Wickham Festival organiser celebrates 'wonderful' event

While several events across the south were forced to cancel due to Storm Antoni, the popular four-day fiesta chose to continue.

As previously reported, several days of torrential rain left the fields waterlogged at a time when the site and stage were being set up causing the ground to churn up.

A young festival goer enjoys the mud (Image: Graham Hiley)This was followed by more rain, which made access to parking and campsites difficult with many vehicles being towed in and out. Headline band the Proclaimers then pulled out at short notice.

READ MORE: 'It is all going smoothly': Wickham Festival packs up after wet weekend

Organiser Peter Chegwyn said: “It genuinely was a triumph over adversity not just to get the event on but also to make it such a success. Sadly, many other events cancelled but we kept the show on the road and those who attended had a wonderful time.

“The conditions were tough, but we had worse in 2021 when we lost the main stage so we knew we could battle through in order to give people a good time.

Midge Ure performing at the Wickham Festival (Image: Graham Hiley)“We had some absolutely fantastic live music with so many highlights from the party atmosphere provided by the Saw Doctors to the divine guitar playing of legends such as Robert Fripp and Eric Bibb while Toyah and Midge Ure closed the event with blistering shows.

“Everyone really enjoyed themselves. All the stages were under cover so once people were on site, they were able to stay dry and enjoy some great artists.

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“People who go to festivals are used to a bit of mud and generally most were really supportive and grateful that we were able to get the event on at all.

The festival ground was incredibly muddy (Image: Striking Faces)“And they were really appreciative of all the work done by our tireless stewards and volunteers as well as the site crew to keep the show on the road. And we are grateful too for the support of people in the village.

“It never occurred to us to cancel though obviously we kept a close eye on the weather as safety is our number one priority. The wind was a worry at one stage with one of the worst storms predicted to batter the UK.”

The Wickham Festival is offering season tickets for next year’s event with a £100 discount on a weekend if booked before midnight on August 13. More information can be found on the festival’s website.