Festival fever returns to East Devon as Beautiful Days sells out
Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
Thousands of music fans will descend on the East Devon countryside this weekend as the sold-out Beautiful Days festival returns to the Escot Estate near Ottery St Mary.
Around 17,500 people are expected to attend the three-day festival from Friday, 21st August, to Sunday, 23rd August, with a packed programme of live music, DJ sets, theatre and family entertainment taking place across the 250-acre estate.
Headlining this year’s event are Madness, Super Furry Animals, The Proclaimers and festival founders Levellers, who will bring the weekend to a close on Sunday evening.
Other major acts on the bill include The Wonder Stuff, The Divine Comedy, Eddi Reader, Billy Bragg, Steeleye Span, Big Special and Gurriers.
Music fans can also look forward to DJ sets from Orbital’s Phil Hartnoll, BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Chris Hawkins and Happy Mondays’ Bez.
The festival will offer plenty beyond the main stages, with theatre and family entertainment also forming an important part of the weekend. Shrek the Musical is among the attractions, while festival-goers are being encouraged to embrace a ‘Back to the 70s’ dress-up theme on Sunday.
Beautiful Days was founded by the Levellers in 2003 and takes its name from one of the band’s best-known songs. What began with around 4,000 festival-goers has grown into one of the country’s best-established independent festivals.
Levellers frontman Mark Chadwick said he had initially expected the event to last only a few years.
“I thought we’d get away with it for five years – even once would have been great,” he said.
“The festival as it is now was the dream.
“We’ve even heard it described as The East Devon Festival, which is great.”
The festival was created partly as an alternative to the increasingly commercial nature of major music events at the time.
“Those we had played were corporate and disappointing, so we thought, let’s start our own – something for the people, for fans of the culture we were willing to represent,” Mark said.
Behind the scenes, preparations for the event have been under way since early August, with the number of people working on site expected to rise from around ten at the start of preparations to approximately 1,500 immediately before the festival opens.
Promoter Dave Farrow, of Exeter-based DMF Productions, has worked with the Levellers since 1989 and has been involved with Beautiful Days since its beginning.
He said the festival had developed into one of the UK’s leading boutique events.
“Beautiful Days was one of the first boutique festivals – now, there’s at least one for every summer weekend, if not more,” he said.
“I’m amazed at our history – it’s phenomenal.”
The festival’s impact also reaches beyond the Escot Estate, providing a significant annual boost to a nearby community business.
Talaton Community Shop volunteers will once again run the on-site shop, with manager Trish Lenehan describing the festival as a vital source of income for the village.
Last year, the shop sold around 5,000 units of water and soft drinks, 1,200 units of milk and approximately 500 loaves and bread rolls during the festival.
A team of 20 volunteers is expected to help operate the shop this year.
“It’s a godsend for the community shop,” said Trish.
“It keeps us afloat all year round, which is brilliant for the community.”
The festival is also preparing for around 3,000 campervans and caravans this year, with an additional field being used to meet demand.
With Beautiful Days now firmly established as a major event in the East Devon calendar, the festival’s organisers are preparing to welcome another sell-out crowd to the Escot Estate.
Tickets for this year’s festival have already sold out, with tickets for Beautiful Days 2027 expected to go on sale around November.
More information about the festival is available at beautifuldays.org
( Photos: Beautiful Days / Escot Estate 📸 )