A MUSIC festival in Emersons Green celebrated its fifth year with sunshine and sparkling performances.
Around 500 people came to enjoy music from Flamenco to classical, world and folk at the Ham Farm Festival over three days at the end of July.
The event is run by the Ham Farm Festival charity, founded by professional classical musicians Emily Andrews and Francisco Correa, in partnership with Emersons Green Town Council, and hosted in the grounds of Ham Farm Cottage, off Emersons Green Lane.
Opened by town mayor James Hunt, the festival started with a concert by Andrews Massey Duo and a capella trio We3.
Emily said: “We3 held audiences of all ages captivated with their humour and sheer skill, recreating entire bands with only their voices and three microphones. The whole front row was full of children who sat absolutely still throughout the concert.”
Evening concerts included long intervals for picnics, socialising and enjoying drinks from the bar.
During the day the festival featured free concerts and interactive community music events including a ceilidh, children’s concert and “junk drumming” workshops.
Emily said: “There was a spontaneous unanimous standing ovation for the intense Flamenco Raices concert on Saturday night, led by dancer Lourdes Fernandez with her four-part band.
“The daytime ceilidh with local band Third Time Lucky was a huge success, with unanimous five-star feedback and 50 people dancing from all age groups. We will make this a yearly event.”
The festival aims to make performances from top-quality professional musicians accessible to residents, and more than half of those who attended were from BS16 postcodes – although some audience members had travelled from as far as London and York.
One audience member described it as “a unique, wonderful event with artists who each deliver their own special performances, most of which you won’t have seen before but will leave you with lasting memories of having experienced something very special”.
The festival also employed 16 local teenagers as stewards and flyer distributors through a work experience programme.
As well as support from the town council and South Gloucestershire Council, Downend and Blackhorse schools lent equipment to the festival.
Emily said: “We have many local volunteers to thank – we can’t do this festival without them!”