The Wickham Festival 2018 site build story in pictures

The excitement is really starting to build at our festival site and morale couldn’t be more positive for this weekend. Wickham Festival kicks off at 4:30pm this Thursday and according to the BBC web site it’s going to be a weekend of sunshine just as we welcome Alistair Russell to kick things off.

Just as a forecast of wall-to-wall sunshine begins our speakers will be switched on as the clouds fade for Wickham Festival 2018!

Preparations this week have all gone to plan and run ahead of schedule. The heavens opened last Sunday as if to order to help soften the ground enough for us to get rid of ruts. For those of you not following us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram here’s how we’ve been progressing…

Friday 27th July – installing £20,000 worth of temporary roadway to ensure easy access

We know many of you remember the muddy start encountered on Thursday last year and we promised we’d get a plan in place to make improvements. Along with a new entrance directly off the Winchester Road for the tented camping fields to improve traffic entering the site we’ve got much more temporary roadway.

Our Main Stage 1 – The Valley Stage will welcome some incredible artists this year, we think it’s our best ever line up with the likes of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, The South, Show of Hands, Kate Rusby, Squeeze, John Illsley of Dire Straits, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, and the Richard Thompson Electric Trio all taking to this stage.

Saturday 28th July – Main Stage 1 – The Valley Stage is up

For 2018 we’ve upgraded our Main Stage 2 – The Village Stage … it’s bigger and better! It’s impossible to please everyone and we appreciate both sides of the argument with regard to people bringing chairs. Our plan is to not allow chairs into this marquee as we’ve scheduled the livelier bands for this stage. This includes The Dhol Foundation, Mad Dog Mcrea, Police Dog Hogan, Black Kat Boppers, Gaz Brookfield & The Company of Thieves, Ferocious Dog, The Undertones, and The Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

Sunday 29th July – Main Stage 2 – The Village Stage is up

Talking of The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, as if by magic they’ll be performing on Kilt Sunday this year.

The Wickham 2017 tartan army looking fabulous. Remember to pack your kilt for Sunday.

What was a typical looking Hampshire field just a few days ago is starting to look like a festival site…

Sunday 29th July – Somewhere across a field there’s a festival taking shape

Our camping fields are in ideal condition and all ready for you lovely people to make it your home this weekend…

Monday 30th July – that’s right … glamping tents is just what this field needed

This year we’ve over 20 real ales and ciders for the weekend, mainly from independent local Hampshire breweries including Bowmans and Itchen Valley.