Let’s hear it for the return of our spectacular Spoken Word stage!
Back for its third year, we’ve listened to your feedback and have designed a dreamy line-up that promises to entertain, interest, entice and excite our audience. Over on this stage we’re all about promoting thought, debate and having a good laugh. Because our philosophy in life is that if we can’t kick back at a festival with our loved ones and laugh our socks off, then we’re doing life all wrong!
We’re the stage that consistently offers something for everyone: workshops in the mornings, talks and interviews in the early afternoons and an eclectic mix of entertainment as the sun begins to set. It’s Lakefest at its finest: More Than Music.
Award-winning journalist John Robb is returning to host a series of interviews with some of our Abbey Stage acts. One of the first to write about bands such as Stone Roses and Nirvana and with some thirty-plus years of an enviable music writing career under his belt, the man himself no doubt also has many a tantalising tale to tell.
Local living legend and comedy genius with the beautiful hair, Jon Wagstaffe, has curated a comedy line-up that we can’t wait to grab front row seats for.
Thursday
Set up camp and then ease yourself into festival life with a night of comedy from 7-9:30pm:
Comedy-compered by Jon Wagstaffe:
Jon Wagstaffe has thrown his hat into the ring for Round Three, as comedy returns to Lakefest to open the festival on Thursday night. He brings with him four exciting acts:
Tim Hoskins
Gloucestershire comedian Tim Hoskins returns to Lakefest as Marti, the incredibly popular character that has you laughing at all the wrong things. We simply couldn’t have comedy without him.
Gerry Kyei
Gerry Kyei’s style is anecdotal, observational and refreshingly honest. 2019 will be his first time to Lakefest. Gerry’s comedy is enriched by a somewhat unique perspective
Nick Page
We’re really excited to welcome Nick Page, BGT 2016 semi-finalist and English comedian of the year 2017/18. Following the success of his 2018 tour ‘Page Against the Machine’, Nick joins Jon in the Pen and Parchment to open Lakefest.
Tanyalee Davis
Tanyalee Davis is a 3 foot 6-inch standup comedian that you may recognise from BBC’s Live at the Apollo. Having toured all over the U.S and Europe, we’re delighted to welcome Tanyalee to Eastnor this August.
Friday
Diddy Stars Theatre Workshop
Local-based Theatre Workshop for Primary School aged children. This can and probably will run over past midday.
Comedy for Kids with Hannah Silvester
You spoke, we listened. This year we are introducing ‘Comedy for Kids’, an increasingly popular event that’s been popping up at Fringe, Music and Comedy events all over. It’s clean fun that we know our Little Lakefesters will be laughing their socks off at.
Where Are We?
The history and story behind our gorgeous festival site, Eastnor Castle
MATT OWENS MUSIC
John Robb Interviews The Bluetones
John Robb Interviews Dreadzone
Comedy: Jay Neale compere:
Duncan Oakley
David Arnold
Will Hodgson
Noel James
harcourt players
Saturday
Gavin Pond M/C
School of Noise Workshop
Fresh from the Southbank Centre, Latitude Festival, Greenman Festival and BAFTA to name but a few, The School of Noise invite you to join them on a journey exploring music and the science of sound at Lakefest 2019. Using a variety of noise-making and sound-sculpting machines, you’ll get to play on rare and unusual musical instruments such as a theremin, waterphone and omnichord, observe beautiful Chladni patterns in sand and conduct your own orchestra of fruit and vegetables.
This workshop will run as a drop-in between 10am and 2pm.
“The School of Noise is one of those ideas that you just know is right: bringing back a sense of wonder and accessibility to music-making” – Jarvis Cocker
DIDDY STARS THEATRE WORKSHOP
Tent Talks
Tent Talks is the time for conversation on well-being in its many forms. It’s a great time to rest your dancing feet in the middle of the day.
CBT – Rebecca Hanscombe
Mindfulness – ‘How do we live in the moment?” (Jo Powell)
Astrology
John Robb Interviews:
Bez and Rowetta from the Happy Mondays
The Real People
Pigeon Detectives
Mike Dennis (The Rapping Violinist)
Mike Dennis is a classically-trained violinist and poet whose boyhood love of Run DMC, Beastie Boys and Gangstarr led him to create a unique kind of string-heavy hip hop music he refers to as Violinica.
You won’t have seen an artist like this before.
harcourt players
Sunday
Diddy Stars Kids theatre Workshop
Spoken Word Workshop with Dreadlock Alien
Dreadlock Alien
The former Birmingham Poet Laureate and festival favourite joins us for the first time for a workshop for U18s.
The Antipoet
Lakefest’s favourite sarcastic and witty Bards return for their third year.
Junior Talent Show
Apply at the bottom of this page.
Annual Lakefest Poetry Slam
We couldn’t have a Pen and Parchment tent without the annual poetry slam. Anything goes in terms of what you write about and no poetic experience is required. Just have fun and express yourself!
John Robb interviews:
Paul Young
Alex and Adam Lipinski
Don’t Miss:
The Lakefest 2019 Junior Talent Show
We are delighted to announce that following the success of our 2018 Junior Talent Show, we’re bringing it back for 2019.
Last year, some 30 talented, fearless and enthusiastic young performers, with family and friends in tow, turned up to take their chance, to seize the moment, and to show us that there is an incredible range of talent amongst the younger members of our Lakefest audience.
There was so much interest, we had so much fun (and our competitors clearly did) that there and then we determined that this year we would take it to the next level.
So, for 2019 our judge will be none other than this year’s Lakefest VIP Ambassador, Steve Norman, a founding member of Spandau Ballet, who sold over twenty million records around the world, played to packed arenas and stadiums as well as appearing at Live Aid.
Our winner this year will receive a family VIP ticket for Lakefest 2020, the opportunity to perform on one of the live stages, and two days mentored workshopping in a professional dance or recording studio.
APPLICATIONS FOR 2019 NOW CLOSED! Thank you to all those that have applied and we can’t wait to see you guys in action!
The annual lakefest poetry slam
Words, words, words! The popularity of poetry is evident amongst our creative ticket buyers and we’re inviting you to once again pen a poem to perform as part of our Poetry Slam. It can be anything from a romantic sonnet, to some punchy prose, to a rap.
To enter please email: emma@pigonthehill.net
Got your tickets yet?
Don’t miss out, only a limited number of final release tickets are left.