With now less than three weeks to go before its ninth annual outing, much has changed with the Galtres festival over the past year. For one, it has changed its name. To give it its full title, it is now officially known as the Galtres Parklands Festival. It has also changed its location from 2012. Due to certain impracticalities with last year’s site the event has been moved some ten miles north to Duncombe Park, Helmsley, North Yorkshire. The seat of the Duncombe family, it occupies a commanding position in magnificent
surroundings on the edge of the North Yorks Moors National Park. The festival itself will be held in the area in front of the house, a glorious pile dating from the early eighteenth century, with ample parking and camping facilities situated in nearby fields. There will be two camping areas; one right next to the main arena, with the other a short walk away and which will provide a more sedate and spacious environment in a meadow by the side of the River Rye as it meanders its way slowly through the estate.
There is also the fact that Galtres Parklands will this year be making history by becoming the first independent festival in the United Kingdom to go 100% cashless with the introduction of a Radio-frequency identification (RFID) payment system. Called the G-CARD, the new electronic system will be rolled out across the festival site for all transactions be they the purchase of food, drink, rides or other merchandise.
What hasn’t changed though are Galtres’ strong values and principles as it once more promises to promote a raft of original live music, dance and performance across a range of stages and settings; to put on a wide variety of activities for children and young people; the championing of local food and drink suppliers (it did, after all begin its life as a beer festival); a continuing deep commitment towards protecting the environment; and taking its lead from the festival’s charitable foundation status, raising funds for charities. Galtres Parklands is a festival which fully embraces difference and places a very strong emphasis on it being both local and lots and lots of fun.
Taking place across the August Bank Holiday weekend, the six time UK Festival Award nominee has this year adopted Pirates as its underlying theme. Expect all sorts of nautically associated activities, fun and games for all of the family, including interactive storytelling, films, theatre, comedy, walkabout performances, a Pirate Cabaret night, pirates from Penzance and beyond, plus the spectacular and not-to-be-missed Desert Pirate Camel Race.
And then there is the music. One hundred and thirty acts will appear on seven stages over the weekend, embracing 
some of the very best local and national talent that there is to offer. Appearing on the main, Duke Stage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night respectively will be this year’s headliners Reef, Maximo Park and The Stranglers. A supporting cast, including those perennial post-punk rockers The Undertones, Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell & Zazou, the glorious Lloyd Cole, local hero Benjamin Francis Leftwich, the consistently wonderful Nick Harper and fresh from their successful appearance at the Stockton Weekender, Frankie & the Heartstrings, promises equally great things.
In addition to this and repeating its successful promotion at last year’s event will be the fabulous Hull Stage, showcasing all things that are musically great from that East Yorkshire city. Warren Records presents a Hull invasion which will include acts as musically diverse as Street Parade’s electronic dance and Counting Coins’ fusion of ska, punk and hip-hop. Galtres Festival stalwarts Chris Helme, The Travelling Band, Boss Caine, Ryan Spendlove and Holly Taymar are amongst many, many more notable acts that will be performing over the weekend.
Located this year in rather sumptuous surrounding, Galtres Parklands is rightly promoted as a safe and friendly festival which caters for all the family. With advance tickets priced at a very reasonable £95 for adults for the entire weekend, it makes perfect sense to be part of this great adventure.
All the ticketing information can be found here:
http://www.galtresfestival.org.uk/ticket-outlets.cfm
And the festival website is here:
