estate down there in Dorset is absolutely stunning , but this is just as beautiful . It ’ s obviously not a seaside location , but the gardens are designed by Capability Brown and there is amazing woodland , lakes and vistas – it ’ s one of the most beautiful festival sites we ’ ve ever seen .”
In 2018 , Live Nation acquired both Bestival and Camp Bestival via a joint venture between LN-Gaiety and SJM Concerts . While no longer operating as an independent , the festival veteran says that despite being employed by the world ’ s biggest promoter , he and his wife have complete creative control .
“ We are pretty much an autonomous festival group ; we make all the key decisions ,” he says . “ It feels very similar to what we ’ ve been doing for last 15 or 16 years , which is running shows independently . We just have different owners now .”
Gorham says that although all the stages , tents , zones and creative aspects of the original Camp Bestival will be rolled
Camp Bestival
out at both events , the festivals will feature some different headline acts and entertainment offerings : “ We will take everything from the
original Camp Bestival to Shropshire . That ’ s not out of laziness , we have fine-tuned those stages and those areas over 14 years and we know what people love year in year out . We have about 65 % of people come back to Camp Bestival every year so we want people to enjoy exactly the same experience in Shropshire as they do in Dorset .”
The festival founders will maintain the existing Camp Bestival team at the event , with many having worked on the festival for years . Among the core team is production manager Andy Grey .
“ We like the balance and stability that brings ; the same old family back together again ,” says Gorham .
While there is less balance and stability in the wider festival market due to staff shortages , huge lead times on kit and a general shortage of infrastructure because of Covid-19 , Gorham is mindful of the supply chain issues and the fact that demand is expected to be extremely high next year .
He says , “ We saw supply chain issues this year – we had issues with tent suppliers , toilets and fencing shortages , even crew catering companies going bust at the last minute . People were literally having nervous breakdowns from the stress .”
“ But we ’ ve been planning this for a while , and we ’ ve steamed ahead and booked people for next year so we are in people ’ s diaries . We ’ ve chosen the weekend before the bank holiday ; it is not the busiest weekend and we are confident that we ’ ve got all our ducks in a row . Anyone running a festival needs to make sure they ’ ve got their infrastructure booked in early .”
With the live events calendar next year shaping up to be one of the busiest
“ I suppose it looks like a bit of a crazy time to be launching a new festival but I think the reverse is true – Camp Bestival has never been more popular .”
on record , there will doubtless be challenges across the sector , but Gorham is optimistic that it will mark the beginning of a new era .
He says , “ The industry has lost a lot of staff to other sectors , but we are well prepared for the year ahead , and I am very confident about us delivering both shows safely and with a full crew of staff .
“ Hopefully more young people will come out of university or college and want to join our dynamic and creative industry . If the ‘ roaring 20s ’ thing does kick off as predicted , we might have a real renaissance , a boomtime .”
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