Great Devon Music Festivals – Pigstock in North Devon
Saturday 18th May 2024 Details HERE
As the crowds started to gathered the children ran off. There was music already playing as the pop harmonies of a lovely local choir filled air. Cider was flowing and the smell of freshly prepared festival food was wafting around the field.
There was no need to worry. The girls were already engrossed in handling snakes and stick insects at the Really Wild Learning Show. When I next checked on them they were hula hooping and playing with the free circus skills equipment.
All was well. This was Pigstock 2018. A fabulous small music festival in North Devon near Bideford.
Pigstock started life at a pub!
Like many good ideas, this one started small. I got chatting to one of the many locals there who told me they had been going from the start, which was a live music and pizza event at a nearby pub called the Pig on the Hill (hence the name).
Fast forward 5 years and having outgrown 2 venues it was now being held at a great new location for the first time. Just down the road from The Big Sheep (a family tourist attraction) and next door to the Ultimate Adventure Centre which was open for camping and other basic accommodation.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you will get that I love a music festival and am pleased that my girls have got the bug as well. My hubby is not at all interested in live music, so it’s just us that heads off to these events.
6 Great things about Pigstock
1. Excellent live music
Music started at 12 noon with a local choir who sounded beautiful out across the festival field.
Next up was the talented Steve Ley. He sang well but was also unintentionally very funny as he has tourettes and is prone to blurting out inappropriate language!
However you can’t beat those bands that haven’t quite made the big time – Laid Blak from Bristol with their reggae vibes were huge crowd pleasers especially when they got some youngsters up on stage. Noble Jacks were amazing musicians with high energy fiddle playing who are also playing at a number of other festivals and have their debut album out as well.
2. Fun, free activities for the children
There was an exotic animals show from Really Wild Learning where the children got to handle snakes, bearded dragons and stick insects. An arts and crafts tent with festival headbands, stone painting and other craft activities. There was also a comedy show, a free bouncy castles (big hit with the kids!) and circus skills.
Just outside the entrance there was a climbing wall that has been set up by a local school – also free to use, another hit with the kids.
3. A good choice of food and drink
From stoned fired pizza and middle eastern wraps to fish and chips and ice cream. There was also a bar hosted by Thatchers – can you believe it actually ran out of cider! They used what I thought was quite a clever cashless system for buying food and drinks. However it has come under a lot of criticism and so next year it’s back to basics.
4. Camping with proper facilities!
Near by camping was at the Ultimate Adventure Centre where there were proper toilets and showers. Also the option to hire little cute cabins by the lake or share a bunk house. Note if you want to drive your camping equipment right to the centre (and not walk 1/2 mile) you need to arrive on Friday night or before 10am on Saturday or the road will be closed (as we found out!)
5. A friendly relaxed atmosphere.
With plenty of space to roll out a blanket and chill out, Pigstock has found a great venue.
It’s true that you may get to see a lot more well known bands at the bigger festivals around the country and may even be torn between what to watch at the different stages. There might be more events and activities going on to entertain you elsewhere. But to be honest I love to be able to get close enough to really see who is playing and have a dance just metres from the band. I like the fact that the kids can head off to a craft tent just a few hundred yards away and I do not have to worry about where they are. There’s a lot to be said for small music festivals. Yes there is room for this one to grow and improve, there always is. But with a well established local audience and links with The Big Sheep, this festival has quite a unique set up and will be loved for it’s size and friendliness.
6. Free Entry to the Big Sheep
On Sunday the festival site was closed but the entertainment carried on. There was free entry to the Big Sheep which we loved – reviewed here. Throughout the day there was entertainment around the park from a number of acoustic performers as well as live comedy (adults and children’s shows) and a real ale bar. A great place to carry on the party in a chilled out way.
Think you Might Like to Book For Next Year
Save the Date – Saturday 18th May 2024
TICKETS
click HERE £25 for adults and £15 for children
Need more convincing – have a look at the video that was made of the event.
In Summary
We had a lovely time at this festival and now I need to persuade my friends to join us next year.
A big thank you to The Big Sheep for organising the weekend for us and for Pigstock for hosting us. We also really enjoyed visiting the Big Sheep on the Sunday as well and wished we had had longer there.
Hi! I am Clare and I live in glorious East Devon with my family.
Join me in finding new places to explore in the West Country as well as further afield.
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I have never heard of Pigstock but it looks flipping amazing. I would love to take my eldest to something like that. I think my two year old would cause too much trouble!
You should try and go – it really was a lovely day and the added bonus of entry to The Big Sheep was great as well.
Pigstock sounds like a great little music festival! I love how much your enthusiasm comes across for it! It’s great there are lots of fun activities to do as well as listen to the music – perfect for families with different ages. Great and happy pictures too!
This sounds like great fun! I love a unknown band too, it really adds to the atmosphere when the crowd gets behind them. #kcacols
I’ve heard of Pigstock it’s famous in North Wales my friends went down last year! Will
Make it one year as it looks brilliant! #KCACOLS
That’s funny that people from Wales have heard of it and hardly anyone in East Devon had!
I’m not really one for festivals, mainly because of the camping, but my kids are now old enough to be going to them on their own and they love them. My eldest actually says now that he prefers the smaller events like this to the really big ones. I love the family nature of this and entry to The Big Sheep is a wonderful idea. I must admit with the heatwave we are having festival camping actually sounds much more appealing. I know I’d like the day time.
Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
The good thing I discovered once we were there is that there are non-camping options, which I know appeals to some of my friends!
This looks lovely. I’ve not been to a festival before because they all look too busy for me but this one looks perfect and I love that the kids disappear off and do their own thing within the confines of the festival area. Mich x #CountryKids
That’s exactly why I have been seeking out the smaller festivals. The girls enjoy a bit of freedom and it’s a lot less stressful.
Looks like a great time. I can’t believe that Right Said Fred are still around! Are they bigger in the UK than they were here in the States? #KCACOLS
I got the impression there’s more love for RSF abroad than in the UK – apparently the radio stations don’t play their new music here!
This sounds amazing. I love the name Pigstock too. Amazing how much it’s grown in such a short time, Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time
This sounds like our kinda festival! Love the name Pigstock and the relaxed vibe x #CountryKids
Oooh this sounds fantastic – cider, free activities for kids and great music (I was a big Right Said Fred fan!). Are those extremely cheap ticket prices per day? I am definitely going to look into this for next year.
What an amazing festival. It sounds like the music line-up was a good one and I love the sound of the exotic animals show as well – my eldest loved things like that. The arts and crafts tent also sounds like fun. I quite like the sound of a smaller festival like this – and it’s useful to know about the roads closing when it comes to camping too. #countrykids
Wow! Sounds like an amazing experience with the insects, too! Bet the kids loved it #KCACOLS