News

Press Release: 27/01/2012

Rhythm Festivals Announce More Stages, More Attractions and More Acts, including Scott Matthews, The Strawbs, Big Boy Bloater, Here & Now, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, 3 Bonzos & A Piano and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Rhythm Festival, held as a single event in Bedfordshire since 2006, has revealed more details of the three linked Rhythm Festivals to be held at Old Warden Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2012.

New acts announced today for Rhythm Festivals 2012 include:

  • The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (Big Rhythms Stage, Sunday)
  • Scott Matthews (Rhythm Folk, Sunday)
  • The Strawbs (Rhythm Folk, Saturday)
  • Big Boy Bloater (Rhythm & Blues, Saturday)
  • Here & Now (Happy Rhythms Stage, Saturday)
  • The Men They Couldn’t Hang (Acoustic – Rhythm Folk, Friday)
  • 3 Bonzos & A Piano (Old Dick Theatre Stage, Friday)
  • Mitch Laddie Band (Rhythm & Blues, Friday)
  • Damh The Bard (Rhythm Folk, Sunday)
  • King Hammond (Big Rhythms Stage, Sunday)
  • Lucy Zirins (Rhythm & Blues, Saturday)

Also added for 2012 and available to ticket-holders for all three Rhythm Festivals are Fringe Theatre performances in the The Old Dick Theatre and Literary & Poetry Events. Details of BIG NAME attractions on these stages will be announced shortly.  Comedy (programmed by Jesterlarf Comedy Club of Cambridge) will return in 2012 as will other old Rhythm avourites, including the Groovy Movie Picture House (free sola-powered cinema), DJ Wheelie Bag in the Tavern Bar and even more children’s entertainment, including Panic Circus and the Junior (London) Olympics. Many more new attractions will be added and announced in the coming weeks.

As well as two main music stages for the Rhythm Festival, 2012 sees the addition of a Blues festival, Rhythm & Blues and the Rhythm Folk Festival – both of which can be accessed by holders of an All Festivals Weekend Pass or weekend tickets are available for each of them for just £70 for the weekend (includes one free child, price increase on June 1st to £80). Camping and other amenities, including children’s and other entertainment will be shared.

The price of an All Festivals Weekend Pass is currently £99 and will rise to £119 once 1,000 are sold. At 8am on Friday 27th January there were just 308 x £99 tickets left and they are expected to go very quickly. Camping is £36 per tent, £50 per caravan/ campervan. Tickets will be sent out after March.

Friday 24th August:
RHYTHM FESTIVAL: Hawkwind, The Slackers (USA), The Beat, Three Bonzos & A Piano
RHYTHM FOLK: Peatbog Faeries, The Men They Couldn’t Hang
RHYTHM & BLUES: Wilko Johnson, Mitch Laddie Band

Saturday 25th August:
RHYTHM FESTIVAL: The Damned, Denis Alcapone (Jamaica), Here & Now
RHYTHM FOLK: The Strawbs, Wishing Well (Aus)
RHYTHM & BLUES: Big Boy Bloater, Lucy Zirins

Sunday 26th August:
RHYTHM FESTIVAL: Ken Boothe (Jamaica), Crazy Wortld of Arthur Brown, David Rodigan, John Otway Big Band, King Hammond
RHYTHM FOLK: Scott Matthews, Damh The Bard
RHYTHM & BLUES: Crosstown Lightnin’ (featuring Charles Shaar Murray), Cherry Lee Mewis Band

RHYTHM FESTIVALS 2012
August 24-26, 2012
The Mansion House@Old Warden Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9DX