Organisers of the music and arts festival Sunflowerfest have announced the activities programmes for this year’s three day event, which takes place at Tubby’s Farm in Hillsborough from 9 to 11 August.
As well as an eclectic line-up of bands and artists including Alabama 3 Unplugged, Ozric Tentacles and Eat Static, people of all ages can enjoy a plethora of festival extras from poetry and comedy to kid-orientated circus workshops and dance classes.
Children will be mesmerized in a land of make-believe as they help the fairy queen prevent evil pirates from making people walk the plank of the Black Sheep, anchored by the Enchanted Glade of Mystery and Surprise.
They can also enjoy Sunflowerfest’s dedicated kids’ zone with willow sculpting, music workshops, arts and crafts, puppetry, face painting and yoga. Interactive dance classes including jumping jive, rock and roll, boogie babies and Shim Sham are also on offer.
Festival-goers can enjoy literature, story-telling and discussion in the Moot, a craft village and a delicious selection of world foods and premium German beers.
This year Sunflower Bliss teams up with the Lighthouse centre to create NeverNever land, where revellers can relax and nourish mind, body and soul, and seek eternal youth, enjoy the wildlife including rare birds, and try their hand at old crafts and trades.
More quirky festival extras include Augustine Leudar’s dreamlike surreal sound installation, which includes myths, scientific input and the harnessing of electrical signals in trees to create a 3D audio hologram – a pioneering, ground-breaking experience in nature and science; and the OneLove tent for some inspirational talks, music and dance.
Everyone can also participate in Friends of the Earth’s ‘Solution Tree’, an installation that allows people to offer their ideas on how we can live without harming the planet, and the more adventurous can even try a compost-heated shower on site!
Meanwhile, music-lovers can enjoy five stages of sound with the headline acts joined by over 60 other bands including Pocket Billiards, Michael Mormeecha, qwqwi (Germany), NI Soul Troop, The Dead Presidents, Mojo Fury, The Bonnevilles, Ed Zealous and many more.
A range of tickets are on sale now from www.ticketmaster.ie and www.sunflowerfest.co.uk with single-day tickets available from £17.95 and weekend tickets from £62.95 including booking fees. Each ticket grants access for one person, with up to two children 12 years and under, permitted free of charge when accompanying an adult.
For a full list of festival activities and current line-up connect with www.facebook.com/SunflowerFest and see www.sunflowerfest.co.uk
