What you missed in 2023
We were so excited to be hosting the Great Barn Festival again in our new
September dates. Although the evenings were unseasonably chilly, the sunshine
was clearly just as happy as us, as it didn’t stop all weekend!
The Great Barn Festival delivered its usual mix of family fun, thought
provoking theatre, singing, dancing, musical talent both locally and
nationally. Our Tent by the Pond was a huge hit with its constant line up of
high quality music. What better way to spend you weekend than relaxing on a hay
bale in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside listening to music!
We even had music from the Internationally renowned violinist
Sebastian Müller and piano from Lynette Stulting. The acoustics in
the Barn make it an amazing venue whether its classical, folk or theatre.
We welcomed the wonderful Mark Chadwick from the Levellers for an unforgettable
acoustic performance in the Barn. A real treat for all who came, especially if
you joined him in the bar afterwards!
The usual mix of family storytelling, puppetry and theatre saw storytelling
adventures from Rattlebox Theatre and Professor Slug Bug, Shakespeare in a
suitcase productions for the whole family, the hilarious Dan the Hat and even
some Morris Dancers thrown in for good measure!
The wonderful Three Inch Fools returned with their top quality outdoor
performance of Robin Hood with the Barn as its stunning backdrop.
Some incredible local talent bought the Hayloft Bar and the Tent by the Pond
to life: Liam Vincent & the Odd Foxes, The Lost Notes, The Shapes, Vernons
Future, Malcom MacWatt, Tu-Kay & Ryan, Rivermouse, Jali Fili, Sam Twigg,
N:SH, Mizike, Seven O’Clock Junkies, Sebastian & Me, Jody & The Jerms, Tim Friars and the Mercenaries and The
Talismen to name but a few. Not forgetting the incredible Boogie Me who
performed a proper foot stomping set in the Barn! We also welcomed a wonderful
selection of local choirs and community groups such as Faringdon & District
Strummers and The Faringdon Choir
Not forgetting the beautiful craft stalls found at our Marketplace, yummy
food vendors and a full programme of arts & craft in our children’s tent.
Phew….its amazing we fitted so much into a weekend!
Luckily it wasn’t just us who had a great time! Here’s what some of our lovely guests thought….
“There was so much about this little Festival we enjoyed, and we go to a lot! So thank you for giving us a lovely day of experiences and memories”
“Congratulations on putting on a delightfully chilled and charming festival.”
“Thank you so much for a fabulous weekend. The variety of artists was great and they were all amazingly talented. I loved that the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and lots for families with youngsters to do and stalls to wander around and look at. It was a perfect weekend, thank you!”
We thought it was a lovely festival in a beautiful setting. I have been recommending it to friends and hopefully we will bring quite a group with us next year! We saw a great variety of performers at the Tent by the Pond, bought various pieces of arts or crafts, and listened to a talk about bees on the one compact site.
I simply love the Great Barn Festival and really admire all the effort put into running it. The bands and contributors are simply excellent and I look forward to it and am never disappointed.
This was our first barn fest, and we’re only sad we waited so long! We loved it. The nature play, the story tellers and entertainers. The elf show. Getting the children to see theatre in a minimal pressure environment was wonderful.
This little festival had something for everybody, the setting was amazing and there was such a wonderful atmosphere. We are looking forward to coming back next year. Please don’t change anything, it was just perfect!
We would recommend the Festival to anyone. It is a beautiful place and you create an amazing atmosphere for families to enjoy themselves. It is a safe space for kids to run and explore and for adults to enjoy.
“This was the best weekend EVER- never before have my family met The Mad Hatter and had tea with Alice, then had yummy pizza cooked outdoors and Morris danced all afternoon! Such a chilled vibe and lovely food
“We had a fantastic afternoon last year at the festival. Story telling at its finest”
“Absolutely loved it. Will definitely be back next year!”
I had a gentle introduction to Festivals yesterday with my youngest at the very chilled out Great Barn Festival and we had such a lovely time
Great Barn Festival 