WORKHOUSE FESTIVAL - REVIEW
   Llanfyllin Powys, Wales - 2006

What's on this page www.workhousefestival.co.uk   Review This is the first time Festival Eye has visited the Workhouse Festival, at Llanfyllin in Powys and we were delighted to discover it's the best 'little known' festival going! For those who don't live in Wales, don't let that put you off as the location is perfect. It's in stunning countryside yet it's less than 30 miles from the M54 Motorway which links to Motorways from the North, the Midlands and the South. All the organisers of the Workhouse Festival have years of festival experience and after working at other people's festival could see all the 'right' parts as well as all the 'wrong' ways to do thing! The Festival is run on a 'not for profit' basis by people who do it for the 'right reasons', which is rare these days! Many of the organisers and stewards have known each other for years so that there is a real community feel which rubs off on the way they treat the festival goers. The result is a Festival which is just about * everything a Festival should be.

I heard several people comment on how much like the old 'free festivals' the Workhouse Festival is and with a ticket price of just £30 for three days, age 13-17 £10, with children 12 and under free, its is pretty well free and is certainly more than worth the visit!

The actual festival site is quite small, which is great for those who don't like long walks, but there is so much to do within the site and I'll let the videos do some of the talking. :-)

One of the very best parts of the Workhouse Festival was that it really did have 'something for everyone'. It's a fabulous festival for those with children, because there was almost continual workshops and entertainment on offer. A fabulous festival for those who wanted to hear good live music within a really delightful environment, with the option for a complete change in the Cabaret Tent which showcased acts as good or better than any you'll see on the 'goggle box'. The Workhouse was also fabulous festival for those who enjoy the 'Club Scene' with the Electronic Boutique.

Meanwhile, in the Workhouse Courtyard local bands, mostly under 18 played their socks off and were enjoyed by many of the younger festival goers in particular. Within the 'Courtyard Collective' there were also 'hands on' workshops too. A Double CD featuring all the bands who played was available at the very realistic price of only £5!

The prices of food and the astonishing goodies on offer at the many stalls were excellent and there were lots of genuine bargains to be bought. It was nice to see lots of small stalls at the Workhouse rather than the stall equivalent of 'Marks and Spencer's' you see at some of the more commercial festivals.

The main 'complaint' we heard time and time again from other people at the Workhouse Festival was that it was too short! And this is indeed true.

It was a shame that the festival closed at 8 pm on Sunday although that can be one of the 'hidden joys' of local licensing laws and there was plenty of 'life' within the camping field for Sunday Evening so in that way it was a 'gentle wind-down'.

So yes, we think Workhouse Festival needs to start earlier than Friday :-) Wednesday would be nice. We could have spent that long there and not got bored even if the acts who were on simply played an extra set to fill in the extra time, because sometimes it wasn't possible to see both bands as they were scheduled to play at the same time, or at the same time as a 'must see' act in the Cabaret Tent! There is so much to see and do, in between chilling, that Friday to Sunday is not enough.

To sum up, will Festival Eye be at the Workhouse Festival next year?
Try and stop us! :-)

Love, Light, Peace & Bright Blessings to you all!

Fee (Written on the 26^th day of July, 2006)

But don't just take our word for it.
Visit www.workhousefestival.co.uk and check out their 'Guest Book' comments.

* The 'glitches' were so minor they are hardly worth mentioning and I know they will be sorted out for next year. One was the delay at 'peak times' to get into the festival from the car parking/camping area. However the organisers were quick off the mark and worked on that during the festival :-) The other 'glitch' was that more litter bins in the main area would have been good as would a few more portaloos to reduce queues at peak times. However, I'm pleased to say that the portaloos were emptied often and remained far cleaner than I've seen at many a festival. Not only that, but they were often found with loo rolls in them, even at the end of the festival!!! To be fair, the queues for the portaloos were shorter than often seen, so I admit to being a bit pedantic on that one!

  Photo Galleries

GALLERY ONE - Twenty Nine 'Snaps' all 'Out & About' at the Festival!

GALLERY TWO - The Jaipur Kawa Brass Band

GALLERY THREE - The Children's Area

GALLERY FOUR - People Watching

GALLERY FIVE - Trapeze Workshop

FESTIVAL EYE AT THE WORKHOUSE FESTIVAL - Just a couple of shots.

WORKHOUSE FESTIVAL'S OWN GALLERY Use the link & then click on 'Gallery'