This Years GrassRoots Feastival will take place from 3^rd to 5^th September at a secret location between Saffron Walden & Cambridge. The precise location will be released to ticket holders closer to the event.

 

A much more collaborative affair, this years GrassRoots sees Muddy Promotions reaching out to some of the friends it has made over the years. Including new stages from The Antic Establishment, Magpies Nest, Hammer & Tongue, Uprizing and Tripycyty this years festival promises to be a show like no other. With the added feature of the Feastival you can be sure that you and your friends will be talking about this for years to come.

Festival Opening Times

6pm Thursday 2^nd to 3pm Monday 5^th September

Stage Times

• 12pm to 1am Friday
• 12pm to 4am Saturday
• 12pm to 12am Sunday

Features

• 8 Stages
• 3 Cafe's
• 4 Bars 
• Workshops Inc: Circus Skills, Willow Weaving, Wood Carving, Art n Crafts, Drum Circles, Belly Dancing, Yoga, Sound Healing, Reiki & More TBA.
• Entertainment Inc:  Puppet Shows, Live Music, Dj's, Samba Band, 24 hour cinema, Silent Disco, Juggling Waiters, Kids entertainment, Music Workshops, Live Jams & Sing Alongs, Fairy Bar, Classic Birthday Party Games, Custard Pie Ninja's, Live Visuals, Three Legged Race, Giant Tarpaulin Salad Toss, Face Painting, Roving Soap Box & more TBA.

 

Troubador Stage

  

Definition: [French, from Provençal trobador, from Old Provençal, from trobar, to compose, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *trop re, from Late Latin tropus, trope, song, from Latin, trope; see trope.] A strolling minstrel a poet and a winner of hearts…

The Troubador Stage is the home to Muddy Promotions very own artistic desires. This stage will hold a variety of styles and genre's from Indie/Rock to Hip Hop and Be Bop. And will also play host to various partner groups who have become part of the Muddy Family. Inc sessions from Art and Soul Magazine and Jar records. Confirmed acts include King Porter Stomp, Lazy Habits, Free Peace and too many more to mention, yet.

 

SO 2008 saw the Troubadour return with what turned out to be the most colourful stage on site, literally. So you it will be seeing the best singer/songwriters and alternative acts as per usual.. here is the line-up so far peeps x hope you can make it, look for the yellow circus tent :)

Siren - http://www.myspace.com/siren999

Kerry And The Giants - http://www.myspace.com/kerryandthegiants

The Yearner Babies - http://www.myspace.com/yearnerbabies

Freepeace - http://www.myspace.com/fre3peace

Cornelious - http://www.myspace.com/corneiliuspeacesongs

Our very own Moony 

John Litchfield - http://www.myspace.com/johnlitchfield

Tarantism - http://www.myspace.com/tarantismband

Ols Moore and the Gypsy Dogs - http://www.myspace.com/olsmooreandthegypsydogs

The Cold Club Trio

Stuart 'O connor - http://www.myspace.com/stuartoconnor

The Self Help Group - http://www.myspace.com/theselfhelpgroup

The Wooly Productions Cabaret

The Binewinski murder 

Bleak N Blue - http://www.myspace.com/bleakandblue

Ruth Theodore (full band) - http://www.ruththeodore.com/

Gideon Conn - http://www.myspace.com/gideonconn

King Porter Stomp - http://www.myspace.com/kingporterstomp

Lazy Habits - http://www.lazyhabits.co.uk/

Charlie Alexander - http://www.myspace.com/charliealexander13

The Gypsy Rats - http://www.myspace.com/gypsyratsmusic

Alice Band - http://www.myspace.com/alicemwalker

Picturebook - http://www.myspace.com/picturebookofficial

Dan Raza (band) - http://www.myspace.com/danraza

Richard Hall Band - http://www.myspace.com/richardhallband

Keltrix - http://www.myspace.com/keltrix

Cocos Lovers - http://www.myspace.com/cocoslovers

+More to come

There will also be an Art & Soul session on the Friday, and a spell from Jar Records YAY!!!

