Almost exactly 60 years ago, Denis Manners and Louis Rushby were looking to raise a bit of money to replace, of all things, the town hall toilets in their English village of Towersey. So, like the good community members and music lovers they were, they decided to throw a little event — part party, part concert. Thus, thanks to the simple necessity for indoor plumbing, Towersey Festival was born, and it would go on to have a valuable local legacy.
What started as a humble, one-off project quickly ballooned into an annual fest that would go on to be the setting for six decades’ worth of memories. This year marks Towersey Festival’s 60th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for any event, let alone one as homegrown as this. The celebration will be bittersweet, however, as 2024 will also serve as a last hurrah. After being a yearly home for musicians, comedians, artists, and (most importantly) families, the United Kingdom’s longest-running independent festival is sadly coming to a triumphant end (get tickets here).
And yet, the conclusion of the festival is far from a purely somber occasion. Sure, it’s deeply unfortunate to see an institution cherished by many shut its doors (just check out their Instagram page for comment after comment lamenting the loss and sharing memories), but Towersey Festival’s legacy stands strong as a shining example of what a community event can accomplish.
Its first incarnation, which took place on August 30th, 1965 (five full years before Glastonbury debuted!), was a Bank Holiday celebration hosted in the founders’ garden. About 100 or so people gathered together for a bit of fanfare, a whole lot of music, and the soon-to-be-trademarked Towersey feeling of togetherness — in other words, it was a smashing success, blowing away the wildest expectations of Manners and Rushby. What choice did they have but to continue the party?
The following year saw the event introduce a third day, bringing in more and more attendees and bigger and bigger stars; future editions would see performers like Eliza Carthy, Richard Thompson, KT Tunstall, The Proclaimers, Roy Bailey (who became Towersey’s official patron artist in 2006), and more take the stage. Expansion continued well into the 1970s and beyond, as Towersey Festival further established its identity as a gathering place for people from all walks of life.
Photo courtesy of Towersey Festival
While the musical performances often leaned in a folky direction, the scope of artists and attractions grew and shifted as the festival matured. Organized dances, poetry readings, and comedians became a staple of each edition, with dedicated programming for children’s activities being introduced in 1980 and “Shooting Roots,” boasting programming specifically for teenagers and young adults, arriving in 2002. Hell, it even inspired the book Towersey Festival: 50 Years in the Making and three live albums: 1969’s Festival at Towersey, Towersey Festival 2015, and Towersey Festival 2016.
Each year brought with it new experiments and improvements, be it expanding to a fourth day or hosting public screenings of cartoons like Tom and Jerry. Some experiments, like the Festival Finale singalong (to The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” of course), the Lantern Parade, and Dress Up Sunday, became beloved yearly traditions.
As a fully independent event, Towersey Festival was able to swiftly adjust and embrace aspects that proved to be a hit with its audience. It was uniquely positioned to adapt to trends and unexpected challenges, always putting the best on-site experience for its dedicated following at the forefront.
“We never rest on our laurels. We don’t stand still and just go, ‘Oh well, this is what we are, so take it or leave it,’” current festival director and Manners’ grandson Joe Heap explained to Festival Insights. “If we’re not selling enough tickets, we go, ‘What are we doing wrong? How can we transition? What’s the offer?’ That flexibility has always been there.”