Thanks to Chris A for the photos
BREAKING NEWS
BlokeFest 2016 is being planned to return in, er, 2016 over the weekend of
Friday 10th - Sunday 12th June 2016
Stuff likely to include
“BlokeFest’s 5th Birthday”
+ ONE Heritage Hike
+ TWO & a bit days of fun
+ THREE optional sessions
+ FOUR catered meals in total*
+ FIVE Workshop sessions in total
+ SIX Pub Games & Jolly Garden Sports
+ SEVEN or more ales
+ EIGHT-a-side Tug o’ War!
If you would like to be kept directly informed via our (occasional) newsletter, click here to sign up.
BlokeFest 2016 is being planned to return in, er, 2016 over the weekend of
Friday 10th - Sunday 12th June 2016
Stuff likely to include
“BlokeFest’s 5th Birthday”
+ ONE Heritage Hike
+ TWO & a bit days of fun
+ THREE optional sessions
+ FOUR catered meals in total*
+ FIVE Workshop sessions in total
+ SIX Pub Games & Jolly Garden Sports
+ SEVEN or more ales
+ EIGHT-a-side Tug o’ War!
If you would like to be kept directly informed via our (occasional) newsletter, click here to sign up.
What an amazing weekend of
good song, good ale, good company and good times
Thanks to all the blokes who made it such a brilliant event, from the happy campers, the merry workshoppers, happy munchers, pub singers and hill walkers.
A truly great weekend of slightly daft activities all unleashed through the medium of song.
Here's to the next time.
good song, good ale, good company and good times
Thanks to all the blokes who made it such a brilliant event, from the happy campers, the merry workshoppers, happy munchers, pub singers and hill walkers.
A truly great weekend of slightly daft activities all unleashed through the medium of song.
Here's to the next time.
What we did at BlokeFest 2015
More MEN.More SINGING.AND More STUFF
Stuff included
ONE Heritage Hike
TWO new Workshop sessions
TWO more catered meals (included in the weekend ticket!)
THREE options for the late afternoon session
FOUR catered meals in total (included in the weekend ticket!)
FIVE Workshops in total
SIX Pub Games and Jolly Garden Sports
NINE Workshop Leaders
More MEN.More SINGING.AND More STUFF
Stuff included
ONE Heritage Hike
TWO new Workshop sessions
TWO more catered meals (included in the weekend ticket!)
THREE options for the late afternoon session
FOUR catered meals in total (included in the weekend ticket!)
FIVE Workshops in total
SIX Pub Games and Jolly Garden Sports
NINE Workshop Leaders
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Previously . . .
About BlokeFest For the FOURTH year running on one weekend in June we sang like blokes, acted like men and got to be one of the guys. Our guiding philosophy is that singing is a truly manly activity as long as you sing the right stuff, in the right way, with the right men: think Shanties not shandies Lumberjack not Timberlake DiY not R’n'B. The plan is simple. We met at a pub in middle Wiltshire with its own Campsite and the weekend unfolded like this . . . |
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What?
Friday Evening We organized a gathering of the Clans of Blokedom with fellas coming from the stronghold of Ashton Keynes in North, North Wiltshire, the dreaming spires of Oxford, the big Smoke of the London, Shanty Men from Ship-shape Bristol and a local posse from nearby Pewsey and some blokes all the way from the North from The Wirral and beyond. We gathered beside the "BlokeFest Big Top" the enjoy some suitably special sustenance from last year's main caterer Alison Jump and gang . Suitably nourished and invigorated we began singing with the first Workshop led by the BlokeChoir Meister Supreme that is Chris Samuel to get us in the mood. |
The BlokeFest Big Top returns!
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Then it was over to the pub for some singing, some proper pub games including a "Proper Darts Tournament", some drinks, some singing and bed at a reasonable time - it was a busy day ahead!
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Saturday
We had numerous singing workshops and learning blokey songs from some well-known singing men (see below). We hosted a communal lunch time meal meal, again catered by Alison Jump and gang, then did some more singing and then we had some exceptionally good new "Optional Session" where attendees got to pick one of three sessions. And there was the return of the Ice Cream Van! After that we proffered another meal this time catered for by Kalahari Kitchen. |
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Then we headed back to the Big Top where the various men's groups - and anyone else who fancied entertaining us - and how richly we were entertained in the gathered throng with the world famous "BlokeFest Cabaret". This year it was even better than before, including strict(er) time limits (!) and encouraging blokes to come prepared with a proper party pieces.
