How to Plan a Weekend at the Charlbury Riverside Festival

Every year for a weekend in mid-June, the small Oxfordshire town of Charlbury plays host to two days of varied musical entertainment by the river. Over 5,000 people come each year to enjoy the festivities on an island in the River Evenlode--and the best part about the festival is that it’s all absolutely free!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Tent
• Torch
• Sleeping bag
• Camping mat or airbed
• Wet weather clothes
• Sunglasses, hat and sunscream
• Ticket and camping pass
• Camping stove, pots and pans
• Toilet paper and toileteries

1. Send in your band’s demo to the organisers a couple of months before the event if you’d like to be considered for a slot at the Charlbury Riverside festival. They will choose the best bands from the demos received and include them on the line up.
2. Book your ticket to the Charlbury Riverside Festival either from the festival’s website (see Resources below) or in a number of music shops in Oxford. Although admission to the festival is free, you’re required to book a ticket for crowd control purposes.
3. Print a camping pass application form from the festival’s website of you plan to stay overnight, and send this off together with your payment and a stamped addressed envelope to the organisers; they’ll send you back a camping voucher on receipt of it. The cost of camping is about £10 per head and the campsite is patrolled by a security company at all times.
4. Reach Charlbury either by bus, rail or car. Stagecoach buses operate to the town regularly throughout the week, but you should be aware that there are no bus services on Sundays. Get the train to Charlbury station (from where the festival is just a couple of minutes walk) via the First Great Western line from Oxford. If you’re driving, Charlbury can be found about 10 minutes away from Chipping Norton, Woodstock or Burford, and about 30 minutes from Oxford.
5. Aim to arrive at the festival site by at least 2 p.m. on the Saturday when the music kicks off. The site opens at about noon on both days, and the performances finish around 8 or 9 p.m. each night.
6. Swap your camping voucher for a camping wristband at the Information Point when you arrive. Don’t lose it or you will not be allowed access to the campsite, even if your tent is still in there!
7. Head to one of Charlbury Riverside’s two stages of music--either the Main Stage or the Beard Museum Stage. Both feature a variety of artists from different genres providing the musical entertainment for the weekend.

Tips & Warnings

• There are no parking facilities available on the campsite but there are car parking spaces around the town of Charlbury. However, these are limited, so come by public transport if it’s a feasible option for you.
• If you fancy running a stall at the Charlbury Riverside Festival, you can register as a trader by emailing the festival organisers.
• Get in there early! Tickets for the Riverside Festival are invariably all taken at least a week before the event takes place. However, if you live in the area but didn’t manage to get a ticket, it might be worth popping by the festival anyway; if people leave and capacity is not reached, you’ll be allowed entry to the site.
• Don’t take glass into the campsite or try and start campfires or barbeques, as these are all strictly forbidden.