Discounted Earlybird Tickets for the 2012 Riverside Festival Go on Sale

The public are being encouraged to apply for tickets early to ensure they can attend the Riverside Festival as numbers attending the event this year are going to be strictly limited. The Riverside Festival will take place on Saturday 7^th July 2012 between 12 noon and 22.40pm on the Meadows in the centre of Stamford, and for the first time ever it will be an all ticket event.

Demand for tickets is expected to be extremely high as the event makes a welcome return to the Stamford calendar after it had to be cancelled in 2011 following a dispute with Stamford Town Council. To comply with new terms and conditions imposed by Stamford Council there will only be 15,000 tickets available. As footfall at the event in previous years has exceeded 50,000 people over the course of the day, if you want to be sure of securing your place you are advised to get your ticket early and to encourage you to do this discounts are currently being offered.

Despite the introduction of tickets for the event the festival will continue to operate on a not for profit basis; serving as a fundraising event for Riverside and other local charities. The small ticket charge being introduced this year will go part way, but only part way towards covering the costs of staging the event, the remainder of the costs will be subsidised by a combination of income from grants, sponsorship, advertising, stall fees etc related to the event. Riverside’s aim remains to provide a relatively low cost day out for everyone.

One of the Organisers Jenny Collins said “We have reluctantly had to accept that we need to introduce a formal admission charge for the festival. This decision has really been forced on us due to the rising costs of staging the event, and the current economic climate which makes sponsorship and grants much harder to obtain although naturally we would still be delighted to hear from anyone who thinks they can help in any way.

However, we believe our event still offers a fantastic day out and is excellent value for money with over 10 hours of non stop live entertainment on offer from 4 main stages. We are still significantly cheaper than other music festivals around the UK many of which charge over £100.”

The audience can expect to see a return of all the traditional entertainment and stages they have come to expect from Riverside and hopefully one or two new elements as well.

Tickets are being sold through the Box Office at Stamford Arts Centre and you can pop in to buy these during their opening hours Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 8.00pm, or by calling on 01780 763203. You can also book online at:

but please note a £1 transaction fee will apply. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or by credit/debit card.  Prepaid tickets can be collected from the Box Office ahead of the event or be posted to you for a small fee.

Discounted earlybird tickets are currently available at the following prices :

Adults £5,            Accompanied children aged 5 – 12 years £3,        Under 5’s free (but they will still need a ticket)

Riverside are also reminding bands and artists that applications to perform at the festival are being accepted until the 29^th February. Details of how to apply can be found on the festival website at www.riversidefestival.co.uk.

The Stamford Mercury has also teamed up with the festival organisers to run the ‘Road to Riverside Competition’ for bands and artists to win a place to play at the festival details at http://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/lifestyle/arts-leisure/enter_our_competition_to_win_a_spot_on_stage_at_the_riverside_festival_in_stamford_1_3461324

Finally anyone who is interested in getting involved and volunteering with the festival will be warmly welcome at the next Festival planning meeting being held on Sunday 4^th March at 5pm at Mama Liz’s in North Street Stamford or they can contact Jenny on 01778 343337 to find out more. Thanks to help donated by local company Metal on Rock Productions, Riverside now have a short video called “Why Volunteer?” which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/riversidefestival, which gives an insight into being a Riverside Volunteer.

 Jenny said “Our audience have been very loyal and supportive over the past year, particularly while we have tried to resolve the barriers to staging the festival and we are very grateful for all their support. We are now looking forward to staging a brilliant event that will once again see a chance for the whole community to come together to celebrate the very best music and arts available locally. We hope that the public will continue to support the festival as we move forward to the next stage in the events development. We look forward to seeing everyone on the 7^th July”