Staycation Live

Now into its sixth year Godalming’s community music, food and arts festival Staycation Live is back and will be held over the weekend of 5th 6th and 7th of August. TST Live who run the festival started it as a charity music event in a Godalming pub 7 years ago, they joined forces with Godalming Town Council the following year to bring their venture under the banner of then Mayor Jane Thomson’s Staycation, a fortnight of activities based in and around Godalming. Staycation Live kicks off this programme of events and is now recognised as one of Surrey’s fastest growing music and arts festivals, with an ethos for showcasing a broad range of music, food and entertainment. It is guaranteed there will be a little bit of something for everyone.

Although a free entry event we ask that you please support the event and our chosen charity by donating on the gate and in any of the collection buckets you will see floating around on site throughout.

This year our chosen charity is Godalming based charity Halow Project. The Halow project is dedicated to creating opportunities and supporting young people aged 16-35 with a learning disability so that they are able to live independent, meaningful, fulfilled lives and become more involved in their local community.They are a young, vibrant, growing organisation, passionate that the people we support have the right to expect the same life experiences and chances as any other young person and we are committed to making this a reality.

The festival had brought many great and diverse acts to Godalming with the bandstand as the focal point in the park. You can expect an eclectic mix of artists and bands ranging from folk to funk and electro swing to rock. This year’s Saturday headliner sees veteran bass music vocalist Jenna G going back to her live roots alongside the musical stylings of Manchester’s most prolific backing band, played with nothing but love and a whole lot of funk and soul. Supporting on the main stage Saturday will be Bristol based Ushti Baba, a band who blend a mixture of Eastern and Western European folk music with Jungle, Drum n Bass and Dubstep rhythms. Combining an array of acoustic instruments and beatbox they are originators and pioneers of Gypsy Jungle Turbo Folkstep, do not miss this one! Also from Manchester, we see 4 piece Jeramiah Ferrari take to the stage, a young band who fuse together Roots Reggae, Rock, Punk, Ska and Calypso.

Staycation Sunday promise to get you up and dancing. With their vibrant versions of 60’s 70’s and 80’s soul, Frank the Cat have built up a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts on the circuit today. Other acts playing on the Sunday include Staycation favourites Soundation with their Roots & dub vibe. Guildford based Spotlight Cannibal and Midlands based duo The Peas.

As well as the main stage this year see the launch of the SOS (Staycation other stage) Based in the Phillips memorial cloisters within the park you can expect a distinctly nautical theme. You can catch performances from Ginger Beats, Tors, The Salsbury Mothership, Emilee Lucia, Tom Gortler, The Step, The Free Radicals and Alphabet backwards In the evenings you’ll find 6 or 7 venues around town with even more music keeping you moving into the night. There’ll be something for everyone from funk and soul, house and rock with the ever popular Jessebelle’s Jewels Cabaret stage providing something a little different.

To keep you fuelled throughout the weekend you’ll find some of the best craft ales and cider from local brewers at our well stocked bar curated by Guildford based Little beer Corporation and Godalmings very own Garden Cider company. As always you’ll find mocktails to cocktails at Beetle Juice Cocktails and food from the Milford Meatroaster, Burrito Loco, Ladda Thai, Pimpin Pancakes,Churro’s Garcia and Sole Luna Pizza There’ll be plenty more to keep you entertained with Scott graffiti, chickenbone John cigar box guitars, whittle fun fair, cafe mila yoga workshops, willow twisting, Henna tattoos and much, much more.