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JOIN THE QUEEN AT THE BISH BASH!
The Jubilee wouldn't be the Jubilee without a few fun & games......and a parade!
Friday
Roll up, Roll up for the Jubilee extravaganza procession on Friday at 2.15pm as her majesty graces Bish bash. Join the Royal procession in your best jubilee outfits and win cash, free drinks at the bar, prizes and souvenirs ......Best Jublicious costume wins a top cash prize!...Her Majesty will be the judge of that! Procession starts Friday at 2.15 ending at the stage for the royal seal of approval.....So get sticking, knitting, sewing and pom poming and impress ...catch the Queens eye to get the prize!! Be prompt at 2.15..... She doesn't like to be kept waiting!
Saturday
By Royal Decree you are hereby ordered to pick up your dibber and raise it aloft in celebration of Her Majesty for a right Royal Cockney supercalifragilisticexpijubilatus Bingo session.... Cash prizes to be won and fun ones too. Fun, balls and little bit of Cockney banter. So, get your Eyes down for the crown on Saturday at 6 - 6.45 in the bar tent.
WHERE’S BISH BASH?
Over the past 20 years, the Bishop’s Stortford Music Festival, aka BISH BASH, has become a regular entry in the diary for the first May Bank Holiday weekend – but this year we have moved it to the special long Jubilee Weekend on 3rd and 4th June.
It’s still at Sworder’s Field in Bishop’s Stortford and will be a double whammy – celebrating both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee AND 20 years of BISH BASH in two fun-filled days.
Building on the successful format of previous years, there are three stages plus a drama/ comedy tent. In addition to live entertainment you’ll find great food, a gin bar, a real-ale tent, a dedicated dance tent, comedy, kids entertainment and various community stalls.
All you need is a picnic rug and a smile ….
Over the two-day festival, there’s a diverse mixture of music – established bands, up-and-coming names and some groups just starting out. For music lovers, it’s a must. For festival goers, it’s a chilled couple of days, with something for everyone from 12 through to 11pm.
On Friday 3 June there’s The Boo Radleys (“Wake up Boo”), the ever-popular show stoppers Uncle Funk’s Disco Inferno, local Britpop band Collapsed Lung, Bishop’s Stortford band Darlings, and much more.
The fun continues on Saturday 4 June where we have EMF headlining. Unbelievable! , Buster Shuffle with their take on Ska Punk Rock & Roll, Swingers …. and yet even more.
Full details of all the acts, interviews, behind the scenes and competitions to win tickets, can be found on the BISH BASH and Stortford Music Festival website www.stortfordmusicfestival.org.uk/
If you or or company would like to raise your local profile, we still are always open to new sponsorship ideas: sponsorship@stortfordmusicfestival.org.uk
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED. Fancy spending a few hours as a festival steward in exchange for a day ticket? See the website for more details.
BISH BASH tickets are selling fast! Get yours now!
Takes a deep breath. And announce.....
Well, here it is! This is it. The big moment. The big reveal. The bit where we announce the bands who are going to be playing at this year’s Bish Bash. This date is the culmination of months of diligent effort – listening to lots of music, touring around to lots of gigs all over the country, and talking to solo artists, bands, managers etc so that we can bring an amazing line of up talent to Bishops Stortford. (OK, ok – so we enjoy that part, but it’s still been hard work!)
Every year we try and bring in a real mixture of talent to fill either the main stage or the beer tent stage. Some of the artists will be household names, some of them will be old favourites, some will be upcoming names that might break it big very soon, and some are raw new talent that need your support to help them break through. Every artist starts somewhere and as lovers of live music we always like to encourage artists who give it their all on stage and come alive in front of an audience. Without dropping names, we’ve had several superstars pay their dues to Bishops Stortford in the past!
Elsewhere on our website, you’ll see our line up for this year’s Bish Bash. On Friday 3 June we have The Boo Radleys who are stopping off in Stortford as one of just a handful of dates to promote a new album. Who can forget humming along to “Wake up Boo” at some point?! Also on the Friday stage we have local Britpop band Collapsed Lung (“Eat my Goal”) and Bishops Stortford band Darlings before the show is closed by the ever popular show stoppers that are Uncle Funk’s Disco Inferno.
