Best free events in the UK - Festivals, Carnivals, Parades, Shows, Fireworks etc

A non-commercial listing of hundreds of amazing events - many free.

ASHTON COURT FESTIVAL, BRISTOL

The annual Ashton Court Festival in Bristol was conceived in 1974 by Royce Creasey, a motor cycle designer. It evolved from a free community festival, to a full music festival with the best of local bands and headliners to finish. Held on the beautiful 900 acre Ashton Court Estate over a weekend in mid July, it was noted for it's very relaxed atmosphere. It comprised multiple music stages, crafts, trade stands, food and bars and ran from 12:00-23:00 on each day. 2007 was a difficult year with debt carried forward from 2006. To help meet tougher licensing laws, increased security measures were required. The site was moved from Barn Field to Smythes Field, in front of the Ashton Court mansion house, licensed capacity was reduced from 40,000 to 30,000, and gate prices were increased to £15 per day. Bad weather on the Sunday meant that it was not possible to provide emergency services on site, and license conditions could not be met. Organiser Steve Hunt said that pre-paid Sunday tickets would be refunded. Another organiser, Ian Evans, said that they would need to work out the implications of the loss of income. Shortly afterwards, the difficult decision was made to call in receivers to start the process of winding up the organisation ...