A small festival on a working farm
Fernhill Fields (sample) started in 2014 as a party in one barn. It is still run by the family who farm the land and a team of volunteers.
Six thousand people, one field
We cap the festival at six thousand people a day, so you can walk from one stage to another in a changeover and still find your friends (sample).
No VIP area, no sponsor stages. Ticket money pays the bands, the crew and the farm, in that order.
How we run it
A field has to be a field again by the end of July. These are the rules we set ourselves.
Refill, not plastic
No single-use bottles on sale. Six free water points and reusable cups at every bar.
Solar first
The Orchard and the info tent run on solar and batteries; the big stages share one efficient generator.
Leave no tent
Campers pay a $10 litter deposit, back when you hand in a full bag (example prices).
Local traders
Every food stall comes from within forty miles of the farm (sample).
Paid crew
Every steward is paid or gets a free weekend ticket for three shifts.
The people behind it
A small office on the farm all year, and four hundred people on site in July.
Ruth Fernley
Festival director and farmer (sample)
Dev Malhotra
Programmer, books the bands (sample)
Kasia Nowak
Site manager (sample)
Tom Achebe
Box office and access (sample)
Lena Brandt
Volunteers and crew (sample)
Owen Marsh
Sound and stages (sample)
Questions about the weekend?
The box office answers by email within two working days, and by phone on weekdays from 10:00 to 16:00.