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Sellindge Music Festival is a three-day outdoor event that takes place annually in the countryside between Ashford and Folkestone in South Kent. The site for the festival is on Hope Farm, which is easily accessed from Junction 11 off the M20.
Discreetly set within the idyllic surroundings of the North Downs, Sellindge Music Festival is an independent, family friendly annual arts festival featuring an eclectic mix of music and live performance.
Boasting five "jam-packed" music stages, a designated theatre and performing arts arena, an "inspiring" interactive children’s play area, live comedy, an outdoor cinema, a marvellous marketplace, an enticing European food court and a giant funfair, Sellindge Music Festival really does have something for everyone.
http://sellindgemusicfestival.co.uk/
With only a week to go before the Sellindge Music Festival 2010, the event was cancelled and the event website taken offline. The organisers of the festival cited issues with their online payment agent PayPal and stated refunds would be processed in due time. This year's festival was due to be held 11th - 13th June 2010. The true reason was organiser Andre Doubles personal debts. Refunds are still outstanding (as of June 2011)
2010 scheduled headliners were The Sugarhill Gang (Friday), Reverend and the Makers (Saturday) and Lee 'Scratch' Perry (Sunday), with support from Goldie Lookin' Chain Soundsystem, The Rumble Strips and Johnny Foreigner. Other bands on the line-up included The Foxes, Liam Frost, Eliza Carthy, Mean Poppa Lean, Achilles, James Findlay, Los Salvadores and Motion Picture Soundtrack. This year's dance arena was due to be headlined by Yousef, Tom Middleton and Jack Beats.
As well as several band stages, 2010's Sellindge was due to host a comedy tent, a European Food Market, the acclaimed BBC Introducing stage, a massive Dance Arena, a cinema, a poetry workshop, barn dance, an interactive children's play area, a fun fair, circus acts and a host of other entertainment for the whole family.
The idea for Sellindge Music Festival was conceived in 2003 by Andre Double, who wanted to combine his love of live music with his grandfather's ambition of staging a festival on his family farm. Andre used the backdrop of the Sellindge Steam Special - a family event of over 40 years - to launch a single music marquee in 2005. Playing on bare grass, with a hastily hired PA, over twenty acts performed at the event. The following year saw the marquee move and double in size. By 2007, the music within the Steam Rally had continued to grow, with greater numbers of local bands appearing. A folk tent was added and the team continued to grow. The groundwork had been done and planning for a dedicated music festival was well underway with a passion for a festival for Kent, attracting music lovers of all ages and backgrounds .[1]
2008 saw the launch of the first full-fledged music festival at Sellindge. The event took place over the weekend of the 6th, 7th and 8th of June with around 60 bands performing over three different stages. Performance areas included the main stage, which was headlined by Idlewild and Mark Morriss of The Bluetones, a folk stage and a tent hosted by BBC Kent Introducing. A dance tent also featured DJs arranged by Bournemouth-based Techno promoters DELETE, including LEK, DJ Mossman, Mudie, Marlow and Dubnium. The festival site played host to further entertainment, including a dedicated VW field and fair-ground.
2009 saw the biggest and best Sellindge so far, a sell-out event with acts including Supergrass, The Holloways, The Young Knives and Marina and the Diamonds.