Family-friendly music event loved by Harrogate fans is up for 'best festival in UK' award
An independent-run annual event that is a favourite of Harrogate music fans is in the running for best festival in the UK.
Deer Shed Festival, which has been held at an 18th Century landscaped country park near Thirsk for three days in July ever since it was first launched 14 years ago by a local couple, has been shortlisted in the UK Festival Awards for the categories ‘Best Festival for Families’ and ‘Best Small Festival’.
Unhappy that so many festivals were not suitable for people with young children, Kate and Oliver Jones founded Deer Shed in 2010 to be a family-friendly and highly civilised affair with top names in indie and alternative music.
Since then, the event has grown to attract nearly 10,000 spectators to Baldersby Park each year and expanded its brief to offer live comedy, literary and spoken word, science, workshops, outdoor arts, sport, under-fives, wellbeing and cinema.
Over the years it has become a who’s who of fringe and indie acts, including Wolf Alice, Billy Bragg, Anna Calvi, Saint Etienne, Yard Act, Gaz Coombes, Wedding Present, Nadine Shah and Edwyn Collins.
It’s popularity means that early-bird tickets for Deer Shed 2025 are already sold out.
Who wins the UK Festival Awards is in the hands of the audience.
A Deer Shed spokesperson said: “We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted in the UK Festival Awards but the winner of each category is decided by public vote, so please get involved and vote for us!”
To vote, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UKFA24