HESFES 2012 at Stonham Barns

Stonham Barns in Stonham Aspal, near Stowmarket, was the new setting for the 2012 festival. The organisers’ own dates page names Saturday 21 July as arrival day and Saturday 28 July as departure day. A family who attended wrote up their week the next day, referring to the venue as the Mid Suffolk Showground.

Inside the children’s cabaret

The camper’s account records a tap performance, a comedy sketch and young singers taking turns before a marquee audience. Elsewhere on the site was the Groovy Movie solar-powered cinema. A Thursday performance featured poet John Hegley and the duo Diego Brown and the Good Fairy. For some visitors, making a friendship bracelet or trying a dance class left as much of a memory as the billed evening acts.

Tickets at the showground

The advertised adult price was £78 for the week. Children aged seven to seventeen were £60, those aged three to six were £20, and children under three could attend free. The price included camping, workshops and live music. See the historical price table for a comparison with other years.

The attendee’s own write-up and the festival listing are linked below. The first gives a view from the audience and campsite. The second records what visitors were offered when deciding whether to book.