Okay, so this is not in South Wales, but it’s close enough to find a way on our pages, and with this being a fully-fledged ‘family festival’ we figured it’s something we’d all like to attend.

Set in the sublimely picturesque Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Hereford, LAKEFEST prides itself on creating a hugely enjoyable, family friendly festival where music, entertainment, family activities, fairground rides and creativity collide to produce an unmeasured Festival that will capture with hearts and minds of attendees, regardless of age.

With an array of stages including the ever-popular Mainstage, they aim to provide a plethora of music. Looking at the incredible line up of acts, regardless of musical tastes there will be something for everyone.

Add to this funfair rides, International BMX riders displaying their skills, an appearance by the legendary Army freefall display team The Red Devils, and a 50% discount on entry to Eastnor Castle, and we believe we may have found the perfect way to see out the end of the school holiday period.

It would be impossible for us to tell you everything going on over the weekend, we can however tell you, that in true festival fashion, there will be something for all ages and tastes, both on and off the stages.

So let’s highlight some of the performers first and as you can see, the Abbey Main Stage has some fantastic performers.

Of course we have to pick SIR TOM JONES as one of our highlights. With over 100 million record sales to his name, certain milestones loom large over the horizon – and with those milestones come certain expectations.

It’s hard to know where to begin with Tom, so it has to be his South Wales roots.

Thomas Jones Woodward was born in Pontypridd in 1940 to a father who worked the coal mines of the Rhondda Valley. After quitting school at 15, working a variety of manual jobs, singing in the clubs at night and marrying at 17, Tom went on to sign with Decca Records in London.

When you’ve enjoyed 36 top 40 hits spanning five decades, the word legend comes to mind. With a catalogue of sing-a-long hits such as It’s Not Unusual, What’s New Pussycat, Delilah, If I Only Knew and Sex Bomb, they all barely scratch the surface of a career in which also takes in networked prime time TV shows spanning over five decades both in America and the UK, countless Las Vegas residencies and a string of Grammy, Ivor Novello and Brit Awards.

But, after a period of upheaval which saw him come to terms with the loss of Linda, his wife of 59 years, and spend time in hospital with a bacterial infection, Tom’s instinct was not to reflect upon his legacy, but further extend it.

If you’ve never seen Tom live before this is a great place to catch him. His irresistible show traverses musical eras and genres, cuts across class divides and appeals to young and old, male and female, mainstream and cutting edge. Sir Tom has always been about the power of the song, the power of the voice.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a regular sight at a Tom Jones concert…….

Saturday headliner is SEASICK STEVE, another guy you really need to see live.

Steve has come a very long way in 14 years since he burst into the public consciousness with his amazingly raw, powerful emotional performances on TV, becoming a household name overnight. It is those astonishing and engaging live performances that have turned Steve and drummer Dan Magnusson into such a powerful force both live and on record (selling over 1m albums), and selling out venues (including London’s Wembley Arena) all over the world in the process.

Friends since they were five, indie pop three-piece SCOUTING FOR GIRLS (Roy Stride, Pete Ellard, and Greg Churchouse) have never changed to chase success. Success actually came to them; their 2007 self-titled debut went on to become triple platinum and birthed the generation-bridging anthems of ‘She’s So Lovely’,  ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’ and ‘Heartbeat’. And they have never looked back.

Scouting For Girls went on to release ‘Everybody Wants To Be On TV’ (2010), ‘The Light Between Us’ (2012), ‘Still Thinking About You’ (2015), The Trouble With Boys (2019) plus the mega number 1 hit single ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’. They’ve picked up nominations for four Brits, an Ivor Novello and played everywhere from a sold out Wembley Arena to countless festival stages.

You can see them on the Main Stage on Saturday night.

The summer of 2002 was a strange time in East London. A time before social media (yes, that is a real thing), before so many of the grassroots venues had been shut down. Suddenly, rock ‘n’ roll exploded out of its late-90s, post-Brit Pop doldrums. Everywhere, kids were forming bands.

Most of the groups that burst out of this chaotic, creative melee flamed briefly then faded away. Sunday night headline act RAZORLIGHT were different.