 

Green Back Yard

From the heart of Peterborough's Urban sprawl grows a rose amongst the thorns. Spearheading the Environmental City's green movement and entwining with city's culture we are most honoured to welcome The Green Back Yard. They will be running various workshops in willow weaving, rustic carving, drum circles and plenty of Green based edutainment. There will be a number of talks and seminars on sustainable living and environmental awareness along with lots of fun filled activities for all.

They will also be growing most of the vegetables for the feast and asking for volunteers to help pick cut and prepare for the main event. Anybody who would like to get involved with The Green Back Yard either at GrassRoots or at their home in Peterborough, why not pop down and see them at their green space opposite the football ground or visit www.thegreenbackyard.com and feel free to get in touch.

The Grass Hopper Kids Area

A fun filled creation station, providing a safe space for future Davinci's. Children, parents and big kids alike can all get involved in arts, crafts and workshops. Come and Play!

From jewellery making to story times, mask making to face painting, crayons, pencils, paints and toys galore, this area promises to keep both adults and children entertained. Not to be confused for a cresh, The Grass Hopper is an area for parents to enjoy with their kids rather than a child care facility.

The Glass Onion Bar

“Calling all Onioneers”. Like a pheonix from the ashes, The Glass Onion Bar will raise it's head once more. Many will remember Muddy's own voluntary music and arts centre which held Peterborough's art scene in it's bosom for three years until finally taking it's rightful place amongst the good ideas in the sky. Serving alcoholic beverages and acting as a meeting place and social area for the Muddy field, The Glass Onion is a welcome return.

Crumb Cafe

A positive, colourful space for peaceful people to relax and eat.

At The Crumb Café we provide ethical snacks,drinks and delicious main meals alongside a platform for creative expression. On our stage we host performances from acclaimed acoustic musicians, singers and poets while Dj slots throughout the day provide a spectrum of musical styles including world, funk, soul, blues, jazz, folk and reggae.  Late-night cinema offers  animation and comedy shorts followed by classic films. Add to this original artworks in the Crumb Gallery, entertaining literature and The Snug - a designated, covered and cosy smoking lounge. you won’t want to leave.

The menu has been designed with value, quality and health in mind and uses ethically and organically sourced produce whenever possible. Our aim to source 90% of produce from within 50miles of the feastival is made easier by our network of local producers and our own homegrown crops.

Hammer & Tongue

Hammer & Tongue is one of the largest live literature organisations in the UK, running regular events in London, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge and Bath as well as workshops and special events/festivals:

"Hammer & Tongue has reinvented the medium for the hip hop generation"
The Guardian

"The best live poetry is to be found at The Hammer & Tongue Slams"
The Sunday Times

The Hammer & Tongue café/stage is dedicated to presenting the best spoken word shows using renewable energy. It makes use of 'Cyc du Soleil' our unique solar and cycle powered sound system on wheels, enabling Hammer & Tongue to stage the very best in all things spoken including:Performance Poetry, Poetry Slams, Beatboxing, Story telling, Comedy, Acoustic singer/songwriters and Improvisation. Programming a diverse range of quality art/entertainment that will keep people enthralled throughout the day and night. Booked artists will be complemented by open poetry slams which will give an opportunity to the talent on site.

 

Uprizing

Uprizing Beats and Uprizing Roots are combining flavours for what will be an uplifting and edifying extravaganza of musical delights of all varieties! (we cannot guarantee this is nutter-free).

Uprizing Beats will host Friday, with an array of artists at the forefront of the UK breakcore/ragga-jungle scene, alongside the UKs best underground producers, merging ear-smashing beats, mentalist melodies and chaotic drum patterns to create a truly original sound experience. With Ghost (Life4Land) organising the line-up this year, prepare for an unmissable musical experience. 

Uprizing Roots will host the Saturday, so come along for your dose of dub education, inna conscious roots reggae style.

With singers and selecta's from East Anglia and beyond, this year's roots tent will be heavily vibes-wise. Reggae is message music, so open up your hearts and minds to conscious lyrics, spiritualizing melodies, hypnotic and melodious sax players, melodica players and other instrumentalists, truly bringing the music ALIVE, and of course, the heaviest of heavy basslines; Word, Sound, Power!

 

Tripycyty Psychedelia stage.

