Create your own Stay-Festival
Festivals all over the world have had to cancel this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, from large
internationally renowned events to those much loved on a local level. Whether you’re an avid
attendee or not, you may have wished to visit some kind of festival this year to brighten your
summer. But don’t let your spirits be dampened as at Samuel Wood we have some great ideas
on how to create your own stay-festival in Shropshire.
Accommodation
A night under the stars is the norm for festival life, and why deny yourself of this experience? There’s
nothing like a night under the canvas, but instead of the queues for the loo and mountains of mud,
you can have more of a ‘glamping’ experience with your own home comforts.
The stage
You can’t have a festival without music, and you need a stage for your artists to perform on and play
their set. Getting a live band in your garden just isn’t practical or even possible at the moment, but
that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on this experience. Whether you decide to DJ your festival
favourites or stream some live performances in your garden, we’re sure you’ll find a way to get all
your family up and dancing.
Bar
Have you seen the number of people building bars in their gardens in Shropshire during
lockdown? This new trend has been seen all over the country, and your home may be one that is
ready to serve a beverage or two, 24/7. Don’t worry if you don’t have a purpose-built bar, you can
create a pop-up one in an accessible place and stock it with all your favourites. If the weather is hot,
you may wish to add something refreshing, such as a jug of Pimms and lemonade packed full of fruit.
Add some personality to the way your drinks are served and use mason jars or even china tea cups
to add that quirky festival vibe.
Lighting
You don’t want the fun to end as the sun goes down, and good lighting will add to the whole
ambience of your garden stay-festival. Festoon lights tend to be a popular choice at festivals; they
can be easily picked up in many stores and look fantastic no matter the season. Solar lights help you
to light areas where you don’t have access to electricity and are an ideal addition to any garden
party.
Decorate
Lighting shouldn’t be your only garden decoration, get creative, use your VE Day bunting, create
decorations, and get the glow sticks out. Your children will love adding their creative flair to your
stay-festival – who cares if it matches, this is your festival and your rules!
Dress code
Are you having a themed festival? Maybe it has a country vibe, or you might decide on a rainbow
theme, as this has been a symbol of support for the NHS in lockdown. Whatever you decide, have
some fun by adding a dress code to help get everyone in the mood and have a giggle or two.
Face painting
Glitter, sparkles, and full on body paint, self-expression is the norm at festivals and there’s an
‘anything goes’ mentality. You don’t have to be an artist to add some colour and glitter to your
cheeks, and your children may wish to paint you with their own unique designs. You could look at
some work by incredible make-up artists for inspiration and even turn it into a competition for best
creation.
Memories
Your stay-festival is all about making memories for you and your family, memories that you can all
cherish for years to come. You could set up a photo-booth with a selfie stick where you leave props
and silly things for people to use when taking photos of themselves, or you could assign a designated
photographer who will capture your event in all its glory.
From everyone at Samuel Wood, we hope you enjoy your stay-festival and we can’t wait to see
what you create. Please, send us your photos!