This is huge.
Arcadia, the performance art collective, will be creating a new playground for everyone in our second field: The Alchemist’s Playground. We are bursting with excitement! Glastonbury will be their only other UK show.
Limited tickets are now on sale, so get them while you can.
Known for their iconic, 50 ft fire-spitting spider, (a Glastonbury highlight for millions), they’re bringing their Afterburner stage and creating a new arena. Faithless (DJ set), Roni Size plus The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club will play, with more acts to be announced.
Built from a Rolls Royce jet engine called an Afterburner, the stage is surrounded by a circle of metal trees and flames. The dancefloor is designed with the DJ in the middle, so you can party with beaming faces all around you.
Daytime at The Alchemist’s Playground
By day, kids will be able to make their own Afterburner playground stage, with help and tools provided by the much-loved Woodland Tribe.
Everyone can contribute to the playground, so bring your mini metal workers, weeny welders and budding builders.
Not only that, they’re bringing their massive water slide. It’s going to be hedge-to-hedge fun all weekend!
Night Time at the Alchemist’s Playground
By night, it’s time for the big kids to play! Expect a sea of seasoned party goers, fuelled by the joy of being able to dance outside and reconnect after so long. Our sonic heroes and heroines will provide you with chunky funk, big beats and smatterings of head-down hedonism. Make sure you’re at the front when Faithless drops “can’t get no sleep”.
Not only that, the Lords of Lightning are coming. Multi-million-volt bolts will shoot from their bodies, as they duel with high-frequency crackling electricity. The Alchemist’s Playground will add a whole new dimension to the festival.
The Backstory
Many people don’t know that the Arcadia team has long been associated with the Valley Fest land. When they first started out, they built their structures in an old cow shed on the farm, filling the yard with prize bits of scrap, picked up from around the country. In fact, there is a piece of Luke’s grain silo in the stage. For those of you not familiar with Luke, he’s the Valley Fest founder.
Reusing and repurposing is an integral part of Arcadia’s art. Their installations are made from ex-military equipment. And now they’re turning their attention to regeneration because they’ve experienced its magic first hand.
During their fifteen years of touring festivals, they’d park their showman’s vehicles in one of Luke’s fields. To begin with, the land was barren and now it’s transformed into meadows and woodlands, which are full of wildlife.
As you may know Luke, is an organic and regenerative farmer. Ensuring he has the healthiest soil possible is at the forefront of his approach. And so the Hasell/Arcadia partnership continues to grow, weaving together the cycles of nature, farming and the festival.
Local tickets are on sale
Love thy neighbour! We certainly do. And now’s the moment many of you have been waiting for… we have a limited amount of local weekend tickets on sale.
You’re a local in our eyes if you live in post code areas BS39 and BS40. You’ll need to show proof of your address at the gate for your reduced-price ticket to be valid. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Sunday tickets are on sale
Daytrippers, your time has come.
We now have a limited amount of Sunday tickets available.
The shape of Sunday typically includes feasting, fancy dress, fireworks, huge acts and plenty of rising stars. Not to mention cooking demos, panel discussions and of course the Arcadia playground. You’ll need to move quick to grab one of these as they’ll sell out quickly. This is the only day ticket available.
Trader applications are open
We’re looking for tastiest traders in the South West who have some flair and plenty of soul! By that we really mean have an ethical and sustainable approach to producing or making food or other goodies. Check out our Get involved pages to apply!
We can’t wait to see you in the fields! x