Busfest NEWS
BUSFEST NEWS - MAY 2023
BUSFEST 2023 ADVANCE TICKETS FOR CAMPING (INCLUDING CLUBS) NOW AVAILABLE HERE
ADVANCE TICKETS FOR DAY VISITORS ARE AVAILABLE HERE
BUSFEST 2022 PHOTO ALBUMS CAN BE SEEN HERE
The dates for this year’s event are; 8th – 10th SEPTEMBER
ADVANCE DAY PASSES NOW ON SALE!
If you want to stay in a hotel, find your own campsite, doss on a mate's couch, sleep in your car in a layby, hang a hammock in tree in a forest......whatever, you'll need a DAY VISITOR PASS, and they are now available and on sale as an advance purchase!
Don't forget: We only have Day Visitors on Saturday and Sunday. You can buy a Saturday Pass only, a Sunday Pass only, or a combined Saturday & Sunday Pass (saving you £5). Saturday Day Pass holders can stay on site until midnight, so you can stay for all the evening fun as well!
Click the link to go and book your ADVANCE DAY PASSES
BUSFEST SHOW & SHINE
The BUSFEST SHOW & SHINE is now OPEN for entries
More information BUSFEST SHOW & SHINE INFORMATION
Please use the attached form to make your entry; BUSFEST SHOW & SHINE ENTRY
THE "BUSFEST BEAST"
There has been a lot of rumours and talk about a "BUSFEST BEAST" roaming about & due to pop up all over the place before he makes his new home at BUSFEST.
What manner of beastly things are occurring?
There has been reports of something 'Beastly' going on up North!
A blue and silver monster has been sighted in the North of England, somewhere near York apparently, and he's over 2m tall...............
Some of this appears to be TRUE so you had better all keep your eyes peeled....
We said we would let you know let you know what's going on as we find out more...........
We've tracked the BEAST to this hideaway as he makes his way to Busfest....."LET IT IN!"
IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAST OF A FESTIVAL!
The 'BUSFEST BEAST' looks like he's going to make an appearance, and there's nothing we can do to stop him! So, “LET IT IN”!
We have SO much going on at this year's festival! For a start this is the 30th year that we have been putting on a show at the Three Counties Show-ground. 30 Years! Where's that gone? Rest assured, we'll be celebrating in style with lots of exciting things for you to see and do.
To kick it all off, we have the biggest TRADE VILLAGE of any festival, with up to 300 traders.
Then there's the FOOD VILLAGES dotted around. These are situated on MAIN STREET, in the CHILL ZONE, TRADE VILLAGE, and The HUB, and supplemented by restaurants at Avon Hall and Severn Hall, and further individual food/drink outlets by Yellow Campsite and Main Arena.
Our list of food outlets is varied and we cater for the vast majority of tastes with artisan wood fired pizzas, burritos, burgers, wraps, Indian, Chinese, Asian, Thai, Italian, American, French, Mexican, English, fish & seafood, pasta, roast dinners, hog roast, hot dogs, crepes, vegetarian, cakes, pies, pasties, sandwiches, baguettes, paninis, and much much more, all available throughout the festival.
Then there's the daytime entertainments (apart from the music stages) with attractions like Bee Bunny, JunkFish, ArtiKidz, Jamuna, Kenny The Clown, Angie's Animal Antics, and Busfest Games, to name but a few, and loads of exhibitions, static displays, demonstrations and more.
Of course, don't forget our massive SHOW & SHINE competition in the Display Arena - it's being upgraded for this year, so keep an eye out for our announcements!
Add in the amazing Jennings Funfair, and our well sought after CHILL ZONE & MAN CAVE, offering all your pampering delights, and you can see why we are the biggest, and best, VW Camper Van Festival in the World!
Talking about live music stages, for 2023, we have five live music stages dotted around the festival. Each has it's own vibe, so there's something for everyone. Just wander around and see what each has to offer:
HUB STAGE.
Following on from the rip-roaring success of the VDUB RADIO Roadshow last year, this year, we are going bigger and better! We are moving the stage into the North section of The HUB, and flipping it sideways to create a massive area for you all to get down and funky. The South section will have lots of seating, food and bars, and will be a great place to pop in, meet friends, or while away some time listening to the music, on your way around the festival.
As well as operating a 24 hour radio station from the stage (available online at vdubradio.com), there will be a full live DJ set from midday to midnight on Friday & Saturday, and 10.00 to 15.00 on Sunday.
We are very pleased to announce that In line with our 80's Weekend Extavaganza happeining in the Severn Hall, that we will ALSO be having a throwback to the 1980's appearing in the HUB alongside Vdubradio on the Satrday Evening in the form of LOVE PARADE (which just so happens to be fronted by a lead singer who looks exactly like one of our Busfest Display Managers....... the very wonderful VW legend that is RIKKI JAMES)
The full VDUBRADIO DJ line-up will be announced soon.
