The first wave of live bands for the Poltimore Music & Arts Festival has been announced.
The festival will take place at Poltimore House in Broadclyst on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday 26, and tickets are now on sale.
Organisers plan to turn the semi-derelict house into a ‘bohemian paradise’ for the two-day event, with hidden rooms to explore, secret cinemas, chill-out lounges, markets and an indoor acoustic courtyard stage. Outside there will be main stage performances, food and drink stalls, wellness and healing areas, workshops and other activities.
Poltimore House is a once fine building, partly dating back to the 1560s, set in its 13 acres of parkland.
As well as being used as a private home it has served, during the 20th century, as a girls’ boarding school, a wartime refuge for boys from Dover College in Kent, and a hospital.
It was severely damaged by an arson attack in 1987, which led to further deterioration, but in recent years restoration work has brought parts of it back into use.
The festival is being organised by the Music in Devon Initiative (MIDI), who hope it will bring in funds that can be used for further repair and restoration.
Nick Hall, director of MIDI and head organiser, said: “We’re proud to announce a new era dawning with the 2024 Poltimore Music & Arts Festival, by way of the first wave of a top-notch line-up.
“Crammed with South-West talent, the festival is bigger than previous years, taking place over two days, with twice as many bands and acts than ever before.
“Our multiple-genre line-up is diverse by design, with hip hop act the Scribes and their finesse in audience participation headlining Saturday and high-energy, retro-pop band Pattern Pusher also playing on Saturday.
“Then we have quirky concept-prog jazz from Billie Bottle’s Temple of Shibboleth, Moriaty’s huge guitars and Afrofuturist psychedelic RnB from Sonnyechko.
In the past the Poltimore Music & Arts Festival was run by Exeter University students, and students will be involved in all aspects of the event, gaining valuable experience of work in the creative industries.
Tickets for the festival are available here
• Weekend tickets are £60 with 'Early Bird' tickets at £50, first come, first served
• Day tickets for the Saturday and Sunday are £35 with early bird tickets at £25.
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