28/07/2026
What a lovely day!! 😍 A massive thank you to everyone who stepped in at the last minute to make our mini Warm-Up festival happen! 🙏
In just a few weeks, it grew from a BBQ, a small jam session and a bit of football into two stages full of incredible live music, DJs, producers and MCs, crafts and kids’ workshops, great coffee, a Romanian BBQ, vegan food, smoothies and juices, acro yoga, drumming, dance, kickabouts and our silly Our Pitch football match.
Almost everything was arranged from the end of June while I was working on another festival site with limited internet and intermittent phone signal, so for it to run so smoothly was genuinely incredible. Not a single issue occurred on the day — the easiest site management I’ve ever done! 😊
This event would not have happened without the generosity, enthusiasm and expertise of everyone who helped bring the vision to life :)
Everyone gave their time for FREE. The toilets, security, marquees and power were heavily discounted, and the site was provided free of charge. Traders were not charged for their pitches, every activity was free for attendees, and the sense of community was better than I could have imagined! 🥰
The event was self-funded by me, with in-kind support from our partners, collaborators and musicians worth well over £10,000. That would have been impossible at such short notice without everyone’s generosity. 🙌
This pilot has shown that we can deliver and that people want more free, sober and inclusive community events like this.
Next year, with more time, funding and promotion, we’ll evolve from the Warm-Up to fully kicking off! ⚽🎻💃🎸🎉🌞❤️
To help us recoup some of the costs, our Crowdfunder is here:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/dyjoMNZl
MIDI - Music In Devon Initiative University of Exeter Shumba Arts Exeter City Community Trust The Source Studio The Source - Exeter Showbitz Ltd - Event Planning, Tours, Production, Hire & Sales.
