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Updated July 2021

For information on today's festivals see eFestivals.co.uk

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This site is dedicated in the memory of

Roger Hutchinson,

who inspired me to delve deep into the magic of the free festival and who passed away Sept 3rd 2010.

R.I.P. Roger .....


Peoples Free festival.

Chobham .

August Bank Holiday 1977


    

A very sparsely attended do, after the short lived euphoria generated by the provision of the free festival site provided by the Government in 1975 at Watchfield , the failiure to negotiate a new site for a free festival in 1976 led to confusion and to a repetition of the usual repressive activities beloved by the soulless drones that constituted the "powers that be" . Basically , Chobham was another "Windsor alternative ", where folks congegated at an obscure site because the police presence at Windsor was too heavy to set up a gathering of any kind.


Went myself .Neat site on the top of a small hill with a stream and woods nearby.Mist one night gathered all roumd site so that stood on top of hill it lloked like you  could walk out over the top of the clouds. Not many bands but people kept each other ammused as excellent supply of oil kept me at least giggling for 8 days.

Clare Broderick .



Nothing much happened this year with the bad memories of Windsor 74 keeping people away. Somehow or other I ended up borrowing the parents car and driving. I forget how but after driving round the area, I ended up in a drum circle on Chobham Common. The common is a large area of scrub gorse and bush on a well drained sandy soil. We were quiet and well away from any houses so although the police were present, they left us alone. There was a certain amount of paranoia as I left and drove very slowly home trying to make it without buying any petrol but it passed.

Julian Bond


Free Festivals List

Any info to add- well don't just sit there ! Contact us

Free festivals and small fayres held in the United Kingdom between 1967-90.

1967-69.

 1970-79  
1980-92

 

  • Windsor Peoples Free Festival 1972-74
 
 Free festival related articles
Pay Festivals- Benefits for Travellers aid.
 

Main list of Free festivals 1970-1985

Free rock festivals of the 70s and 80s

Publications

ffhf

We are proud of the contribution we have made to Andy Worthington's sociological history of Stonehenge and the free festival scene in the UK .This new book gives a fascinating insight into the various counter cultural obsessions with the Stones and provides a variety of new perspectives to many of the key events surrounding the Henge such as the Battle Of The Beanfield and the more recent attempts hold a celebration at the Stones during the Solstice.

 

Find out more about this great book by clicking on the image on the left and visit the Heart of Albion Press web site .

Sending details of a small book I've just self-published which might be of interest to some readers of your admirable site.

Related Articles

The aroma of a free festival -by Roger Hutchinson

Dome construction instruction sheet (download-140k)-by Roger Hutchinson

Travellers Tales Convoy Steve's tale of how the freaks outsmarted the fuzz at Greenham common.

Zorch -House band for the free festival set ? A fanzine page on the UK's first electronic band .

Tibetan Ukranian Mountain Troupe-surreal pranksters of the Traveller community .

Acidia Lightshow Lightshow for Windsor festival and Stonehenge in the 1970s.

Traveller Daves Website - Chock full of of free festival photos !

Many, many thanks go to Roger Hutchinson , Big Steve , Roger Duncan, Celia, Will , Chazz, Jeza ,Chris Hewitt ,The Fabulous Time Tortoise , Peter Piwowarski - ( 70s music site/photos ) Martin S, Steve Austin ,Traveller Dave, Herb, Tim Brighton, Vin Miles, Haze Evans , Noddy Guevara, Chris Brown, Janet Thompson, David Stooke, Gary Gibbons , Nigel Ayers, Rich Deakin ,Glenda Pescardo,Justin Warman,Brian F, Steve Bayfield, Kev Ellis, Paul Seaton and many other minor contributors for their help in providing the archival material related to these free festivals which has at enabled us to construct the site .

Any info to add ?-well don't just sit there , Contact us


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