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Box Office Number: 07774 459046 / 07917 605634
Box Office Email: boxoffice@greatbarnfestival.com
Frequently Asked Questions & Covid Policy
A Guide to Great Barn Festival
Welcome to Great Barn Festival and thank you for supporting the event. It will be lovely to see you all again and we are doing all we can to keep you safe and comfortable at the Barn. Here are just a few of the things we have put in place to put your mind at ease.
- This year we have reduced the number of available tickets to the festival by 50%.
- The venue is well ventilated, but we fully support you if you choose to wear a mask. At this time, it is not mandatory, but guidance may change quickly. We will have a supply of masks if you would like one – please just ask at the Box Office.
- We will be arranging the seating in the barn as usual but if you are more comfortable with a little more space please do get in touch. We do understand and we will try to accommodate you with a little room between you and the rest where we can.
- We have UK Spring Cleaners, Federation of Master Cleaners registered, with us all weekend. Between performances all seating will be cleaned and communal areas such as craft tables in the Children’s tent, bar and food tables and WC facilities will be attended to regularly with suitable covid busting products. This is far above the required or expected measures, but we want you to know you are looked after. We also have lots of hand sanitiser and ask that you use it regularly.
- All operational side contributors from actors to litter pickers will be asked to provide a negative lateral flow test result taken within 24 hours of arrival (where this is not possible, we will request proof of double vaccination or medical exemption).
- Because all of us working hard to make your day special are taking that little bit of care we hope that you will do the same to look after us and other festival goers as well. Lateral Flow Test kits are available to order online for home delivery at https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or through many high street chemists. They are free, simple and painless to use. Once again this is not a mandatory condition of entry, simply a request for your consideration. We understand that not everyone will agree with this policy but please be prepared as if testing moves from recommendation to ruling, we will be making it a mandatory condition of entry in line with the guidance.
- We will display QR codes for track and trace if you would like to sign in and we will ask for a name and contact detail for everyone entering the site or a lead member of a group. These will be retained in line with government track and trace policies, and should it be necessary they will be passed to the track and trace teams upon their request.
- Please look out for the signage and follow the guidance on site. If you disagree with our policies we will happily discuss them with you however please be kind, our staff and volunteers are not responsible for the policy and we will not tolerate rude or aggressive behaviour towards them in the performance of their job.
- Please do not attend the festival if you are feeling unwell.
With that out of the way here are a few other bits of information that might help make your day out a little more fun.
Arrival
The Great Barn is well signposted for major routes and once in the village there are signs pointing you to festival parking. Please avoid parking in the street. Great Coxwell has narrow roads and needs constant safe access for emergency vehicles and farm machinery.
If arriving from the Faringdon to Highworth Road and taking The Hollow Way please go with caution. It is a single lane with passing places and not suited to larger vehicles.
There will be more than usual numbers of pedestrians because of the festival and all the usual cyclists, horses and dogs so please mind your speed.
Parking
Parking is in the field opposite the barn, mown especially for the occasion and marshalled from the roadside. The first couple of rows are reserved for disabled parking. Please park in the field as instructed and with courtesy to others. All visitors using the parking field do so entirely at their own risk and liability. The field will return to farm use on Monday so we ask you not to picnic in the field and to make sure you remove any rubbish with you. The parking gates will open at 9.30am to the public and will be locked on Saturday at 11.30 pm and Sunday at 9.30pm. Please do not leave your car overnight. Please do not leave your dog unattended in the car and make sure you clear up and remove dog waste from the site. Our marshals are volunteers and will happily accept donations from you in support of our local charities.
Additional disabled parking on the roadside by the barn is limited and reserved for those who are the vehicle driver or who cannot use the disabled drop off facility as a priority. We would advise getting in touch to reserve a space here if required. I am afraid when they built the barn they didn’t have us in mind but we will try to accommodate everyone as best we can.
Box Office
Just inside the main gate, here we will check your tickets, sell any further tickets if available on the day, supply information, a meeting point, lost property or lost people assistance, first aid, dog walking guides, dog bags, and charity donation buckets with information on each of the good causes we support. We will also have information on the bands, performers and artists should you wish to get in touch with fantastic reviews or share a photo or two.
On arrival we will have lots of information on our covid policy just to keep you updated, we will have a supply of spare masks and lots of hand sanitiser.
