TWO fun-loving festival goers from Harpenden have organised their very own summer shindig for the second year running. Tom Barltrop of The Uplands and Andy Bell of Kinsbourne Green, both aged 22, are part of a team of students behind Festibelly, an intim
TWO fun-loving festival goers from Harpenden have organised their very own summer shindig for the second year running.
Tom Barltrop of The Uplands and Andy Bell of Kinsbourne Green, both aged 22, are part of a team of students behind Festibelly, an intimate one-day music festival in the heart of the New Forest.
Festibelly, which takes place on Saturday, August 29, started off life as a university project, when Andy and his friend Tom Boardley, who were both music technology students at Thames Valley, were challenged to come up with their own business idea.
Following Festibelly's debut success, Andy - whose nick-name Belly inspired the festival's name - recruited some more friends, including his old boarding school pal Tom Barltrop, to join in the project and the team of students have doubled the festival's capacity this year to hold 1,000 people.
Tom Boardley, who lives in Surrey, explained: "The idea was to create a festival for people who didn't want to be trampled on. It's an intimate event and, because it's just a bunch of friends who set it up, there's a great homely feel about it. It should be just as good this time as it was last year, if not better."
Festibelly 2009 promises some of the most exciting indie, rock, pop and reggae London bands and the headliner James Yuill, a friend of Andy's, has become a firm Radio 1 favourite thanks to his plethora of folky hits, such as No Surprise and This Sweet Love.
As well as plenty of live bands, Festibelly goers can also enjoy activities such as a graffiti wall battle between professional urban artists and the tie-dye stall, where everyone can add a psychedelic touch to their own clothes. There will also be plenty of tasty food on sale, all sourced form local producers.
Festibelly, which features in The Telegraph's Summer Festival Guide and was shortlisted last year for the UK's Best New Festival, is held in Lymington and gates open at 9am and close at 1pm the next day.
Tickets cost �25 plus a booking fee and Festibelly welcomes people of all ages. To find out more about the event, visit www.festibelly.com or www.myspace.com/festibelly
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