One of Bristol’s most quirky and eccentric music festivals is bucking the trend of events struggling with ticket sales and rising costs. Outcider Festival, which is in its 10th anniversary year, is now completely sold out, but there could be resale tickets available up until the festival starts on the first weekend of August.
The festival showcases an eclectic mix of live music which has evolved from its roots in Scrumpy & Western and cider-fuelled punk, and was recently featured on Countryfile as an example of how farms and farmers are diversifying. An indoor, winter, version called InCider started at Pontins in Sand Bay, near Weston, in 2019, and has gone from strength to strength.
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This year’s Outcider will take place at Fernhill Farm, just a few miles south of Bristol over the Dundry Slopes in the Chew Valley. This year it will feature Bristol band The Allergies, along with the likes of Sonic Boom 6, the Dreadnoughts, Funke & The Two-Tone Baby, 8Kalacas, The Great Malarkey and Bristol festival favourites The Skimmity Hitchers.
The music alternates between two stages in barns at the farm, with a huge cider bar in between. The event has expanded to become a four-day festival, with the main music events happening on the Saturday and Sunday, August 3 and 4.
“At a tough time for independent festivals it’s really encouraging to be able to share such good news,” said Kev Davis, from the Fuelled By Cider organisation that puts on Outcider and other festivals across the West Country. “Outcider is a small festival which punches well above its weight, with nearly 40 live acts performing live on two alternating stages over the weekend,” he added.
“Other eccentric attractions include cider-obics, alternative sports day, camp fire and the Tuk Tuk Timewarp, with unexpected surprises popping up over the weekend.
“The festival has a big reputation for being fun, friendly and inclusive, and many people return every year to be part of the big Outcider family. The festival caters for all tastes in food and drink, not just cider,” he added.