The final day of CarFest 2025, and the final time this wonderful event will be held at Laverstoke Farm in Hampshire – it’s home since Chris Evans launched the UK’s biggest children’s charity family fundraising festival in 2012.
CarFest moves to Silverstone race circuit in Northamptonshire next year, across the August Bank Holiday weekend – 28th to 30th August 2026.
The 2025 edition, presented by BP Pulse, saw perfect weather on all three days, and up to 35,000 people per day flocking to the 2,500 acre farm owned by ex-racing driver and 1979 Formula 1 World Champion Jody Scheckter and his wife Clare, who works behind the scenes of CarFest every year and will continue to do so after the move.
An ambitious and eclectic lineup of music acts, with soulful pop princess Rita Ora topping the bill on Saturday, after Travis headlined on night # one, and Madness closing the event on day three, in fine Nutty Boys style.
Other bands and artists appearing over the three days included Busted, Kim Wilde, Sam Ryder, Tom Walker, Kim Wilde, Seasick Steve, Rick Parfitt Jr., Reef, and The Boomtown Rats.
Sunday’s main stage performances included Squeeze, Lightning Seeds, and Pussy Cat Doll Kimberley Wyatt, and Noasis who went down so well they got called back for a two-song encore. After Madness topped the bill, a huge fireworks display lit up the sky as a spectacular finale to 14 years at Laverstoke farm.
Carfest is far more than just the live music on several stages, this is a very family friendly eclectic arts festival with authors [such as David Walliams, Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker-Bowles, and Dom Joly] and chefs [such as Rosemary Shrager and hairy Biker Si King].
Plus comedians [such as Lee Mack, Strictly winner Chris McCausland, Ed Byrne, and Rob Brydon], actors [such as Ben Miller] and athletes [such as Sir Chris Hoy, Sally Gunnell and Denise Lewis], and many, many celebrity appearances across the event.
* Danny Jones from McFly surprised the crowd when he appeared on stage to join in for the last song of Electric Umbrella, McFly’s hit, “It’s All About You”. *
CarFest’s children’s charity partners include BBC Children in Need, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Epilepsy, continuing its charity mission to help vulnerable children, and it has which raised in excess of £27,000,000 so far.
Victor Chan from Chinese car manufacturer Omoda Jaecoo joined Chris Evans to present Carfest with a £25,000 donation from their company to the chlidren’s charities CarFest supports.
During one of his many on-stage appearances, Chris told the story that two years ago they booked The Village People to play, and he realised they really shouldn’t have! They were introduced, and Chris was then told they were refusing to come on. So he went backstage to speak to them…
Eventually they came on, but Chris reveals he wished they hadn’t! He told Sunday’s crowd that songs like YMCA belong to everybody not just the Village People, and he led a rousing singalong to the iconic song, with the whole production team and crowd in one voice.
CarFest [the clue is in the title!] has HUGE appeal for petrolheads of course, with cars galore on and off the track, from vintage to rare and lots of valuable supercars, and many famous faces from the motoring world. Richard “Hamster” Hammond from Top Gear and The Grand Tour for one.
Sunday saw chef James Martin take to the track in his 1952 Bentley R with special number plate, and Clare Scheckter in the late Queen’s Landrover get a police escort for a lap of honour for all her work behind the scenes of CarFest.
Just before Squeeze, Chris Evans also paid tribute to her on the main stage when he brought out many of the crew and volunteers and presented Clare with flowers an an official thankyou. She will continue working with CarFest when it is in its new home at Silverstone.
Between Squeeze and bill toppers Madness, Chris was back on stage explaining that his son Eli has never missed a Carfest, however this year he has been in hospital for the last four days. Chris then for his son on FaceTime and showed him live sat in his hospital bed with his mum next to him.
Eli said hello to the crowd, and was sat with a massive bear next to him, which Chris revealed was won by a child at the fair on the CarFest site, who gave it to Chris up to give to Eli: “The bear from the fair”.
- Check out our coverage of Friday & Saturday…
Photos by Liam Battersby
Words by Rowena Edos and Liam Battersby