WC Facilities
In a terrible lack of foresight 800 years ago the barn has no running water and no loos so we have to bring in the portable kind. We have a disabled loo and standard loos which will be cleaned frequently and stocked with hand sanitiser. Sadly, we simply cannot stretch the budget this year to a changing place facility but it is on our future goals list very high up. Our closest Changing Places facility is at Highworth Leisure Centre, 10 minutes drive from the Barn. We will have a small gazebo that can be used discreetly if required. Please ask at the Box Office where we will be happy to help.
Baby Friendly Facilities
Push chairs can be taken into all areas however we will ask that they be left aside of the audience seating unless previously agreed. If the weather is poor and the tents cannot accommodate the number of pushchairs at a performance, please leave them under cover at the Boxoffice.
There is a change table in the disabled loo but if you prefer to use our quiet tent please ask at the Box Office. This is available for changing, feeding, or simply if you need 10 minutes with a little less stimulation for little ones. Once again, apologies, we have no running water and cannot offer to heat food or milk.
Food
If you are having a last hurrah of summer, do it in style and forget making the lunch or dinner too! We have a great bar serving all hours in the Hayloft. Barista coffee, a comforting cuppa and a lot of lovely cake from McIntosh Nosh from the Horse Box, fresh woodfired pizza from White Horse Box Pizza made to order and FINK street food will be bringing the feel good factor with the falafel as they sell shwarma to help raise funds and awareness for good mental health. There will be gluten free and vegan options. However, we are happy for you to bring a picnic, just a couple of rules….
No glass, none, not at all!
No booze, you can buy it here and even take it away but you cannot bring it in.
No picnicking in the car park.
No littering – use the bins or take it home. We aim to leave no footprint.
Please do not feed any of the animals in the surrounding fields. Farm animals, horses and donkeys may have special diets and what you see as a treat can make them ill. If you would like a copy of the country side code please ask at the Box Office.
Dogs
Yes please, bring them along and let us give them a pat! Our conditions, on a lead, a short one, no extending leads in the grounds they are a bit of a nightmare to untangle from the legs of children and tent ropes. Not in the tents or the barn – not everyone is confident around dogs and these areas are likely to be a little more crowded. Also, naughty dogs (and owners) will be asked to leave. We have dog treats for the good boyos on Nell’s Nibbles stall were there is also a water stop and supply of poo bags. Please use them in the grounds and on your walk but bin them at the end – no decorating the hedgerows!
Tickets
Your Saturday Grounds Pass gives you access to the grounds and all performances, demonstrations, workshops and facilities save from those that are separately ticketed (see our website for details). On Saturday it is valid from 10am to 10.30pm and on Sunday from 10am to 5.30pm. Good news – if you have a ticket for a main performance or workshop it will contain your day pass for the day of that performance. Even better, because you have bought one you can receive a discount on another different performance or workshop ticket! We cannot guarantee tickets will be available on the day so advanced booking is advised.
If you hold a grounds only pass there a number of activities and performances that may be limited in capacity due to their nature for example pond dipping with the National Trust is a timed activity and for reasons of safety there will be a maximum capacity and attendance will be on a first come first served basis. Most of these sort of activities will run several times over the weekend so we hope everyone will be able to join in but never fear there is always something happening you will find plenty to do.
Payments
The box office, concessions and traders will almost all take card payments however will be happy to accept cash. There is no cash machine in the village and our card readers depend on 4G which can be a little temperamental in Great Coxwell. Please be patient or come prepared. Again, those monks 800 years ago really didn’t quite get the infrastructure right. On the plus side if you carry a little folding you will be able to donate to the festival charities if you don’t spend it all on the day. We have some lovely things to buy on the market place.
Get Involved
On Saturday evening we have some tremendous bands and have left a little bit of space at the end of the night for a bit of joining in. If you feel inclined to come and have a bit of a tune in the bar please bring your fiddle or pack your spoons. Happy to have you.
If you enjoy yourself and can see yourself stage side or selling your art or even just helping on the box office next year (and there are perks to that job) then give us a shout. We would love to have more community involvement. It is such a special stage and one we hope to keep open for many years to come but we cannot do it without your patronage, care and consideration for the magnificent barn and surroundings and the festival family we hope you will become part of.
See you soon!
Ainslie, Emma and the many, many faces on the Great Barn Festival team.
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You are entitled to view, amend, or delete the personal information that we hold. Email your request to either Emma Drozd or Ainslie Williams on boxoffice@greatbarnfestival.com
Great Barn Festival 