More Farm-Fest fun!
- May 25
- 3 min read
The Great British Farm-Fest drew in thousands of people over the weekend, the glorious weather adding to the enjoyment. And you certainly didn’t have to be involved in the farming world to enjoy the show. There was everything for a great family day out - plus you would take the dog too. Organisers were calling this ‘Britain’s biggest farming party!’
Held at the NAEC Stoneleigh in Warwickshire it was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson with guest appearances from Kaleb Cooper, Lisa Hogan, Charlie Ireland, Harriet Cowan and Adam Henson, with fans enjoying lots of live discussions, farming stories and laughter.
With 12 arenas and exhibition areas, visitors could get up close to many farm animals including native breeds, sheep, cattle and calves, donkeys, magnificent Highland Cows, powerful Shire Horses, gorgeous Shetland Ponies and more. One of the highlights on the Saturday was the RAF Falcons parachute display team who descended spectacularly into The Country Life Butter Grand Ring to enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
The Shetland Ponies provided lots of excitement as they raced with their junior jockeys in the Shetland Pony Grand National. The organisation raises money each year for a nominated charity. This year they are raising money for the Bob Champion Cancer Trust. They do this by taking a team of children aged between 8 – 14 years and their Shetland ponies to different venues across the UK. With grandstand viewing and entertaining commentary, the races covered 2 to 3 laps of the course, jumping low jumps, to the cheering and encouragement of the crowd which the ponies and riders loved.
For those in the farming industry there were exhibitions of the latest agricultural machinery and vehicles – including the Agxeed Autonomous 75hp tractor, that will do everything a normal tractor will do on the farm – without a driver. Meaning it will run for over 24 hours including throughout the night.
Outside there were lots of innovative vehicles including Buffaload Logistics, a family run company that has just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Buffaload’s fleet include double-deck, temperature controlled, ultra-low emission vehicles. Their aim is to be the greenest and most efficient temperature-controlled logistics network in the country.
Families were also exploring the gleaming new John Deere 9RX 640 tractor – another company leading the way with their farming vehicles.
Another area of the festival was the Farming Heroes initiative which celebrates individuals across the agricultural sector who demonstrate resilience, innovation and dedication in their work. They are supported by RABI the farmers’ charity (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution).
As the sun shone, there were plenty of opportunities to enjoy a cooling drink and something to eat, with artisan food stalls, a large bar marquee and more than 400 specially selected exhibitors and stallholders showcasing local produce and rural crafts.
Amongst the many stalls that caught our eye, was the unique art by Susy Fuentes Artist. Susy is a multi-award winning portrait artist who specialises in creating highly detailed and personalised pet portraits, but also her artistic journey is deeply rooted in her love for nature and this was evident in her display of wildlife paintings, illustrations and unique range of giftware on show at the Farm-Fest.
And as the sun went down there was live music every night. Over in the Hawkstone Music Arena world-famous DJ Chris Moyles opened Saturday evening’s entertainment with a high energy DJ set, followed by performances from Noasis and British country Music favourites, The Shires. Later came The Hawkstone Farmers Choir followed by BBC Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox who got everyone dancing with music from the 80s alongside her surprise guest, Lisa Hogan, ending Saturday night with Massaoke and a huge singalong.
Sunday evening saw Ricky Wilson and the Fabulous Adjustable Band with a line up that included Chris Difford (Squeeze), Natasha Hamilton (Atomic Kitten), Gary Stringer (Reef) and Garry Christian (The Christians). Additionally, there was music from One Night in Nashville, 10cc and closing out the Festival, Alex James Britpop Classical.
Overall, this inaugural event welcomed more than 50,000 visitors across three days of farming, food and countryside entertainment, headlined by TV’s favourite farmer, Jeremy Clarkson. Farm-Fest brought together more than 400 exhibitors, thousands of animals and farming families from across the country, celebrating British agriculture, rural life and the people behind it.
Discover more: https://farm-fest.org/
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