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Sunday
We had another Sunday Morning Workshop and then we did some things to encourage healthy exercise and daftness like the "Tug o' War" and a couple of other things. There was also be a beefed up "Tonsorial Titan Challenge" with lots of entrants and proper prizes! We then had a proper photo session with our (semi) official BlokeFest PhotographerMeister with the one BIG BlokeFest photo with everyone resplendent in their BlokeFest T-Shirts as it is now traditional to wear your T-Shirt with pride that announces that you are part of this great bunch of blokes. Then we offered a final piece of substantial nosh in the shape of "Parting Pies" (gf & veg options) then have a "Big Farewell" and then broke camp. Some of us departed home and some of us went off hiking around nearby heritage sites at Martinsell with a guided tour from local historian blokes. On the hike we conducted sonic experiments at lower frequencies, singing songs as we went. |
The Tug o' War gets exciting
The legendary Bebbington Bitter Men
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Ticket Prices
The organising team of the BlokeFest Inner Circle had muttered long and hard about this because they didn't want to be seen as "bread heads" but then again they're not doing this to make a profit, just have fun and cover costs whilst trying to balance raising the standards of stuff, in particular the catering.
To this end we had re-jigged the pricing structure to include TWO more catered meals within the weekend price plus TWO more official Workshops, so it represented phenomenal value, as we continuously get told in the feedback.
Anyway to business:
The organising team of the BlokeFest Inner Circle had muttered long and hard about this because they didn't want to be seen as "bread heads" but then again they're not doing this to make a profit, just have fun and cover costs whilst trying to balance raising the standards of stuff, in particular the catering.
To this end we had re-jigged the pricing structure to include TWO more catered meals within the weekend price plus TWO more official Workshops, so it represented phenomenal value, as we continuously get told in the feedback.
Anyway to business:
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Full Weekend Ticket £70, Youth £35
Two night's camping + Friday night Workshop activities + Friday evening meal + All the workshops + Saturday Lunch AND Evening Meals + The entertainment evening + The Sunday Workshops & events + Sunday Meal |
Saturday Day Only Ticket £50, Youth £25 *
All the Saturday workshops + Saturday Lunch & Evening Meals + The evening entertainment * - We appreciate this skews things towards the Full Weekend tickets and this is intentional to encourage full participation even if it might be mathematically imbalanced!! We hope you understand the ethos we are trying to encourage. :-) |
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Where?
This year we returned to darkest mid Wiltshire and we were camping at, and drinking in The Bruce Arms near Pewsey in the heart of Wiltshire. The Bruce Arms Easton Road Easton Royal Pewsey Wiltshire SN9 5LR It’s got a campsite next door and does great food and the beers are not bad either! Pewsey has a rail station only a couple of miles from the pub. Phone: 01672 810216 Mobile: 07968 580804 Email: [email protected] |
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The Bruce Arms, nicknamed the Gammon, is situated between the villages of Easton Royal and Milton Lilbourne near Pewsey in Wiltshire. Built between 1848 and 1855 by the Salmonach Estate, which owned many pubs. It came about after the original Coaching Inn, The Gammon of Bacon, situated opposite, burnt down. The only part of the Inn remaining is the water pump - which still works!
There is access via foot or cycle to the the glorious Pewsey Vale - Crofton Beam Engines, Wilton Windmill and the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Games Room offers Darts, Pool, Table Tennis, Skittles and even Short Mat Bowls plus of course the space for whatever we want to do and we will have our very own BlokeFest Big Top ! for the workshops and Cabaret. |
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Why?
BlokeFest is the deranged brainchild of The Magnificent AK47, (depicted in some of their manly glory to the right) - they're the Singing Blokes of Ashton Keynes of North, North Wiltshire in the border badlands with Mid South, East Gloucesterhire. They’ve been singing and performing their own brand of testosterone stoked tomfoolery since 2008 and want to share the adventure with other men. Visit their revamped website at themagnificentak47.com to read about their many adventures |
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Who?
