Create attracts huge crowds

Ashford’s Create Festival rocked the town with an amazing 13,000 people attending throughout the day for the free annual music extravaganza!

Music lovers of all ages flocked to Victoria Park on Saturday 20th July to see nearly 40 national and local bands perform across four stages throughout the day. Visitors also enjoyed local street food, children’s rides and entertainment, interactive theatre and refreshments from Curious Brewery, the exciting new town centre brewer.

As the sun went down, thousands of festival-goers stayed to see the Main Stage headliner, The Lightning Seeds. The indie legends received a tumultuous reception as they delivered a stunning set which included the rousing World Cup anthem ‘Three Lions’, and their massive hits from the 90s, ‘Lucky You’, ‘Pure’, and ‘All I want’.

Earlier the stage hosted a top line-up of talent including North America, Armada of Secrets, Deal rock band The Maywaves, Fennie and Jaz Ellington, who is best known for his appearance on The Voice UK in 2012.

Entertaining the huge crowds on the Revelation Stage was The Fontantas, Marie White, Estelle Mey, Lake Folks, Flawless Carbon, Tall Poppies and Tokyo Tea Room, a psych pop four-piece from Kent who have been championed by the likes of BBC Radio 6 and BBC Introducing.

Over on the Community Stage, sponsored by County Square, were a host of talented groups including the Ashford Rock Choir, Iona & Ben, Wayward Harmonies, MGD Dance Crew, 4x4 Bhangra, and the Workplace Choir made up of staff at Ashford Borough Council.

Meanwhile the DJ Stage, sponsored by Ashford College, brought a party vibe to the festival and got crowds dancing throughout the day – Folly, DJ Rev, Nautik b2b Yeti, Shades of Bray, and Ashford’s very own Slope Wild went down a storm.

New this year was an interactive eco zone, where visitors learned more about how and what to recycle. Six giant letters spelling out the word CREATE, each made from a cage and filled and decorated with single-use plastic items, provided the perfect selfie backdrop.

Half a dozen of Ashford’s much-loved Snowdogs also made a special appearance at the festival, much to the delight of younger visitors.

And as the festival tunes echoed across Victoria Park, families also enjoyed picnics, tried tasty treats from Ashford Famers Market traders and watched street entertainers perform. Rounding off a fantastic day of free entertainment was a magical pyrotechnic display around the Grade II* Hubert Fountain.

But the fun didn’t stop there, as on Sunday 21st July, Create Platform hosted a family extravaganza around the Hubert Fountain to celebrate the 178th birthday of Mr George Harper, the man who gifted the fountain to the park. Families enjoyed birthday cake races, parades around the park, theatre performances and great music.

Organised by Ashford Borough Council and supported by local businesses, Create marked its 24th event this year and remains one of the county’s biggest and best free music festivals.

Cllr Peter Feacey, Portfolio Holder for Culture, said he was delighted to see Create attract more than 13,000 people, with 7,000 people on site at any one time. He also hailed the success of Create Platform, the week-long programme of events across Ashford that ranged from performance poets in pubs to a circus in the street.

“Create Platform was a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase even more of Ashford’s local talent and it certainly helped build the buzz of anticipation ahead of the main event in Victoria Park on Saturday. “It’s thanks to the wholehearted support from local talent, businesses and sponsors that we are able to work together every year to deliver something as positive as this for our community to enjoy!” he added.

For more information visit www.createfestival.co.uk