Christopher BarrettHaving overseen the final, 60th anniversary, edition of Towersey Festival (cap. 5,000) at Buckinghamshire’s Claydon Estate in August, the event’s directors are to launch a new festival on the site next year.
The team behind the UK’s oldest independent festival are planning the inaugural Found Festival on 22-24 August, with the new 2,000-capacity event focused on “musical and cultural discovery, connection and inspiration”.
Originally founded by Denis Manners MBE in 1965, five years before Glastonbury’s gates first opened, Towersey Festival took place for the final time this year with a 60th anniversary edition staged on 23-26 August. The event was managed by festival co-director’s Mary Hodson and Joe Heap, two of Manners’ grandchildren who are behind the launch of Found. Towersey was run by Steve Heap for 45 years until 2019 when he retired.
On the launch of Found Festival Hodson said, “With a deep-seated passion for curating unforgettable experiences, we’ve inherited the art of bringing people together through music, culture and community. Our rich heritage inspires everything about Found Festival; we believe that life’s most meaningful moments happen when we step outside our daily routines and immerse ourselves in new experiences. Our festival is not just an event; it’s an opportunity to experience creativity and connection and take it back to your daily life.”
She said the soon-to-be-released programme will blend americana, folk, country, roots, blues and world music, along with spoken word, comedy, circus and arts, with audience interaction “a crucial element of the festival”.
In a statement, the co-founders of Found Festival said the aim of the event is to ignite creativity, foster a sense of community, and allow spectators to become participants via engaging programme of hands-on workshops, dance classes, interactive art projects, outdoor learning and wellbeing.
Full weekend camping ticket prices are £115 (young person) and £215 (adult).
After a huge number of festival cancelations this year, Found Festival is the latest in a flurry of new festival announcements, including TEG’s 45,000-capacity Come Together in Newcasltle, AEG Presents’ LIDO Festival and Cuffe and Taylor’s 35,000-capacity Blackweir Live show series in Cardiff’s Blackweir Fields.