Your workshop leaders for the weekend will include:
Your workshop leaders for the weekend will include:
Chris SamuelA singing bloke if ever there was one. He leads five community choirs including The Magnificent AK47 and performs with the awesome Spooky Men's Chorale when they tour the UK and Europe. He is also one of the Artist Curators for the Nationally recognised Voices Now.
Find out more from http://www.singingwithattitude.com/ and he currently gigs with vocal trio The Croutons. |
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James Sills
After his brilliant session at BlokeFest 2014 we are delighted to announce that James Sills has agreed to come back and enthrall us with his musicality and blokeyness. James, is super talented and a top bloke to boot! He is a Community Singer, Instrumentalist, Composer, Choir Leader and Music Teacher, and is one of the returning UK based recruits of the ranks of the Spooky Men’s Chorale (who you can see in action again this summer). When not guiding some of Liverpool’s finest through their GCSEs and A levels, he directs The Creative Community Choir in the Wirral and his very own Blokes group - The Bebington Bitter Men who were a great addition to the gang at BlokeFest 2014. More info at http://www.jamessillsmusic.co.uk |
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Dominic Stichbury
We are thrilled to have a new addition to the BlokeFest Workshop Leaders in the shape of Dominic Stichbury the inspiring leader behind that there London Town's ChapsChoir. Dom is a singer and arranger who has setup and run numerous singing projects across London. Having trained with Spitalfields Music, ABCD and the NVPN he has delivered singing workshops and worked as a voice coach and singing leader for the Southbank Centre, Opera North, Candoco Dance Company, The Choir With No Name, and educational organisations in London. More info via https://twitter.com/domstich |
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Optional Sessions - you get to chose which
One of the many useful pieces of feedback we received from BlokeFest 2014 (for which we thank respondents very much) was that the final session of the day can find people a little "tired" if not quite "tired and emotional", so we thought we would liven it up by offering you a choice of THREE possible sessions.
When you come to register at the event we will ask you for a preference so we can know how the numbers are splitting and can therefore plan where to put which session around the site. The plan is that you will work on a piece or two that you can bond together and showcase in the BlokeFest Cabaret later that evening - so no pressure (!) but it should help to get you through the afternoon till the Evening meal.
One of the many useful pieces of feedback we received from BlokeFest 2014 (for which we thank respondents very much) was that the final session of the day can find people a little "tired" if not quite "tired and emotional", so we thought we would liven it up by offering you a choice of THREE possible sessions.
When you come to register at the event we will ask you for a preference so we can know how the numbers are splitting and can therefore plan where to put which session around the site. The plan is that you will work on a piece or two that you can bond together and showcase in the BlokeFest Cabaret later that evening - so no pressure (!) but it should help to get you through the afternoon till the Evening meal.
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Option 1 - Phil Read
Cool, Cosmopolitan, Classy! 
Spooky Men's Chorale, A Fistful of Spookies, Manchoir, Singing Saturdays, Phil has an impressive pedigree in the world of BlokeSong as a performer and teacher.
Anyone who has attended Oxford's Manchoir or the Singing Saturday's will know he is a class operator, full of musical knowledge and great skill at conveying a piece. Find out more about Phil at http://manchoir.co.uk and http://www.singingsaturdays.co.uk. |
Option 2 - Roger Jackson
Bold, Be-jacketed, Blokey! 
We welcome back Roger Jackson one of the original workshop leaders at our first two events, who bestowed the paen to male sanctuary "(Alone in my) Shed" and "A Gringo like me" which have become firm favourites in the Magnificent canon of, er, The Magnificent AK47.
He is sure to bring some original thinking and pieces with him again. Find out more about Roger at http://www.sing.co.uk. |
Option 3 - Roaring Trowmen
Salty, Stomping, Shanty! 
The Roaring Trowmen' have been performing together at gigs and festivals in the South West for around 3 years now.
Inspired by the nautical heritage of their home city of Bristol, they celebrate the under-rated medium of the sea shanty… Expect to be clapping and roaring along, or groaning at their bad jokes.... Find out more about them at http://roaringtrowmen.co.uk. |
Registration is now CLOSED! Too late....
Help us spread the word
Want to help promote this amazing event? Download this year's poster and tells us what you have done with it, preferably with a photo or two and we'll sort you out a special something over the weekend by way of thanks
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