Wychwood Festival Hits 20: Two Decades of Music Magic and Memories!

The Wychwood Festival, a popular music event held at Cheltenham Racecourse, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Graeme Merifield, who started the festival in 2005, described reaching this milestone as 'surreal. ' He shared that what keeps him motivated is creating special memories for festival-goers, like meeting someone in a supermarket who got engaged during a performance at the festival years ago. Merifield believes the festival's success is due to the loyalty of its fans, many of whom have attended every year since the beginning. Now, some of those original fans bring their children, making the festival feel like a growing family.

This year's festival features well-known acts such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kaiser Chiefs, Levellers, and Feeder. The event runs from Friday to Sunday and attracts music lovers from all over. The festival had to skip a year because of the Covid pandemic, which delayed the 20th edition, but the organizers are excited to finally celebrate this important moment. Merifield introduced a 'Ticket For Life' program, allowing fans to pay monthly to lock in their ticket prices for several years. This has helped build a strong community, with families returning year after year. Merifield hopes to continue running the festival for many more years, even joking about doing it into his eighties.

Wychwood Festival is also known for supporting new and local talent. This year, the band Pebble Daisy from Stroud was chosen from 2,500 applicants to perform. Pebble, the lead singer, said it was a huge opportunity and that she would remember it forever, even though she felt nervous about playing on such a big stage. Another highlight is 'Barrioke,' a singalong event led by Shaun Williamson, famous for his role as Barry in the TV show Eastenders. This is his fifth year at the festival, but his first time performing on the main stage. Williamson said he feels grateful for the positive response to Barrioke and enjoys seeing the crowd sing along to popular songs like 'Livin' on a Prayer' and 'Sweet Caroline. ' The Wychwood Festival continues to be a place where music, community, and memories come together for people of all ages.