Formed around singer/guitarist Johnny Borrell, their debut album, ‘Up All Night’ perfectly captured the incendiary energy of the squat parties and sweatbox venues of that original East London scene. It also carried a couple of breakthrough, era defining hits, including ‘Golden Touch’ and ‘Somewhere Else’.

We just want to mention a couple of the support acts playing, in some cases you may not know all of their hits, in others we think you will, and be singing along to every word.

THE REAL THING had considerable chart success in the 70’s and 80’s with their upbeat, sing-along singles that saw the band pull together elements of disco, R&B, Soul and Funk into one incredibly enjoyable package. Perhaps best remembered for their brilliant single ‘You To Me Are Everything’ which charted in both the 70s and 80s.

THE MAGIC NUMBERS formed in late 2002 in West London. A uniquely set up band of two sets of brother and sister – Romeo and Michele Stodart and Angela and Sean Gannon – they started playing shows through London honing their sound and along the way picking up a who’s who of fans including the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Travis, Ed Harcourt and Noel Gallagher.

You can see the full line up (and it’s huge) right HERE.

Away from the music, there is so much for the whole family to enjoy. Step inside the creative space for children and adults alike. Managed by Sarah and the friendly team at Spare Room Arts, they believe that absolutely everyone has an inner artist – and with just a little guidance from the team, that creative voice can be discovered, nurtured and celebrated.

Stay a while and make the most of as many activities as you like, all you need to join is, is your imagination.

Back for their 6th year and its going to be the best Lakefest kids area ever! They run activities for everyone whether you’re 1 or 101 they have something for you! From Beat Boxing, yoga, storytelling, breakdance to a diverse range of arts activities run by the award-winning Spare Room Arts staff, they have something for you.

See the entire family activity events HERE.

They are featuring the sport of the moment – BMX in the action sports arena, and they even have a bout or two of wrestling.

From its 70s and 80s Saturday afternoon incarnation which was dominated by the larger than life characters Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks wrestling has gone through a truly monumental growth with the multi-million-dollar US federations such as the WWE and Impact wrestling having a huge impact on how the sport is presented in the UK.

Fights are bigger, the showmanship is as important as the sporting prowess. It has glitz and glamour that is infused with the incredible feats of agility and strength which draws in massive crowds to see home-grown talent battle tooth and nail for the superiority of the ring.

SOUTH WEST WRESTLING will be bringing their brand of hard-hitting, high octane wrestling action to Lakefest. Just like the entertainment you see on TV expect to see everything from a 30st Heavyweight monster to high flyers both men and women and everything in between!

And who would want to argue with the like of Big Jim?

As far as festival locations the team at Lakefest can rightly be pretty smug! Eastnor Castle is an award winning tourist attraction nestled in the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and set in 5000 acres of parkland, just a few miles from the medieval market town of Ledbury in Herefordshire. We host Lakefest in the beautiful surroundings of the Deer Park, boasting views that will make you never want to leave.

If you’re a festival virgin, or an old-hand at these things we reckon this one has it all. Considering everything included, tickets are really affordable, and after the last year and a half, we all need to treat ourselves to something fun and special.

Tickets start at £37.45 for infants up to 5 years old, with a range of prices right up to the Gold Tickets.

Occupying a private marquee, right next door to the main stage and therefore at the very heart of the festival, Lakefest Gold provides an oasis of calm to base your exploration of the weekends activities from.

It has its own private cocktail bar, and exclusive food offerings, including a ‘pop up’ restaurant:

There is also a childrens play area, a big screen showing all the performances from the main stage as well as a Gold stage featuring private performances from a set of cafefully curated artists brought together by Matt Owens from Noah and the Whale.

There is a ‘Gold’ raised viewing platform (Tom Jones, Razorlight, and The Red Devils will look pretty good from there) and a private courtyard seated area to facilitate a little extra comfort when you feel the need to slow the pace down a little.

LAKEFEST will be up and running from August 12th to August 15th which gives you four days and nights of non-stop entertainment. If you’d like more information, and to get your tickets, go HERE.

And as a little bonus all 2021 ticket holders will gain half-price entry to the castle itself on Sunday 15th August, definitely not to be missed.