One of Oxfordshire’s longest running festivals will get folk moving this weekend with a broad ranging line up of talent.

The folk-fan staple, Towersey Festival, will be taking place in the Claydon estate in Buckinghamshire this weekend, 26-29 August.

The venue is around 13 miles from Bicester and 18 miles from Thame.

There will be some top acts performing, including Scottish hitmakers Del Amitri, Imelda May, Kate Rusby, Eddie Reader, and comedian Bill Bailey.

In 2019 the festival celebrated its 55th anniversary.

Until that year it had taken place every August Bank Holiday since 1965, when it was first held in founder Denis Manners’ back garden.

Despite its humble beginnings, the festival grew from a handful of music lovers to a staple in the folk calendar.

The organisation has been passed down through the generations and was taken over by founder Denis’s grandson, Joe.

Read more: Electric car manufacturer to establish its first UK head office in Oxfordshire

Since 2015, the festival has moved away from the village of Towersey and after a spell at Thame Showground it has moved again, this time over the border to the Claydon estate.

Towersey Festival Director Joe Heap said: “We can’t wait for this weekend to come around.

“It’s been a long time in the making now; three years of planning and carrying acts forward through lockdown.

“We’re expecting to see around 10,000 people over the 4 days. Saturday night with Bill Bailey is sold out, but we still have tickets available for Friday, Sunday and Monday.

“We’ve always wanted Bill there, we managed to secure him a few years ago, luckily, he was kind enough to carry his performance forward.

“There’s lots of stuff to do outside of the music too, like crafts and other activities for families.

“We chose Claydon because we’ve been talking with them for about 5 years, since we decided we needed a new site.

“We just wanted somewhere with great aesthetics and lovely countryside – it’s all been planned through Covid and we’re finally here.

“The thing about Towersey is that people come for the first time and then fall in love with it.

“It’s such a friendly place, people can be themselves, its true escapism.

“It takes people away from everyday life and gives them an experience they don’t normally have.

“We’d love to see as many people as can make it.

“All who come to Towersey feel a sense of ownership and community.”

If you’d like to purchase a ticket for the festival, go to the festival’s website, here: Towersey Festival 2022 Tickets | Towersey Festival 2022 Lineup and Tickets - viagogo

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

A message from our Editor

Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.

If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more. 

You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile. 

If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.