The fun continues on Saturday 4 June where we have EMF headlining. Unbelievable! Good music is all about enjoying yourself, letting your hair down and having fun and you can dance away to our other Saturday acts which include Buster Shuffle - an amazing London-based Ska Punk Rock & Roll band’. And just wait till you hear Swingers, bringing a very unusual eclectic take on dance music and other favourite tunes along with an amazing stage show.
Oh – did I mention the beer tent? And the comedy tent? Oops, can’t give it all way at once, so please do drop in again sometime soon. Over the next few weeks we’ll be talking to some of the bands and finding out about their songs, tours and favourite festivals as well as introducing some of those other up and coming acts who are our top tips for future stardom. There really is so much going on.
Remember – the festival this year is on the extended Jubilee weekend on Friday 3 June and Saturday 4 June. Tickets are already selling heavily, so book ahead and don’t miss out!
HELP LOCAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS AND WIN BIG!
By buying an East Herts Lottery ticket you can help local community projects and groups across the region(including us) and could win up to £25,000. PLUS buy every ticket bought before 26th goes into a draw to win £1,000 to spend at Sainsbury's
What's not to like?
If all our social media followers purchased just one ticket ticket a week we would raise over £140,000 for local community causes every year.
https://www.easthertslottery.co.uk/support/stortford-music-festival-cic
Bish Bash 2022 We're back! And Stortford's Own Music Festival is 20!
After two amazingly dull years, we are back in 2022 and bigger and better than ever for Bish Bash, which this year coincides with the extra-long Jubilee Holiday
2022 heralds our 20th Stortford Music Festival (aka the Bish Bash). It's so much more than just an event for music fans - it's a big hit on the town's community calendar, with hundreds of families flocking to Sworder's Field over a Bank Holiday weekend - which this year coincides with the Jubilee weekend. Very confusing, so put Friday 3 June and Saturday 4 June in your calendars now folks!
We are now deep into the festival planning season and thought we'd share a sneak preview as plans develop through a regular blog that talks through what we are planning.
For those unfamiliar Bish Bash is a community, not-for-profit music festival that typically attracts up to 6000 people to our venue on Sworder's Field right in the town centre. Yes, that's right - we don't make money - it's run by a volunteer committee of like-minded people, young and old, driven by a common desire to give the people of the Stortford area a good time. We give up our time, energy - and, sometimes, peace of mind - all for free. Other than the headline acts, no individuals profit from the festival - but the community is richer for it, so please play your part and come on down!
In 2019 we had terrible weather, with some bands even playing in sleet and hail, and we lost money. In 2020 we had an online festival event which was well supported by many local bands, and of course we all stayed home in 2021. Many thanks and much kudos goes to those people in the community and local businesses that dug deep over the past few years and donated the £10,080 that kept us going over two empty years and have helped us kickstart finances for 2022. Thank you friends.
We've decided to build on the successful format of previous years, with three stages plus a drama/comedy tent and then food and other vendors. In addition to live music and great food we are planning a gin bar, a real-ale tent, a dedicated dance tent, comedy, kids entertainment, and various community stalls. So it's the festival that you know and love, only better!
Right now, we are finalising terms with our headline acts. We are really excited by some of the amazing prospects that we are lining up. Make sure you "Like" our Facebook page to get upcoming announcements, and be prepared to spread the word!
Ticket prices will be in line with 2019 prices and there are discounts for advance bookings - so watch out in early February for online ticket sales. We are also planning a number of fund-raising events leading up to the festival, so keep an eye on Facebook and you can join us ahead of the main party.
You can find us here: https://www.facebook.com/stortfest and at our own website here: https://www.stortfordmusicfestival.org.uk/
As always, our efforts benefit from business community sponsors, so if you're a local company and would like the opportunity to promote yourselves and be part of all the fun, please get in touch: Sponsorship@stortfordmusicfestival.org.uk