It was the first time for us to exhibit at the Larmer Tree Festival and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Held from 13th to 17th July in the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens near Salisbury, it had all one could ever want from a family festival.
Established in 1990, the Larmer Tree Festival had over 70 diverse artists spread over 6 stages. As the organisers state, it is "The perfect escape form it all" with an intimate crowd of around 4000 with over 150 workshops, street theatre, comedy club and carnival procession. With so many activities, workshops and entertainment for adults and children alike, it is easy to see why it was voted the Best UK Family Festival in 2008.
The weather was not at its best for this time of year, but I have to say that unlike many events, enjoyment was not dampened in the slightest!
Areas of particular interest were the Wood Craft area and the Lost Woods with their amazing illuminations. Workshops that were we lucky enough to find time for were weaving and didgeridoo. Maybe next year we will be fortunate to sample some of the other workshops available.
Peacocks and Peahens are just as much a part of the festival as any of the artists as a great number of them have free run of the entire site (Peacocks that is!)
A folly (second photo from top) dating back to 1880 housed a thousand paper origami cranes with a beautifully illuminated water garden near the main stage. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who has been disapointed by any UK festivals. It would have to rate as high as WOMAD (our next outing) in our book of festival experiences!
We would like to say a big thank you to all our customers at the Larmer Tree Festival as well as all the event staff and volunteers who helped make this an unforgettable experience. For more information about this annual festival, please click here!
