Known as much more than just a music festival, Standon Calling's tenth year as one of the UK's best-loved festivals will offer its widest array of activities yet for all the family. For the wranglers amongst us pony rides will be on offer at The Wagon Park whilst cowboys and cowgirls can tame their own wild animal at thebuild a grizzly bear workshop. If revellers plan to run away and join the circus the Full of Fire team will be on hand to teach festival-goers the art of juggling, diablo, hooping and (quite literally) clowning around.The Wagon Park will house many of the workshops and activities throughout the weekend. Whether you're on the hunt for gold in Standon's huge sand pit, woodcraft classes, costume making, cake decorating, jewellery design and much more the adventure will not stop throughout the whole weekend.
While this year will see the return of the much loved trapeze masterclasses, dog show and the outdoor heated open air swimming pool the Standon grounds will be transformed into a world where all is not as it seems. Returning for its 5th year, Autumn Shift who will bring for the first time Dr Jekyll's Hideout & Dr Franken's Mine to the woodlands of Standon which, much like the Victorian legend, will house two very different personalities. By day the frontier town will house the wildest steam and brass-powered bands, stand-up comedy from the likes of Robin Ince, spoken word and folk acts from the likes of super-talented Grace Petrie, dance, poetry and much more in amongst the Victorian-themed music hall. As day turns to night this is when the figures from beyond the woods descend on the town as many of the performers throughout the day will undergo a dark and mysterious transformation…
Ukelele supergroup The Grand Old Ukes of Yorkshire will bring their u(ke)nique take on classic anthems to the fields of Standon while a classic wild west showdown will take place at the centre of the town square as The Dance Off presents: The Hillbilly Hoedown. For those feeling inspired by the main stage acts then the Rockaoke will be on hand alongside creepy crawlie enthusiasts at The Travelling Menagerie, a place to get up close and personal with wild west wildlife, still life drawing workshop Art Macabre and the high-octane Pandemonium Drummers. Plus the opportunity to tame those tresses at the bespoke on-site pop up hair salon provided by the fashion driven hairdressing brand Blue Tit brining their raw and luxurious independent boutique salon experience to the festival fields.
Fuelling the adventure across the three-day festival will be a selection of the most appetising street food vendors from London and beyond. Whether you're looking for warming pie and mash from Barnaby Sykes, award winning crepes at The Creperie, freshly cooked Neopolitan pizzas at Made of Dough or simply a little pick me up at Carnival Coffee Standon Calling caters for every taste. For the meat lovers American style BBQ'd pulled pork will also be on offer alongside vegan and vegetarian offerings from the Bhangra Bus and Goodness Gracious. Craft beer, cider and spirit enthusiasts are also well catered for with the esteemed Meantime brewery on hand alongside the acclaimed Old Mout Cider and master distillersSipsmith.
As a longstanding friend of the festival the breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! will be partnering up with the Standon Calling once again. Dedicated to eradicating the late detection of breast cancer the Boob Team will be on hand all weekend, teaching people how to check their boobs in their bright pink boob cube. Worried they won't be spotted them at the festival? Look out for gang dressed as giant boobs…