Jersey live recently announced the exciting news that for the first time in its history – fittingly falling on its tenth anniversary event – the festival has been granted a license for a 2,000 capacity campsite. The organisers believe it will allow them to attract more overseas visitors to the island and give jersey’s tourism industry a welcome boost, as well as potentially allowing the festival to grow in size and stature. We caught up with co-director warren holt to find out what it means for jersey live…
Congratulations on getting a camping license for the first time this year. What does this mean for the festival?
It means we have come a long way, it means we have won the trust and support of the authorities by running a controlled and very safe event and it means that people can now enjoy the full festival experience at jersey live.
Will this allow the festival to grow in terms of capacity?
We hope so, yes. It is an alternative to guesthouses and hotels, which can be an expensive option for people who are on a tighter budget. We’re sure that in future people will still want to stay in hotels or guesthouses so that the economy will still enjoy the benefits of that source of income, but being able to offer a cheaper alternative to festivalgoers removes a big obstacle to jersey live’s success and allows us to compete on a more level playing field with other festivals around the uk and europe.
It’s taken a long time to secure. What have been the previous objections and how did you overcome the obstacles this year?
The objections came from the connetable of trinity, but we approached the connetable of st helier who was very supportive of the idea, and the lovely dee, the owner of stonewall farm where the campsite will be located.
Logistically, what new issues does the addition of a campsite present for you?
Exactly the same issues as the festival itself; the monitoring of attendees to make sure they are enjoying themselves in a safe manner and not causing harm or disturbance to others. Safety is the paramount principle of event organising.
How do you intend to ensure that the campsite is run smoothly and securely?
By following the same control measures that have been implemented at jersey live and all of the other successful festivals around the world. Our event management teams and security have many years of festival and camping experience, which makes me feel very confident that we will not even be noticed, apart from bringing smiles and love to the parish!
You’re not allowing alcohol into the campsite. Do you think that will be an issue? Will people at least be able to bring their own food and water?
We do allow food and soft drinks, but as the campsite carries a liquor licence, it’s exactly the same as a pub in that we cannot permit alcohol to be brought in or we’d be breaking the law. It is a licensing matter, simple as that. A bar will open on the campsite at more than adequate times, until 11pm on friday night and from 11am until 4pm on saturday & sunday. I’d like to think everybody would be at the festival by then, because they’ll be missing some incredible bands, djs and lots more besides if they are not!
Will there be shops at the campsite to provide food and other essential provisions?
Absolutely. There will a great choice of food. On friday you can get breakfast, lunch and dinner with wine, cider or beer. We will also be serving breakfast and lunch on saturday and sunday with a glass of wine, beer or cider, and on monday will be serving breakfast, lunch and soft drinks, although the bar won’t be open – the same as every other festival i have ever been to. Of course water will be available at all times, and we’ll have a shop available with general provisions over the weekend.
How do you intend to police the transfer of festivalgoers to the campsite at the end of each night? They’ll be walking over a mile, will they be directed and looked after by stewards?
6-7000 People walk over two miles back to town from the festival and have done for several years now, but of course we want to ensure that visitors to the campsite get home safely each night and are employing stewards who will be positioned every 250m with the addition of self powered tower lights to guide them safely home to their tents.
To sum up, in a nutshell, what is it about the campsite that will make this a great experience for jersey live-goers?
Spiritually the campsite will be part of the festival itself, only separated physically by a short distance. Only ticket holders will be able to camp and i’m sure that campers are going to have the most fun of all the festival goers – i know where my home will be for the festival this year! We look forward to welcoming many happy campers to the festival.
Jersey live takes place on saturday 31st august and sunday 1st september, featuring fatboy slim, example, chic featuring nile rodgers and many more. Camping tickets are on sale now at www.Jerseylive.Org.Uk, the jt store, bontour it, channel islands direct and www.Jerseytravel.Com. Camping tickets are priced at £30 for 3 nights per person. The campsite opens on friday 30th august 8am til monday 2nd september 5pm.
