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Summing Up – Interviews With Festival Founders

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Summing Up – Kerry Marks, 40

24 July 2019

Kerry Marks’ dream of establishing an all-inclusive music and family event has been hard-earned. Launching Meraki Festival in 2017, the St Albans event attracted 4,500 people in the first year, and with line-ups including Tony Hadley, Bonnie Tyler, 10cc and All Saints, grew to 7,500 last year. This year features…

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Summing Up – Mathew Podd

20 May 2019

Sound engineer Mathew Podd launched Happy Days in 2011 with ex-police officer and bar operator Chris Holding, and session guitarist Eddie Cox. What they saw as a “no-brainer” became a baptism of fire, before the event began to attract more than 6,000 people per year, featuring artistes ranging from Tony…

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Summing up – Jimmy Doherty, 43, and Nichola Adams, 39

9 July 2018

Jimmy Doherty achieved national attention when a BBC series documented him setting-up a rare-breed pig farm in Suffolk. With Jimmy’s Farm now a successful visitor attraction, Doherty launched his Sausage and Beer festival in 2009, alongside Harvest at Jimmy’s, re-launching as Jimmy’s Festival in 2016 with director Nichola Adams. It…

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Summing up – Sarah Nulty, 36

4 June 2018

While not part of the core founding team, Sarah Nulty has worked on Sheffield’s Tramlines from its outset 10 years ago. She became festival director in 2013, steering it from a venue-based event to an exclusively outdoor, ticketed festival now attracting 30,000. It has featured artistes including Toddla T (a…

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Summing up – James Brennan, 34

1 May 2018

After embarking on his promoting life at school and becoming production manager for Secret Garden Party, James Brennan founded Suffolk’s Red Rooster Festival as a showcase for rhythm and blues artistes. He expects audiences to exceed 5,000 in this its fifth year, with artistes including Alabama 3, Los Chicos and…

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Summing Up – Daniel Cuffe, 31

26 April 2018

Founded in 2009 by partners Daniel Cuffe and Peter Taylor as a one-night, 5,000 capacity proms, Lytham Festival has grown to a five-day, 15,000 event with headliners including Status Quo, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Emeli Sandé. The duo launched Greenwich Music Time (cap. 7,500) in 2014, book Scarborough’s…

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Summing Up – Luke Betts, 31

19 March 2018

Interviews with festival founders Having been involved in commercial party organising and promotion as a student, Luke Betts founded Mutiny Festival in 2014 and has established it as a 15,000-capacity fixture on Portsmouth’s live music scene, featuring artistes including 50 Cent and Pete Tong. This year’s bill features Craig David…

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Summing Up – Luke Hasell, 42

15 February 2018

Interviews with festival founders Farmer Luke Hasell founded Valley Fest after a fundraising event following his father’s death and the diagnosis of his mother with cancer. Now entering its fifth year, the 5,000-capacity event, held at The Community Farm overlooking Somerset’s Chew Valley Lake, aims to reproduce the ethos of…

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Summing up – Ciro Romano, 49

19 January 2018

Having been a corporate music business lawyer and then run his own artiste management business and record label, Ciro Romano launched Brighton’s Love Supreme Festival in 2013. Initially a 5,000-capacity event, it has grown to 15,000 by presenting jazz and jazz/soul influenced artistes such as Van Morrison, Gregory Porter, Nile…

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