Getting into festivals and country fairs

[Simond S]

Looking for some advice. We have built a mobile bar and looking to get into some of the smaller festivals, country fairs and Christmas markets.

Where should we be looking to get lists of these for the following years?

Many thanks

[ReverendCounter]

Sorry, can't really help - but I do remember that, after volunteering one weekend at one of the bigger bars at Reading Festival, the amount of cash being taken was huge. At the end of one particular day the owner/licensee (if that's the right term) told us that we had taken the biggest sum ever during his ownership of the bar.

Put it this way, the back room guys couldn't keep up with counting the cash as well as emptying the 'tills' - which were a cardboard boxes with a slot in the lid. We were shouting up that we couldn't take money because there was nowhere left to put it, being stuffed full with notes only.

To this day it's just a blur of three days of cramming money into boxes - and a chronic lack of sleep.

I seem to recall the pitch cost was £25/30k?

[eltawater]

https://www.ukcraftfairs.com/craft-fair-search

Also search on Facebook for local county "Show" events, Farmers Rallies, Food / Drink festivals and Steam Fairs.

[astroarcadia]

http://livingheritagetraders.co.uk

[48k]

ReverendCounter said:

Sorry, can't really help - but I do remember that, after volunteering one weekend at one of the bigger bars at Reading Festival, the amount of cash being taken was huge. At the end of one particular day the owner/licensee (if that's the right term) told us that we had taken the biggest sum ever during his ownership of the bar.

Put it this way, the back room guys couldn't keep up with counting the cash as well as emptying the 'tills' - which were a cardboard boxes with a slot in the lid. We were shouting up that we couldn't take money because there was nowhere left to put it, being stuffed full with notes only.

To this day it's just a blur of three days of cramming money into boxes - and a chronic lack of sleep.

I seem to recall the pitch cost was £25/30k?

I was out with an ex marketing manager from Carlsberg at the weekend and he told me they sold more beer in 4 days of Glastonbury than during an entire month of the World Cup.

[Simond S]

48k said:

ReverendCounter said:

Sorry, can't really help - but I do remember that, after volunteering one weekend at one of the bigger bars at Reading Festival, the amount of cash being taken was huge. At the end of one particular day the owner/licensee (if that's the right term) told us that we had taken the biggest sum ever during his ownership of the bar.

Put it this way, the back room guys couldn't keep up with counting the cash as well as emptying the 'tills' - which were a cardboard boxes with a slot in the lid. We were shouting up that we couldn't take money because there was nowhere left to put it, being stuffed full with notes only.

To this day it's just a blur of three days of cramming money into boxes - and a chronic lack of sleep.

I seem to recall the pitch cost was £25/30k?

I was out with an ex marketing manager from Carlsberg at the weekend and he told me they sold more beer in 4 days of Glastonbury than during an entire month of the World Cup.

I've no illusions (or desire) to do the biggest festivals. The scale would be far higher than i would want to manage as a sideline business.

I'll try to book a dozen or so of the local festivals for next year and see how we manage. I appreciate it is a very busy marketplace at the moment but hoping we can offer an experience as well as just serving drinks.

[dazwalsh]

Im curently in the process of converting a big horsebox ito a bar and had a cheeky enquiry as to how much to rock up at glastonbury. 15k.

I would say most festivals are leas than a grand safely exlcuding the big uns. Some of the big boys also have exclusivity, for example i tried the bingley festival and carling i think had the sole rights.

Weddings are very lucrative if your bar can be tailored for a marquee wedding.