An intimate crowd of only 4,000, five fantastic days of eclectic music, street theatre and workshops set in the spectacular backdrop of Larmer Tree Gardens with its resident peacocks and macaws.
The dates for this festival of acoustic folk and world music, but also roots, blues, jazz, Americana, reggae are confirmed as Wednesday 15th to Sunday 19th July.
The acts confirmed for 2009 include: Jools Holland and the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra with Dave Edmunds playing on the Wednesday, and Richard Thompson headlining on the Thursday Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar (headlining the Friday), Rokia Traore (Saturday headliner), and The Imagined Village (headlining Sunday). Other confirmed acts include Dreadzone, Teddy Thomson, Pama International, Tinderbox, The Travelling Band, The Hats, Moon Music Orchestra, David Celia, Mawkin:Causley, The Shee, Megson, Hobo Jones & the Junkyard Dogs, Edward II, The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain, Hot Club of Cowtown, The Teak Project, and more. For the line-up details as available please click here.
New this year is the Comedy Club that will take place from Thursday to Sunday at this year's Larmer Tree. Headliners are still to be announced but on the bill so far is Rex Boyd, Craig Hill (Thursday), Danny Robins, Adam Hills (Friday) The Comedy Store Players, and Wilson Dixon (Saturday).
The festival generally has a lovely chilled atmosphere, and is child-friendly, all set on a gorgeous site in lovely Victorian pleasure gardens with a free campsite next door, with free showers and well serviced toilets. There's also over 150 free workshops for adults and children, therapy sessions and street theatre are also on offer.
Tickets are now on sale, priced at £177 for 5 days, £144 for 4 days, £115 for 3 days, and day tickets priced at £37 to £57 dependant on day. Saturday day tickets have sold out. To buy online, click here. The ticket price includes camping for the night(s) of the date(s) of a ticket, and expect them to sell out quite quickly.
New street theatre shows for 2009 includes the fire troupe Blaze, the Cockney Awkestra will be having a Knees Up, and there's physical comedy from Strictly Dumb Prancing. New quirky characters roving the festival from DOT Comedy are The Jockeys and The Recyclists. Festival goers can experience a Car Boot Sale with a difference.
A Portrait of Larmer Tree 2009 will be captured throughout the festival by Fine Artistes Rupert and Arabella, and brand new for 2009 and showcasing at Larmer Tree is The Village Fete presented by FUSE
Children's shows new for 2009 include The Farmer Jason Show with Jason Ringenberg singing A Guitar Pickin' Chicken and He's a Hog Hog Hog and a puppet show Terry Jones Fairy Tales. The festival is also developing a programme of theatre and talks including Meet Etran Finatawa, a unique opportunity to meet the World music stars whilst gaining an insight into their culture, and Theatre shows such as Screwloose from The Village Idiots.
This year's carnival and dressing up theme has been announced as 'The Paradise Parade'. Workshops will enable everyone to get involved in producing costumes for the parade throughout the whole festival on Sunday afternoon. For those who love dressing up there is also Dress-Up Saturday with the theme Movie Mania.
The festival also has over 150 workshops for all ages from Thursday at 2pm onwards. Children can learn new crafts in the festival's Hands On! workshops making everything from Fabulous Fish textiles to Bouncy Jellyfish that glow in the dark. Hands On! sessions are available for adults too. There's circus skills with MushyPea from Thursday to Sunday, and 11 acres of gardens for children to explore with a huge adventure playground!
Adults workshops include a Barn Dance with Cut A Shine and other dance workshops including Bellydancing, and Can Can. The festival also provides opportunities for festival-goers including Singing with the London Bulgarian Choir.
YouthZone is the perfect place for young people (11-17) to make new friends, catch up with old ones, learn something new or just chill out in their own space.
The magical Lostwood area returns for its second year. Celebrating the art of storytelling, poetry, spoken and written word this area is home to 60 free sessions for all ages. Based in Lostwood is Jackie Leven – the festival poet for 2009 who'll be capturing the atmosphere of Larmer Tree through his daily poems created at the festival. Amongst many other favourites the Late Night Storytelling sessions will be returning for all to enjoy and an exciting addition for 2009 is the Bookshed, it appears to be an ordinary wooden shed, but what's inside?
More information will be here when available.
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