The Deer Shed Festival announces Monster theme

North Yorkshire's Deer Shed Festival held over the weekend of Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July 2012 has announced that their theme for 2012 will be 'Monsters'.

Following on from Deer Shed Festival 2's Sky At Night theme, in 2012 Deer Shed Festival is all about scary, mythological, fairy tale, imaginary, cuddly, extraordinary Monsters.

Plans for this year so far include more live acts on the Friday night, additional arts including commissioned theatre productions taking place in the woods, more camping space, different campsites for folks who want to stay up to the wee hours, extra after-hours entertainment and later bar opening hours for those fans of the wee hours, improved availability of the vast array of workshops, a longer 'long goodbye' on Sunday.

The new site layout which has increased by a third, adds a cinema tent, hosts specially commissioned theatre productions, and expands its arts and activities programme.

Theatre comes to Baldersby Park for the first time. The Flanagan Collective will present a real/unreal narrative that runs throughout the whole weekend. Spoken word also stops at Deer Shed Festival for its debut – authors Dave Simpson ('The Last Champions: Leeds United & The Year Football Changed Forever') and Anthony Clavane ('Promised Land') chat football and whether it has lost its soul while Dorian Lynskey ('33 Revolutions Per Minute: a History Of Protest Music) and Boff Whalley (Chumbawamba) talk pop and whether it still has a political voice. James Priestman leads the festival's first foray into poetry running family workshops including Monster themed pieces and Twitter poems.

Partnering up with the National Media Museum, there's a weekend of scary cinema lined-up including silent classic Nosferatu accompanied by Darius Battiwalla on piano, Monsters, and Monsters Inc which will be followed by a workshop from Teeside University showing how Pixar make the critters. Lecturers and students from the uni will be running lots of workshops and demonstrations throughout the weekend including stop frame animation, green screen video production and 3D modelling. All involving monsters.

This is very much a family friendly festival, with kids events an integral part of the day's programme with many of the artists performing and running workshops that the whole family can enjoy.

This year the monster theme is taken quite literally and are super sizing on offer for kids. Customised swing balls made out of heavy-duty steel, giant sea monster creations which will be built by kids and then floated on the lake, BIG paintball art guns and over 40 exotic animals to meet on the Sunday (snakes, spiders, lizards, massive toads and some furry things).

The festival team will also be scouting for human guinea pigs to take part in Dr Frankenstein's DIY Monster Project from Eureka! The National Children's Museum.

All in addition to the regulars of organised sports, arts sessions, modelling workshops and play areas.

Festival regulars returning include Best Joined Up graffiti artists, Matt Pattinson's Doodle Walls with four towering sentinels, Jon Reed's Comedy Workshop, artist blacksmith David Stephenson creating bespoke jewellery, Spike & Sponge's Sunday Market in the Big Top full of arts, crafts and vintage wares all from local Yorkshire artists. The Greentop Circus Cabaret will also be back to host the Friday night family show in the Big Top.

Headlined by St Etienne, Villagers, and Cherry Ghost, with Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny, Dutch Uncles, Los Campesinos!, Human Don't Be Angry, Cashier No 9, Janice Graham Band, Ellen and the Escapades, The Lost Brothers, Rae Morris, Treetop Flyers, Tupelo, Rachel Sermanni, and more. The final third of the music bill will be announced soon plus details of cabaret, comedy, cinema, theatre, workshops and the all-important theme for Deer Shed Festival. For the line-up details as available please click here.

Tickets are priced as follows:

An adult (16+) weekend ticket (Fri-Sun) is priced at £69.
Adult (16+) Saturday & Sunday only ticket is priced at £59
Child (aged 6 - 15 years) weekend ticket is priced at £20
Weekend campervan & caravan pass is priced at £15
All the kids activities and workshops free of charge and children aged five and under go free but require a ticket.

To buy tickets, click here.

Latest Updates