THIS bank holiday weekend saw more than 75,000 visitors attend the family event with seven festivals rolled into one.
The UK’s largest family fundraising festival, Cinch presents CarFest, welcomed guests to Laverstoke Park Farm on August 26 to 28 for cars, activities, food, music, books and celebrities over the bank holiday weekend.
From Friday to Sunday, the main stage lit up with chart-topping artists like Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Tom Walker and Paloma Faith. The Kaiser Chiefs entertained the crowd with classics, Ruby and I Predict A Riot, and the CarFest Supergroup, formed of Max Harwood, Freya Ridings and Rob Brydon (who made a surprise performance with Gavin and Stacey co-star, Ruth Jones) also took to the stage.
READ MORE: Thousands enjoy music, celebrities, cars and much more at CarFest South 2022
Paying homage to the motoring innovations of the 70s, CarFest showcased the cars of Jody Scheckter’s Formula 1 career. The Kwik Fit-Michelin Track included daily shows from cars from the past, present and future, hosted by Overton's Mike Bushell.
More than 120 cars were at the festival, with the opportunity for visitors to view and sit inside some and even bargain for ride. In support of UK charities, Cinch donated £50 for every car sold at the festival, presenting a cheque for £50,000 for the event’s charity partners.
This year’s newest addition, SpaFest entailed mind, body and spirit experts and advocates such as Tom Chapman, Dr Alex George and Simon Alexander Ong hosting discussions at the Inspiration Hub. Taking to the SpaFest stage was a line-up of celebrities and wellness gurus including Outta Puff Daddys leading a talk on men’s mental health and Bryony Gordon sharing insights into her wellness journey. In The Studio, visitors could take part in Stephanie Hill’s Laughtercise class, while the Vegan Village housed a range of plant-based products from outlets across the country to browse and take home. After a day of festivities, visitors could relax with a massage session courtesy of Soul Stretch.
StarFest was host to gatherings of celebrities from the world of TV, film and sport, with the likes of Laura and Russell Brand, Shaparak Khorsandi, Sally Phillips and Ronni Ancona, as well as Jimmy Carr drawing in crowds. On the stage, Chris Evans chatted with Hollywood star Minnie Driver, and sporting heroes Paula Radcliffe, Victoria Pendleton, Steve Cram and Matty Lee reflected on their careers. At the brand new Author’s Stage, hosted by Costa Coffee, festival-goers got the inside story to books such as Giovanna Fletcher’s latest release, Walking On Sunshine, and Ben Miller’s How I Became A Dog Called Midnight. There was also a line-up of intimate readings and Q&As at The Costa Reading Room, with exclusive signed copies available for purchase at the on-site Waterstones bookstore. By the evening, StarFest transformed into Club CarFest, with the likes of Gok Wan and Danny Rampling helping the get the party started.
FoodFest featured The Kitchen Stage with chefs and bakers, such as Matt Tebbutt, Juliet Sear, Atul Kochhar, Olly Smith and Dipna Ananad. New for this year was The Great British Cook Out with Napoleon Grills, hosted by BBC Big Cookout’s Sam and Shauna, where visitors could finesse their BBQ and firepit skills.
Pudsey’s Spot hosted by Children in Need, CBBC and CBeebies was the centre of KidsFest featuring performances by Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales, YolanDa’s Band Jam and Andy and the Odd Socks. Younger visitors could also develop their circus skills with The Flying Seagull Circus and get creative at the Artclub.
Meanwhile, at AdventureFest families could watch BMX performances and get close and personal with exotic creatures at BugFest, as well as the chance to take part in rock climbing or the sip wire.
RetroFest hosted nostalgic acts such as Johnny Victory, Cats Got Rhythm, Lady And The Duke, Iron Tyger and We Are Synthetics.
Founded by radio presenter Chris Evans, CarFest has raised over £20 million for UK children's charities since its conception 11 years ago. Charity beneficiaries include BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, My Black Dog, Rainbow Trust, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Hampshire-based charities Naomi House & Jacksplace.
CarFest HQ has made the decisons to condence CarFest North and CarFest South into one festival for the long-term viablity of the event.
Radio personality Chris Evans has announced plans for a "bigger and better" CarFest in 2023, bringing north and south events together to create one big CarFest at Laverstoke Park Farm for the August Bank Holiday (August 25-27, 2023).
Limited Early Bird Tickets will soon be available. Tickets for the special offer will be frozen at 2022 prices, with full-price tickets going on sale this November.
For more go to carfest.org.
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