About our festival
It's personal
We started the festival in 2014 and it's still run by the same team of two. We have lots of local volunteer help on the day for which we're hugely grateful.
We're not looking to create a big commercial event, we simply want to put on a great festival that people love coming back to.
It makes
a difference
Every ticket helps us take live music into local schools, care homes and groups supporting people with additional needs,
And we give young local musicians a helping hand through our Young Musician Grants.
It treads lightly
We care about our festival and we care about our planet.
That means no single use plastics, we recycle nearly all the waste, and we encourage people to cycle here.
It's local
We use trusted local suppliers and build long-term relationships with the people and businesses around us.
If you'd like to work with us, we'd love to hear from you.
The story so far
It all started in 2014, when Chris returned from Munich with his band of Lederhosen-clad musicians. They came to play in our village – and things went from there!
It's not quite a music festival as you might imagine. There are no commercial stalls, just fantastic world music and dance in a lovely countryside setting with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
But from the very beginning, we wanted it to be about more than one great day in the summer. Since 2014, your support has helped us take live music out to more than 6,000 people in local schools, care homes and community groups. And since 2022 we’ve given nearly £10,000 to give local young musicians a helping hand.
The feedback we've received over the years has been heartwarming. Knowing that the festival makes a difference is what makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Putting on the festival does get harder. We no longer receive Arts Council funding, so everything we do now depends on the money from people coming to the festival and the generosity of donors.
So please come and join us in June. Enjoy a fantastic day of music, meet some lovely people and help us make a difference long after the music has stopped.
Chris and Nicki
Nicki Woodward
Nicki studied joint flute and piano at the Royal College of Music. She went on to perform at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Rooms and on Classic FM and with the London Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony orchestras.
Nicki has a keen interest in folk music, has toured with a folk orchestra in South America, played Flamenco with Juan Martin and been a member of Irish band ‘Penradin’.
Chris White-Horne
Chris used to be Deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency.
Now he's a trombone teacher. At Thornbury Area Youth Music he delivers musical activities and teaching to over 100 young people every week. He is also the Music Director and bass trombone player of the Thornbury Swing Band.
Chris is a Trustee of the Orchestra of Everything Foundation, giving children in deprived areas around Bath a better life through music.