Village's music marathon proves to be a smash hit

Feltonbury 2016 featured more than 12 hours of continuous live music and the event has been declared a hit by organisers.

The extravaganza took place around the village on Saturday, June 25, starting at 10.30am and running until 11pm.

In total, it attracted 27 separate acts, totalling more than 100 performers – aged from 12 to 80 years – spread across four venues, while 15 artists showed off their work in an art trail.

The day started with The Clap-Tones at the The Old Bank, on Main Street, followed by wind ensemble All Blown Out. As other venues opened throughout the village, activity literally shifted across the road to Gallery 45 and up to the Village Hall, where a Singalong-a-Sound-of-Music proved popular.

One venue that was especially entertaining was the human jukebox in the phone box on the village’s medieval bridge.

The phone box, re-titled the Red Obelisk Stage for the day, hosted a number of performers, including The Bridge Singers and Lindisfarne’s Rod Clements, who concluded his two sets with a rarely-heard mandolin-version of the group’s hit tune, Meet Me On The Corner.

Feltonbury continued well into the evening with Horace Silverman and The White Gardenias in the Village Hall, while the Ceilidh Band got everyone to their feet in Gallery 45’s Long Room.

It was the second year that Feltonbury – which took place on the same weekend as Glastonbury – was held, raising money to support Felton’s community allotment and shed, known as The Plot. Event organiser Neal Skelton was delighted with how this year’s music marathon went, building on the success of 2015.

He said: “The enthusiasm from last year’s event was infectious and the range of local musical talent that this year’s event attracted was outstanding.

“Residents supported the event came and popped in and out on numerous occasions throughout the day and visitors came from farther afield.”

The date for next year’s event is to be confirmed. If you are interested in joining as a performer, part of the organising team or want to know more about the event or The Plot, call Charlotte on 01670 783343 or contact Neal by emailing [email protected] or calling 01670 787437.