SEVERN STAGE.
Come and join us for our 80's Weekender Extravaganza!
Soft Cell, Duran Duran, A-Ha!, Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode, ABC, Gary Numan, Tears For Fears, Frankie Goes To Hollywood........the list goes on!
We are transforming the Severn Stage into an 80's night club, complete with props, a light up dance floor, backdrops, drapes, light up tables, and a ghetto blaster DJ console!
Open from 20.00 to midnight, Friday & Saturday, we have the tuneage being banged out by our resident 'Master of Funk', ANDEEJAY, and a great line-up to entertain you:
Friday: Playing in the style of all the bands mentioned above (and more), we welcome on to the stage the masters of the 80's tribute - FLASHBACK TO THE EIGHTIES, a five piece multi instrument band who sound just like the originals!
Saturday: This is going to be unbelievable! Our special guest is none other than the good Doctor himself - CLIVE JACKSON from Dr & The Medics. Clive will be spinning the discs with his own 80's disco, assisted by our stunning Disco Dancers, and ending up with a live performance of Spirit in the Sky to end the evening. Be there or be square!
CHILL STAGE.
Our laid-back, chill-out stage, set in the 'Dingly Dell' with canopies, twinkly lights and chilled vibes. Full line-up to be announced soon, but will include the likes of Tom Dibb, Druids Brew, the VDUB Radio Chill Sessions, and guest appearances.
SHEEPSHED STAGE.
Our open air Rock & Alternative stage that has a loyal following. Full line-up to be announced, but, as Devious run this stage for us, it's safe to assume that they'll be headlining on Saturday night!
DANCE STAGE.
The place to be for EDM, Trance, Ambient Dance, Remixes and more! Hosted by Belgian superstar DJs KWEENONY, and with guest appearances from top DJs. Full line up to be announced.
WALKABOUTS.
It wouldn't be the same without our crazy walkabouts, and so many of you just love what they do, so we welcome back our 'resident' makers of mirth: THE 2MEN who will be causing mayhem amongst you. ELTON WRONG & MUSICAL RUTH whizzing around on his/her mobile piano, and the very naughty CHALKIE THE CHIMP monkeying around.
Other main attractions include:
MAIN ARENA.
We are very pleased to have the ON THE EDGE MOTORCYCLE STUNTSHOW staying with us over the three days. With some of the World's best professional riders doing breathtaking and death-defying stunts and a professional compère, this is one breathtaking show you must NOT miss as you go around the festival.
Also in the Main Arena, our unique SYNCRO OBSTACLE COURSE where you can watch these beasts (there's a theme coming out here – can you spot it??) strutting their stuff around our obstacle course. If that's not enough, over on the North side, next to Yellow Campsite, there is our SYNCRO TRIAL, where they get down and dirty on our specially prepared off-road time-trial course.
And we must not forget our SPECIAL SURPRISE!
It's taken us FOUR years to bring you this surprise..........we tried to do it in 2020 but got thwarted by the C-19 lockdown, in 2021 it was C-19 again, and in 2022 it was the death of HM The Queen. So, fingers crossed, 2023 will finally be the year we can bring it to you. What is it? You'll have to wait and see! Where is it? You WILL NOT be able to miss this, wherever you are at the festival!
There's a rake more stuff to tell you about as the weeks and months go by, so watch this space for more info!
BUSFEST WELCOMES A-PLAN INSURANCE AS OUR MAIN SPONSORS FOR THIS YEARS EVENT
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BUSFEST - DOGS
Many of you who come to Busfest bring dogs with you.
We generally do not have a problem with that, as most of you are responsible dog owners who control and clear up after your animals.
But every now and again things start to get out of hand, and we must remind you that being able to bring your dogs to Busfest is a privilege not a given. Many events at this showground and others do not allow dogs on site anymore.
In the past we have come close to banning dogs at the event, but instead have introduced policies that have avoided that.
We now have a “Dog Free” Camping area and have an exclusion policy for dogs in the enclosed evening entertainment venues.
But now we are (again) having to revisit this subject again as the sheer number of dogs attending the event and the behaviour of them (and some of their owners) is causing quite a few problems.
In particular, within the Trade areas. Dogs and their owners are NOT all acting responsibly, and we have had numerous incidents of dogs soiling traders stock and stands and owners not even attempting to control their dogs.
This cannot (and will not) be tolerated any more so we will be introducing new initiatives at Busfest 2022 to deal with this problem.
It is going to be another good one folks..
SEE YOU THERE!.
The BUSFEST CREW.
BUSFEST is very pleased to announce that A-PLAN Insurance will again be our MAIN SPONSORS
A PLAN offer a wide range of Private, Specialist & Commercial Vehicle Insurance services.
We look forward to working closely with Dan Cameron from the Thatcham A-Plan Crew this year to bring those services closer to you!....
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Busfest Future Dates
2023 8th - 10th September
2024 6th - 8th September