Festival fans know a good thing when they see/hear it…’Early Bird’ tickets for next year’s (2018) Bearded Theory Spring Gathering sold out in a record-breaking three minutes. A total of 5,000 tickets were sold on the first weekend of sales.
A special allocation of 2000 early bird adult weekend camping tickets, priced at just £100 each and made available to mailing list subscribers and past attendees, literally flew out (see what we did there?)
Standard tickets are £115 for four days of music, entertainment and camping, and more than 3000 full price tickets were sold in the two days since they went on sale, making this by far the fastest selling launch in the festival’s 10 year history. The daily capacity is usually around 10,000 people.
Bearded Theory’s Spring Gathering will return in 2018, from 24th to 28th May, at Catton Hall, Derbyshire, hot on the heels of the hugely successful sold out 2017 ’10th Birthday edition’. Included in The Daily Telegraph’s 2017 list of “Best Family Friendly Festivals In The Country”.
While much of the festival setup and size will remain unchanged, the organisers have announced a number of new, non-music based venues on site. The biggest new addition is a brand new 600-seated capacity Circus, which will hold four free shows each day, and it is guaranteed not to include the use of clowns or animals. They will deliver child friendly daytime shows and more adult orientated performances at night.
The Woodland stage will welcome Funhouse Comedy for the first time – taking over the stage daily from midnight, well into the early hours. The Kettle at the End of the Universe is also new for 2018 – a large capacity seating area around a fire, with tea and coffee sold on a magic hat basis (or free if you can’t afford it). This area is a quiet space, which will host story reading, discussions and poetry.
The main Pallet Stage will have a bit of a makeover, and the event welcomes back Maui Waui, Magical Sounds and the Convoy Cabaret. Rogues Hideout (for teenagers) is being made bigger for the evening show, The Ship returns with a different music selection and Something Else Tea Tent will be providing everyone with cake and ‘rebels’ once again. The Earth Area, the innovative and unique on-site School, and the free Children’s Village will remain as before. Family camping has been extended with an additional two fields secured, to cater for the many thousands of families who attend the festival every year.
No acts have been announced yet for 2018, but details will be revealed as soon as they are confirmed. Madness, Seasick Steve and Skunk Anansie headlined the main stage this year, with The Fall, Foy Vance, Reverend and the Makers and Cast headlining on the Wooodland stage. Slaves, Sugarhill Gang, Vintage Trouble and Alabama 3 joined in the fun with more than 200 bands across several stages over the four days.
The award-winning annual event’s organisers have again teamed up with National Express, who will be running direct services to the Derbyshire site from across the UK. Coach travel is available from: Derby, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Gloucester, Worcester, London, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Leicester.
- All tickets for the festival include camping, and there are no day tickets. www.beardedtheory.co.uk
