GuilFest has opportunity to make a comeback

GuilFest 2014

Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July 2014
Stoke Park, Guildford, Surrey, England MAP
£120 weekend with camping, child 12-17 £85, u12s free

Daily capacity: 25,000

Last updated: Fri 6th Jun 2014

GuilFest organiser Tony Scott is celebrating today after a packed public meeting of hundreds of supporters saw the local council agree for allow him to apply to bring his festival back to Guildford in 2014.

Since the sad loss of GuilFest last year, after the company behind it went into liquidation, organiser Scott has had offers of support in helping to reinstate the festival, and an online petitions which had gained thousands of signatures, triggered a Full Council meeting in the Council Chambers last night to discuss the issue.

Promoters Live Nation hosted a new music festival Magic Summer Live this year over GuilFest's traditional dates at the same site, headlined by Bryan Adams and Jamiroquai and last night the Council revealed that there had been no application for a Stoke Park event from anyone.

After a long meeting, where the video below was played to the Council as part of the GuilFest teams presentation, the Council revealed the outcome was for the motion to be carried for an application to be heard from GuilFest before the deadline of 31st December. After the event a quick statement from organisers said, "So GuilFest was well supported tonight by Councillors and we have been asked to apply to do Guilfest 2014."

Councillor Furniss commented, "I'd love to see Guilfest come back, we just need to see the details for an application... we haven't had one single formal application yet for the festival."

After last night's meeting it's clear that the GuilFest team's application must highlight how the festival will benefit the local community, businesses and what it brings to Guildford as a whole.

One of the older events, Guildford Live was re-named GuilFest in 2002 and has each year offered a multitude of different musical styles with classic and modern acts, plus entertainment, children's area, art and crafts, and a truly festive atmosphere. It had been one of eFestivals favourite festivals, and one that we had sponsored since 2002.

It now looks as though Tony Scott and his team have an opportunity to see the community festival return to its home, in the grounds of Stoke Park and they promise they will return with the best GuilFest ever seen. It's just a case of the application being submitted by December, and it meets all its criteria, GuilFest will go ahead.

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