June marked the return of the hugely popular family-friendly Astonbury Music Festival hosted by the communities of two small Oxfordshire villages – Aston Upthorpe and Aston Tirrold.

This year, the festival turned to Outdoor Stages for their stage, lighting, and sound needs. We were more than happy to oblige and provided them with a comprehensive event production solution that made sure the event went off without a hitch.

So let's tell you a little more about the event and the part we played in making it happen.

Astonbury Festival Returns Bigger and Better Than Before

Organised by The Astons' Recreation Committee, this event is a not-for-profit community music festival that has been running for several years. With ticket prices kept deliberately low (£15 to cover the costs of Outdoor Stages' work), the family-friendly festival is an important fundraiser for both Cancer Research and the Aston & Cote Community Trust.

In terms of the event itself, the main draw is the music. This year's festival featured an eclectic mix of genres, with something to suit everyone. Local acts included Six Feet of Snow, The Studmuffins, and headliner Toyah Willcox.

There were also food stalls, a bar tent selling real ales and fine wines, and plenty of activities for the kids. With the sun shining all weekend, it was the perfect opportunity for families to get out and enjoy some live music in the great outdoors at the Astons Recreation Ground.

Outdoor Stages Provides Headline Stage Production to Local Music Festival

In terms of the scope of our work, we provided a complete stage production solution for the event. This included the stage itself, along with a powerful PA system and stage lighting production.

We provided one of our so-called "medium-sized" stages, our 8m x 6m arc roof system, as it provides a nice blend of size and affordability. It's also a popular stage choice for music festivals as it can accommodate a good-sized band and production while still being compact enough to be set up in a relatively small allocated stage footprint.

Regarding the PA system, we used one of our standard festival packages, which comprises top-of-the-line d&b audiotechnik line arrays, passive speakers, stage monitors, and power amps. These were all controlled and monitored via a Midas M32 digital mixer.

On the lighting front, we used a selection of Chauvet moving head lights, PAR cans, and LED washes. These fixtures were supplemented with strip lights, stage blinders, and other disco-style lighting elements (including a couple of laser machines). This provided the festival with a good mix of lighting and effects and was easily controlled via our lighting console.

We had a couple of technicians on-site throughout the event to ensure everything ran smoothly and to deal with any issues that might arise. Thankfully, there were no major problems, and the event went off without a hitch.

Speak to Outdoor Stages Regarding Your Upcoming Music Festival

If you're organising a music festival and need a professional stage, lighting, or sound production, then be sure to get in touch with Outdoor Stages. We have a wide range of experience in providing comprehensive event production solutions for festivals of all sizes and can tailor our services to suit your specific needs and requirements.

Get in touch with us today to discuss your upcoming festival and find out how we can help make it a success.

We are available via telephone at 07908916458, or you can send your enquiry through to our email address, info@outdoorstages.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you soon!