Joe GallopTofte Manor, a 17th century manor house in the Bedfordshire countryside, is among a trio of open-air venues to host live events for the first time this summer.
Independent promoter Labyrinth Events will run three festivals at the venue located near the village of Sharnbrook. The manor house, which operates as a commercial business usually hosting retreats, weddings and other private functions, has rented the entire venue to the events company.
The shows will be Labyrinth Events’ first outside Greater London. The company staged its first events in 2017, at Notting Hill Arts Club (cap. 218).
Full details of Labyrinth’s festivals are yet to be announced but organisers said they will feature two stages, and will each have a capacity of 3,500. They are scheduled for 10 July, 7 August and 18 September.
The names of the events and lineups are to be revealed over the next two weeks, with tickets on sale from 1 April.
Labyrinth Events co-founder Nicholas Castleman said, “Tofte Manor gives us the opportunity to move away from the crowded London scene and offer our audience a totally unique music and lifestyle experience unlike anything else in the UK.”
Also set to begin operating this summer are new venues Ernie’s Yard in East London and Square One in Manchester.
The Manchester venue will turn an abandoned car park into a new open-air clubbing venue that will host weekly events from 26 June.
Opening with a launch party featuring DJs Denis Sulta, Mella Dee, Enzo Siragusa and Hot Since 82, the venue is located on Cakebread Street, near Manchester Piccadilly station.
“Let’s make up for the lost memories and come together, a good and proper open-air affair,” Square One said in a statement.
While Ernie’s Yard in Canning Town, a 12,000 sq ft venue on the site of a former scrapyard, will open a day earlier on 25 June.
Ernie’s Yard is being organised by the team behind Tottenham warehouse club The Cause. It will have an 11pm licence and will feature two event spaces with a food area and multiple bars.
The venue is located next to New Docklands Steam Baths and is the second to open on Canning Town’s industrial complex in recent years after FOLD in 2018.
Ernie’s Yard co-founder Stuart Glen said, “Back in 2019 we walked past a huge street food and drinks venue built from shipping containers and decided to have a pint. As we walked in, the bartender explained the lease was up on the site. I immediately thought, ‘This structure would be amazing for a party, maybe I can buy it and find some land to move it to.’ Two weeks later, we’d agreed to buy it, put a deposit down and had three months to seal the deal on some land I was after.”
He added, “Two sites fell through and we’ve been juggling where to put 19 40-foot shipping containers for two years. It’s been a sticky situation, to say the least, but somehow we’ve managed to pull in some favours, met an East End legend called Ernie, and Bob’s your fathers brother – Ernie’s Yard – a killer new daytime space for London was born.”