Old Town Festival 2020 secured and will return with a new and refreshed format

After the recent appeal for volunteers the Old Town Festival will be returning for its 29th Year from June 2020 – 13 June 2020.

• Volunteers from across Swindon have come together to ensure the Old Town Festival returns for its 29^th year in 2020 with a new and refreshed format
• The Festival will run from 6 June 2020 – 13 June 2020
• Vendor Licence fee slashed to encourage more independent local businesses to attend
• The Old Town Festival 2020 will be a themed VE Day celebration marking 75 years since the end of World War Two

 The Festival Committee is planning some exciting changes to the format:

• Festival theme: VE Day – celebrating all things retro and marking 75 years since the end of World War Two
• VE Ball on the Lawns: Exclusive ticketed evening ball on the Lawns on 6 June
• New children’s fancy dress competition: replacing the traditional parade a new VE fancy dress competition will take place on the Lawns on 7 June
• Enhanced young people’s performance schedule: more slots, more acts and more opportunities for young people to show off their talents
• Larger children’s fun zone: including more activities for families to enjoy than ever before
• More local businesses: Costs of running a stall has been reduced to only £30 with no need for street licenses to encourage more local independent businesses to create an artisan market on Lawns on the 7 June. Charity pitches remain unchanged at £25
• Food Court: Larger, more varied food selection showcasing the very best of local produce
• Going Green: The Festival is committed to making this the most environmentally friendly year so far and will be announcing waste reduction initiatives over the coming months

The Festival will still be running a number of the ‘Festival Favourites’ including the performances in the Marquee and 105.5 Stage on the 7 June and the popular Bowl Concert on the 13 June. The Festival will also be raising money for its Charity of the Year which will be announced in February 2020.

Thomas Craigie, Chair of the Old Town Festival Committee said; “It was fantastic to see the response from the community to our call for volunteers – thank you to everyone who has offered to help! We also took this as an opportunity to try out some new things for this year’s Festival which we hope will make it bigger and better than ever before. If you run a small business who would like a stand, are able to volunteer before or on the day or do have any suggestions for the event then please do get in touch.”

The 2019 Festival attracted over 17,000 visitors from the local area as well as raising almost £1,400 for Wiltshire Search and Rescue, the 2019 Charity of the Year.

If you would like to get involved in this year’s Festival as an act, a vendor, a volunteer or have any suggestions please do get in touch with the Festival via [email protected].

Keep up to date with the latest news via the Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/OldTownFestivalSwindon/.