This years GrassRoots sees a very special coming together of two of the largest Psychedelic crews in East Anglia. Peterborough's Sinthesis will be sharing the stage with Cambridge legends Tripycyty.  Pioneering psychedelic events in and around Cambridge for the last four to five years, tripycyty has a keen appetite for bubbling, squelchy, space tentacles, tickling colours, levitating organic sounds of the universe all wrapped up in a love filled colourful dancefloor.

With raw cutting edge psychedelic underground electronica and diverse multi media displays , this stage aims to overwhelm, tantalize and stimulate your senses. With a totally captivating, inspiring and submersive psychedelic atmosphere. Beautiful decor, visuals, intelligent lighting and psychedelic music.............Full on, deep, heavy, funky, groovy, organic, orgasmic, soul tickling, bubbling, tentacled Psychedelic electronica music! With trance, progressive, electro breaks and tech. A party where you can truelly let yourself go, and explore your imagination.

Circuit Tree

Hard wired deep in the heart of the Electronic Pasture waits the fabled Circuit Tree. Curling, cracking, minds beckon while rythmatic sounds emanate from its enigmatic and intimate surroundings. Once inside you will be immersed by its electrifying imagery and visual beauty get ready to transmit your eyes and ears for an all-out sensory assault.

Join the insurgence and lose yourself amongst the pulsing musical madness of this unforgettable dance tent. The Circuit Tree brings you some of the finest underground artists playing a wild tangled mix of audio and visual thrills, from spaced out leafy soundscapes, ambient bliss through to its heavy beating heart of deep techno.

The stage is set and the Grass Roots team are very happy to see the return of this well rooted dance stage for a party like no other. . .

ALAN's Abstract Disco

ALAN is an acronym for Awareness & Love All Nighters. That came to us through positive thought...

Our aim is to hold all night quality music events showcasing old/new & Live music and to provide alternative information/theories on the world around us in the hope we can make a positive change in all things such as environment, politics, human and animal welfare. Whilst at the same time promoting unconditional love to your fellow human.

Music wise we cover DnB, Breaks, Jungle, Electro, House, Old Skool, Breakcore, Dubstep, Rave, Bassline, Techno, Minimal, Psytrance, Psybreaks, Psycore, Electronica, Bootyshake, Reggae, Ambient and IDM...we also have facepainting, live performances, art, visuals, fully themed elaborate decor, games, B-Boys, circus performers, bouncy castles, Glittermen, magicians, Drum circles, Rave toy give outs, Wish lanterns, Hidden crowd interactionsand of course we raise money for charities through selling glowsticks.

Afterall, its about the journey NOT the destination!

"Raving awareness about the current global situation through good vibes, good tunes and great people..."

Up Beat Open Mic

Upbeat Open Mic was started by stand-up poet and compere alex iamb

in the short, soggy summer of 2008 with the intention of allowing Cambridge's creative types to play alongside established, experienced acts from all over the UK while offering free, high quality entertainment to all and sundry EVERY THURSDAY - WITHOUT FAIL.

We will be bringing this ethos to Grassroots Feastival (with a little help from our very good friends at Very Woolly Productions) offering open slots to anyone who rolls up on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The open mic slots will be interspersed with pre-booked acts from the Upbeat back-catalogue which boasts an incredible array of talent including David Goo, Ed Cox, Tim Clare, Opaque, Pete the Temp, Dr Robeatnik, Stuart O'Connor, Jonas Graile, Heather McVey, Alice Walker, Corneilius and many, many more...

We will also be hosting the Upbeat After-Hours Acoustic Jam from the moment the music license ends at night to the break of amplification the next morning. 

