Port Eliot Festival in the press
The Port Eliot Festival offers you an experience like no other – but don't just take our word for it! Here's some of the praise from the press and festival performers we've received in recent years... “Hipper than Hay” – Condé Nast Traveller “Port Eliot is by far the most enjoyable literary festival I have been to. It’s not just about books.” – Alexander Masters “This hip lit fest has the intimacy of a weekend country house party…” – The Independent ABC magazine “Field studies with an emphasis on fun... Fun is a word that comes up a lot at Port Eliot. The event ...
Advance ticket sales deadline!
The deadline for buying advance tickets online is midnight tonight (Tuesday 21 July), so delay no longer! There will be a limited number of tickets available on the gate, but make sure you arrive early to avoid disappointment. You can still buy full weekend tickets on the gate (Friday 11:00 – Monday 13:00, £105 including camping), as well as day tickets for Saturday (09:30 – 03:00, £30) and Sunday (09:30 – 00:00, £24) – but please note that camping facilities are not available for Day Ticket holders. Child (age 4 – 12) and Family (2 adults plus up to 3 children) tickets ...
Wild swim and yoga
Bookings are now open for Denise Christian's Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga sessions on Saturday morning. One of the more dynamic forms of yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa purifies the system through heat generated by the breath and continual movement. Denise is from Antigua in the Caribbean and her practice and teaching is imbued with that island vibe, finding the sweetness in every practice… She'll be running sessions for both beginners and more experienced practitioners – email here to book for her Saturday sessions (09:00 and 16:00), or reserve a place on Sunday (same times) via the Production Office (as above). Kate Rew, author of Wild ...
Daily programme announced
If you've been putting off buying your day ticket to the festival until you know who's playing when, then delay no more! We can now announce the daily line-ups – although please note that these can be subject to last-minute changes. If you want to be absolutely sure of seeing everyone you want to, the best way is to buy a weekend ticket. There are still some exciting new additions to be announced - so if you haven't already signed up to our mailing list (on the right) and official Facebook page, do it now and be the first to know! ...
Barbara Hulanicki
Barbara Hulanicki An iconic figure in British fashion, Barbara Hulanicki founded the now-legendary Biba boutique with her late husband in 1964. Striking a chord with an increasingly hip and free-thinking public, Biba became synonymous with swinging London in the 1960s and 1970s and was a popular hangout for artists, film stars and rock musicians, including Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Marianne Faithfull. Biba evolved from being a small shop in Abingdon Road to an elaborate five-story Art Deco department store with a restaurant and a roof garden overlooking High Street Kensington, with a successful make-up line selling in ...
Kathryn Williams
Kathryn Williams Singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams has gone from releasing her first album with a budget of £80 to gaining a Mercury Prize nomination and enjoying considerable success over seven beautifully performed, passionate and melodic albums. Her first major live performance was a Nick Drake tribute concert at the Barbican in 2000, and her delicate, intense, finely-crafted songs certainly follow in this tradition. Other influences include Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Simon And Garfunkel and Velvet Underground. Her catchy folk-pop sound belies her love of Americana, which she’s happy to own up to: ‘‘That’s more what I grew up with ...
The Boathouse featuring One Minute Disco
The Boathouse featuring One Minute Disco The Boathouse launched in the summer of 2007 – a new semi-autonomous area within the festival. Hosting a programme of artists, musicians and writers and a candlelit paper boat armada which set sail at dusk, it also introduced the hugely successful One Minute Disco to Port Eliot. Created by artists Samuel Levack, Jennifer Lewandowski and Joel Levack, plus a collaboarive team of chess pieces and Greek goddesses, it followed on from their 2006 event performance in the Maze - The Diamond Maze Masked Tea Dance. This year Samuel Levack and Jennifer Lewandowski will curate a new series ...
New performers now online
We've just added a string of new performers to the site, including Jung Chang, Luella Bartley, Romeo Stodart (The Magic Numbers), Queens of Noize, Ralph McTell and The Loose Salute. Jung Chang is the internationally best-selling author responsible for exposing Communist China from beneath the veil to the Western world and beyond. Luella Bartley is Designer of the Year 2008, whose designs adorn celebs like Lily Allen, Pixie Geldof and Sienna Miller. She'll be doing a unique collaboration with British fashion icon Barbara Hulanicki, working together in front of a live audience for the first time to conjure up bespoke Saturday night ...
Gaz Mayall
Gaz Mayall Gaz Mayall is a musician, DJ, producer and record label owner. He’s the host of London’s longest running one-nighter, Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues – now in its 28th year – and the founder member of the ska band The Trojans. He also runs his record label Gaz’s Rockin’ Records. The son of legendary British blues musician John Mayall, Gaz Mayall lives in London and was raised on a diet of R&B before falling in love with reggae and ska music in the late 1960s. A self-confessed ‘musicaholic’, he runs the famous one-nighter Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues, a Soho institution since 1980 that ...
The House of Fairy Tales
The House of Fairy Tales The now-legendary House of Fairy Tales explores the world of myth and legend through play, with a programme of workshops and performances throughout the weekend by characters appearing from a vast array of magical, surreal and mythical tales. Expect ceremonies, tea parties and parades as well as weird and wonderful objects and dreamlike encounters – whether you’re 2 or 92, entering the House by day or night, we guarantee you’ll be enchanted. Established by the artists Deborah Curtis and Gavin Turk, The House Of Fairy Tales draws on an extensive team of artists, performers, writers, educationalists, designers, ...
PORT ELIOT FESTIVAL 2010 IS ON 23-25 JULY. EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE NOW SOLD OUT. CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS >>
“Port Eliot Festival: officially The Best Festival in the World!”
Hadley Freeman, The Guardian
“What a beautiful setting and such a unique event, so unlike any other of the normal festivals we have done. The perfect balance of planning and ideas with random surprises.”
David Taylor, British Sea Power manager
“Chris Watson’s Nature Disco into King Creosote followed by 4 bellinis at Caught By The River tent – festival highlights of the decade for me.”
Robin Turner, Caught By The River
“Where else would you see rock star Evan Dando helping the WI packing up their stall?”
Rowan Pelling, the Telegraph
Limited edition of 100 Port Eliot Festival 2009 t-shirts now on sale
Wild swimming and wood-fired hot tubs; The Wire’s Dominic West dancing to the Queens of Noize; jamming by the river with Romeo Stodart, Kathryn Williams and John Head; beautiful girls attired in free outfits made on site by Barbara Hulanicki and Luella Bartley with hats by Mr Hedonist, Stephen Jones; Chris Watson’s Nature Disco in the brand new Caught By The River Stage… We danced until the stars came down from the rafters and sat in reverie watching the changing colours of the waves on the estuary - 2009 was the best Port Eliot Festival yet.
Browse the photo galleries from the 2009 festival
Watch videos from the 2009 festival
