Kick Start your Summer with Lemonfest

Guest Blog Post - Matt Freemantle (Lemonfest Festival Director)

Me and my old school friend Luke set up Lemonfest way back in 2010, with the idea of creating something big for the local area. A music event which would really capture people’s imaginations, with line-ups & entertainment that people in South Devon might not generally get to see on their doorstep. Fast forward to 2018, and we’re proud to say we’ve built a two-day festival which has one main thing as its focus: fun. As music programmer for the main stage, I always try to put together eclectic line-ups which genuinely offer something for everyone. Whether that’s hip-hop, soul, punk, disco, rock – the acts we’ve had over the years could certainly never be pigeon holed into one genre.

I must admit, we’ve got one of our most exciting headliners this year in The Sugarhill Gang. Bringing the actual godfathers of modern hip-hop to Newton Abbot is something I’m still pinching myself about really. If you’d have told me 10 years ago this would be happening, I’d have told you to stop taking the p**s.

Launching the 2^nd day last year was one of the hardest things we’ve collectively ever had to do. Add to the torrential, sideways rain which seemed to continue from doors opening until doors closing, to say it was a tough one would be an understatement. Massive credit to the team for making it happen and doing a cracking job of it given the circumstances.

We’re always trying to adapt and innovate what we do, whether that’s creating new stages – such as this years’ DSTRKT 9 audio visual Dance Arena – or investing time in sourcing the best food traders we can find for our Lemonfeast Street Food Market, nothing stands still. We want people to come every year and experience something a bit different. To leave people guessing what they might be in for next year, and get them excited about it.

My personal entertainment highlights this year away from the headliners, would have to be Disco stalwarts Crazy P on Friday night who I’m personally a huge fan of, Bert Miller & The Animal Folk, the strangely hypnotic and always fun Totnes band on Saturday afternoon, and the myriad of surprises which will be taking place in our Over 18’s cabaret bar - the Beaver. Oh, I also play some tunes at the fairly raucous after hours Silent Disco each year too – which is a hell of a lot of fun – and I would obviously have to include that. Expect plenty of cheesy 90’s pop music… you have been warned.

Lemonfest is on the 8th and the 9th of June, to find out more about this popular South Devon festival, please click here.

Like the sound of Lemonfest? You could win 4 x weekend camping tickets to the festival! Just head to our competition page here to enter.