| Location(s) | South London |
|---|---|
| Years active | 2006 - present |
| Founded by | Lee Denny |
| Website | www.leefest.org.uk |
LeeFest is a non-profit music festival that takes place every August in Bromley South London. The festival began in founder Lee Denny's garden when his parents went away on holiday in 2006. Despite the festival's small scale in its first two years, LeeFest has now become a 2000 capacity two-day event.
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2006
LeeFest began in 2006. The festival took place in teenager Lee Denny's back garden on August 31 in Beckenham, Kent.[1]
2007-2009
The following year LeeFest returned to Lee's garden with two stages (one canopy stage and one acoustic tent). 300 people attended and over 10 bands and artists played. In 2008 the event had out grown the garden and moved to fields near Langley Park School for Boys. This site was again used to host the event on August 15, 2009, over one thousand people were present. The 4th year of the festival was the first year LeeFest represented Kids Company as its chosen charity.
2010
In 2010 the event took place on Saturday August 14 at a new venue (Highams Hill Farm). Up to two thousand people attended the two day event. 2010 was also the first year to introduce camping to the event with 700 camping tickets sold. The line up included The Futureheads, Hot Club De Paris, Jakwob, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, The King Blues, Johnny Foreigner, Starsmith, The Loose Cannons, and Fenech Soler.[2]
2011
The festival will take place on August 12th & 13th, 2011 at Highams Hill Farm. The Line up has begun to be announced and tickets are now on sale.
Isobel, Jamo at the Disco!, Kyrill, BLT, Femme Fatale, Matt Squared, Fin & Charlie
Dot By Miro, Jade Fox, Isobel, Atomic Face, Civilian, Park Bench Politics, Martyn Snow Band, BLT, Charlie Allen, Rich Legate, Adam Santer, Andrew Gummer
The Skints, Linchpin, DJ Hatsey, One Way To Kanasas, Snish, Catfish Blue, SouthBound, The Over Dramatics, Mr Newells Breakfast Club, Koz + MC Mekkar, Death To Disco, Jonny Abraham, Acoustic Charlie
The Holloways, Saving Aimee, The Xcerts, Sam Isaac, A1 Bassline, Kid id, Tomb Crew, Lights Go Blue, Luke Leighfield, The Skints, Starsmith, Marcel Legane, Mike Brown Band, Adelaide, Local Heroes, Astro Physics, Charles Anonymous, Death To Disco, Kojack, Richard Maddy, Silent Disguise, Mesa,
The Futureheads, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Jakwob, The King Blues, Fenech Soler, Johnny Foreigner, Hot Club De Paris, Marcel Legane, King Charles, Starsmith, The Loose Cannons, DJ Hatesy, Mean Poppa Lean, They Came From Japan, Richard Maddy, Chris Cape, Professor Penguin, Trashcan DJs, Bordeauxxx, Keston Cobblers Club
Fenech Soler, Young Knives, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Little Comets, King Charles, Man Like Me, To Kill A King, David's Lyre, Dutch Uncles, Ellen And The Escapades, and more to be announced.
In the build up the event on August 15, 2009, the festival received national press coverage including features on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6music, London Tonight and the Kent on Saturday.
The following article was published by the Croydon Advertiser in August 2009.
Teenagers are masters at outsmarting their parents - so when Lee Denny's told him "strictly no house parties" while they were on holiday, he organised a music festival in the back garden instead. Lee, then 17, was used to taking the opportunity to have all his mates round for a party when mum and dad went away every year. But when they finally put their foot down, he came up with a novel new way to make the most of an empty house, and LeeFest was born. Now in its fourth year (and this time with full parental backing) LeeFest has snowballed into a huge charity event in a nearby field next to Langley Park Boys School. "My parents went on holiday one year and previously we used to have lots of house parties when they went away," says Lee, now 21. "Just before they went that year, they sat me and my friends down and gave us a strict talking to. They said no more house parties because we'd wrecked the carpets a couple of times and the neighbours had complained. "Being young and a bit bolshy, we thought it would be ok to have a festival because it wasn't a party. We thought we'd get away with it. "About an hour after my parents left, everyone moved into my front room and started organising the event. My house became Camp Festival." Lee and his friends held the festival in his garden in Beckenham, with performances from bands from around the local area. "All of the local bands and audience of 150 people were friends of ours in the first year." Luckily Lee's parents were more impressed with their son's ingenuity than annoyed at his rule breaking. "They were forgiving and thought it was quite funny. "My parents were there the second year in the garden, keeping a watchful eye on it and last year they came down and did bits and pieces around the site. This year they're coming down again." LeeFest has morphed into a bigger and bigger event each year. "We've got a pretty small back garden so the second year it was a bit of a squash, but it was with my parents' permission and we got 350 people." Last year they left the garden for the first time and set up camp in a field bordering the school the organisers used to go to, Langley Park Boys. And this year Lee's expecting record numbers, with a capacity of 1,500 people. "The main core of people who organise it have always been the same. They're Alex Brooks, David Hayes, Richard Legate, Squib Swain for the last two years, and now my little brother Andy. Most of us are good friends from school." And LeeFest isn't just about the music - each year they've raised money for a chosen charity, with the amount steadily rising each time. The festival is completely not for profit, with all proceeds going to the chosen charity. In the first year they raised £250 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the second year was £500 for Save the Children and last year they reached the £1,000 mark for Age Concern. This year's chosen charity is the London-based Kids Company, which provides practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people, and Lee says they're aiming to double the amount fundraised last year.
In October 2009 the festival won Best Grassroots Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards.[3] LeeFest was also nominated for Best Small Festival and Best Toilets. The Festival has also been acknowledged with a nomination in the European Festival Awards.[4]
In May 2010 the Guardian included LeeFest in a round-up of ten of the best small UK festivals, the article championed the festivals unpretentious party vibe and charitable nature.[5]