us. We have brought in some of the biggest and best names from the festival circuit. Many people, bands included, have been heard to say that we have the best line-up of any small festival in the UK this year. Personally, I book who I would like to see perform and hope everyone else agrees. To mention one band would be unfair to others, as everyone we have playing are top-of-bill acts. We have 30 bands on the main stages and 15 other bands performing in various locations throughout the site across the weekend. But as I have said, music isn’t everything at a festival. We have workshop spaces, including drumming and willow weaving. We have demonstrations, street
performers, artists galleries, great food, drinks and so much more. Why is Hatfield Water Park such a good location? Hatfield Outdoor Activity Centre has so much to offer, its on-site facilities being the main part. Being a campsite, it has plenty of luxuries that are often unheard of at festivals - proper toilets, free showers, electricity. However, for me it is a serene place. You are surrounded by trees, sheltered by them also. You have excellent roads leading to it, it is flat and well drained, which makes it ideal for disabled visitors, something many festivals struggle with. Plus the people running the site, DCLT, are behind me every step of the way. We feel safe and secure here and can safely dream of what the future may bring. What other events have you got coming up which we should keep an eye out for? Because Smile has grown into something so much bigger than we ever thought it would, I wanted to stay true to what got us started out on this journey. So I have two main events planned for Thorne Memorial Park. These are free entry events, but everyone is asked to make a small donation to our chosen charities and fetch an item for the Thorne and Moorends Foodbank.
Both are one-day events, both will have our main ingredient of workshops, performances and live music, again from original bands from all over the UK, as well as a couple of international artists. Both events will also have inflatables for the kids and we have our own Mediaeval Bar on site for the adults. The first, Estival, shall be on 25th June and the next is A Midsummer’s Music in the Park on 6th August. One of the acts we are most excited about for the latter is Flight Brigade, who played for us in Doncaster last year. They were one of the best live acts I have ever seen and I promised to bring them back for one of my outdoor events. Two of the members are siblings and can boast that their parents were in one of the bands that played the first ever Glastonbury. One can also boast to have learnt violin whilst balancing a chicken on her head! Keep an eye on Peter and Becky’s antics on their website and on Facebook. s om e th i n g tos m ile a b out.org . uk
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