Here are just some of the confirmed acts for the Upbeat Open Mic Stage so far:

Slightly Offensive Steve: http://www.myspace.com/slightlyoffensivesteve

Corneilius http://www.corneilius.net

Alice Walker http://www.myspace.com/alicemwalker

Jam Band Caravan: http://www.myspace.com/jambandcaravan

Jennifer June Choon: http://www.myspace.com/jenniferjunehossack

Emily Fraser http://www.myspace.com/emilyfrasermusic

Heather McVey: http://www.myspace.com/heathermcvey

The Benjamin Theory: http://www.myspace.com/upbeatopenmic

Andy Buclaw http://www.myspace.com/andybuclaw

Faith Taylor http://www.myspace.com/faithtaylor

And there will be many more to come - don't you worry! But the real stars of the stage will always be the guitar gods, odd-bods and drunken sods who roll up on the day. We called it Grassroots for a reason. We believe strongly in the art that is inherent in the people who make a festival happen: You, him, her, us, WE. Without you the festival simply couldn’t be so we think everyone deserves the chance to shine just as much as anyone else. Play us a song, tell us a joke, slip your two pennies’ worth in. Bring your magic tricks, comedy, puppetry, poetry, covers, guitars, accordions, stylophones, styrofoam, lutes, love, laughter and anything else you think might bring a smile to someone’s lips and get yourself involved. 

Make the festival special for all of us… make it yours.

Smileys Bar

Jay

 

Run by the Antic Establishment - the crew who programme Valley of the Antics @ Secret Garden Party and Antic Banquet, the Antic Swamp will be a squelchy home of the rootical, the cyclical and the piratical.

Antic Main Stage

Programming will be a rootsy but danceable mix of reggae, folk, hiphop, ska, afro, gypsy, world and a few cheeky basslines thrown in. This stage unites a broad collective of some  of London’s most exciting underground arts organisations, including Wormfood - famous for their ramjam Afro-dance parties at Hackney’s Passing Clouds, Magpies’ Nest, and Woodburner - the best place in London for an ale and a singalong!

Magpie's nest

The Magpie's Nest was established 4 years ago at the Old Queen's Head (opened by people behind Fabric Nightclub) on Essex Road, Islington, London. The aim was to provide a night for emerging young Folk musicians, who rarely get to play on the established folk club circuit, and also as a way to present established and veteran folk musicians in an accessible and familiar way to our generation - i.e. as an antidote to the antiquated model of the 'Folk Club'.  The work of the Magpie's Nest collective has recently been acknowledged and celebrated with the proud news that we have been awarded the 'BBC Best Folk Club of the Year award 2010'

This years GrassRoots see's the Magpie's Nest running it's own cafe bar with organic ciders and real ales along with hot chocolate and cake. As well as playing host to a plethora of spell binding artists the Acoustic Cafe/Folk Stage will also be running Jams, Session sing arounds and open mics - so everyone should bring an instrument and voice and get involved!

Puncharello's Corner

Tucked away in the corners of the Antics Swamp you will find all the random fun that you don't expect to find at a festival. This are will be used for live performance, improv shows and a selection of weird and wonderful puppet shows.

This area will also be home to our circus freaks, jugglers, fire poi and perhaps the odd clown and a handful of custard pie ninja's. You have been warned!!!

The Reclaimers

A food-waste fruit smoothie stall hosted by 'This is Rubbish' and taking the recycle re-use culture   to another level whilst keeping it wholesome, healthy and most of all fun.

 

A communal area where dreams, fantasies and festival frolics come alive. An area of activities during the daytime including yoga and healing in the morning, big kids party games (inc giant Pass The Parcel & a record breaking attempt at What's The Time Mr Wolf. Along with open Mic in the Afternoon and also a central meeting point during the evening with it's roaring fire.

The Feastival

Dremers Common will be the setting for our giant feast, The GrassRoots Feastival. From 3pm til 5pm on Sunday all stage will close and  everyone will be fed together in one huge chaotic and funfilled sitting. Inspired by The Antics Banquet but with a whole new Muddy Flavour the Feastival is proving to be the wholesome highlight of the festival.

The feastival will include dishes and stews from all of the crew's along with juggling waiters, 3m long kebabs, giant salad toss and all included as part of your ticket price. All participants are encouraged to get involved and help out to make this a communal feast of epic proportion. If there is one thing you will not forget about this summer it will be our Feastival.

Fairy Bar

With a real life fairy bar set back in woods this field promises to enchant entertain and ignite a variety of festival surprises at any time of day or night. Supplying you with a variety of fairy cocktails, story time with hot chocolate for the kids and watch out for the Pied Piper of GrassRoots.