A summer of festival fun

With the largest selection of saddlespan tents in Europe and a seasoned team of event professionals, we’ve had a busy summer supporting various festivals. We recap the events where our saddlespan tents made an impact. 

Our festival season kickstarted in May this year with Tunes in the Dunes on 17 – 19 May. Taking place on the golden sands of Perranporth beach in Cornwall. This year’s headliners included McFly, Craig David, Ellie Sax, The Bootleg Beatles, and The Feeling. As well as music, the festival offered yoga, surfing, and plenty of places to eat and drink. The dates and tickets for next year’s festival are now out, taking place on 6 – 8 June 2025.  

A week later, we saw some big names at the BBC Big Weekend in Luton’s Stockwood Park, including Coldplay, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Vampire Weekend, and lots more. Over 100,000 festivalgoers attended the event to dance the weekend away. We look forward to finding out where the festival will be heading in 2025.  

Flashforward to August, this was our busiest festival weekend. Starting with Reading and Leeds festival taking place on the 21 – 25 August. This year’s headliners included Blink 182, Fred Again.., Lana Del Rey, and Renee Rap. We were thrilled to see one of our saddlespan tents was used for the BBC Radio 1 stage that showcased upcoming talent.   

Between 22 – 25 August, we also pitched up at Creamfields North in Cheshire. This electronic dance festival included global DJs from Calvin Harris to Armin Van Buuren to Tiësto.  

We ended the festival season with the fantastic Big Feastival at Alex James farm in The Cotswolds. This family-friendly festival included music from the likes of Becky Hill, Snow Patrol and Cat Burns. Food shows with top chefs, including Andi and Miquita Oliver, Cherish Finden, Fitwaffle, and Jack Stein. And plenty more for the kids, including Silly Science, Cotswold Farm Park and entertainment from Children’s TV star Justin Fletcher.   

Need a saddlespan tent for your 2025 festival?  

Saddlespans are one of the most versatile and impressive temporary event structures. Plus, they’re perfect for festivals because… 

  • They can cater for any number of people 
  • You can decorate them to the fit style of your event 
  • They’re flexible – whether it’s for a stage or just provide a bit of shade for your guests we’ve got it covered. 

To book your festival tent for 2025 contact us today – https://amazingtent.co.uk/contact/   


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Beyond the Beats: The Amazing Tent Co’s Summer of 2023

As the vibrant days of summer start to fade, we are reflecting on Summer 2023. It has been a whirlwind of extraordinary festivals, concerts, and events for us at The Amazing Tent Co. We have been at the heart of many exciting experiences with our SaddleSpans, transforming the humble field into a realm of creativity, comfort, and exclusivity. Within the kaleidoscope of summer, our versatile SaddleSpan structures have become part of the landscape of festivals, concerts, and outdoor extravaganzas.  

In what has been a summer of mixed British weather, amidst the sea of glitter, elaborate costumed festival-goers, and thumping beats, our SaddleSpans have provided a haven of continuity, ensuring that the show goes on regardless of the elements. Whilst sometimes associated with more utilitarian purposes, SaddleSpans metamorphosise of the event tent – housing everything from sprawling stages to cosy bar areas and exclusive VIP zones. 

Our summer journey helped to provide festival shelter and comfort, with spaces to rest, connect, and rejuvenate. From the sun-drenched shores of Cornwall’s Boardmasters, to the star-studded BBC Radio One Big Weekend. We ventured further north to the dual engines of Leeds & Reading Festivals where bands and fans created unmatched festival experiences. The Big Feastival offered a different kind of event—one of flavours and aromas merging from food stalls to open-air stages. Creamfields North & South, was an immersion into the electronic realm, of pulsating beats and dazzling lights.  

The intricate planning, collaboration, and dedication that goes on behind the scenes ensures that The Amazing Tent Co’s SaddleSpans enhance the festival experience – uniting style, innovation, and functionality as extensions of the festival spirit— as places to take cover, mingle, and connect, immersed in the magic of music and community. 

So, here’s to next year’s mud-splattered wellies or sun-kissed skin festival and event season. However next summer unfolds, now is the time to contact us to discuss how we can support you to create an unforgettable 2024 festival experience. +44 (0)7778 835 207 / enquiries@amazingtent.co.uk 

 

Photo credit: Anthony Mooney 

 

 

 


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Cool ways to stay cool

We pitch our SaddleSpans at venues across Europe and the UK, with many installations being on hot summer’s days. Through our years of experience, we’ve developed some canny ideas to keep our crew cool as they set up. Here’s just a few things we do to stay chill during the summer heat:  

  • Make use of the breeze. If you’re by the coast, or somewhere that has a natural breeze, make the most of it. Consider keeping one, or both sides, of the #SaddleSpan open so that a through breeze keeps your clients cool. 

 

  • Set up in the shade. If you have the opportunity to pick your pitch at the festival, exhibition, or event within larger grounds, it’s worth thinking about pitching it up in the shade. Try the shade given from an existing building or under a canopy of trees – we’ll worry about the height clearance and safety of this, and advise you accordingly. 

 

  • Hire a portable air conditioner or cooler. This is essential in any heat wave or if you’re working in southern Europe or a Middle East venue. We can advise on suppliers for these too. 

 

  • Let down the sides and open all entrances. If air con isn’t an option, due to budget or location keep the air flowing by letting down all the sides of the tent down. Alternatively, if you can’t let the sides down on your #SaddleSpan, then we suggest you open all entrances and consider large fans. 

 

  • Stay hydrated. One of the most important, and one of the most often forgotten at festivals, events and parties! ;o) 

 

Stay cool with us next summer and call us to book in your event: 44 (0)7778 835 207 / enquiries@amazingtent.co.uk  

 

#EventTent #EventVenue #EventSuppliers #TentHire #MarqueeHire #StayCool 

 

 

 


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A summer of events!

What is that big yellow shining sphere in the sky?!  It seems we might have a summer of better weather ahead, which has us contemplating what’s coming up for us over the next few months. Some of our old favourites are back, with a few new events thrown into the mix. Here’s where you can spot us in the fields of England over the summer – you might even be able to bag yourselves some tickets for some of these if you are quick. 

We’ve already had some fun in the sun recently, you may have spotted our majestic SaddleSpans at Creamfields South and BBC Big Weekend in Dundee? Coming up in June we have the Birmingham Guild of Students Ball and we’ll be amongst the regal racing action at Royal Ascot later in the month. 

The rest of the summer looks something like this – give us a wave if you see us: 

Boardmasters  

 

Creamfields North 

 

Reading Festival  

 

Leeds Festival  

 

Big Feastival  

 

If you have any events or festivals for 2023 or 2024 that you are looking for stage, bar or VIP cover, please give us a call and we can chat over your options:  

+44 (0)7778 835 207 / enquiries@amazingtent.co.uk 

 

Image credit: Geoffrey Hubbel 


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Events are back!

If you’re looking for available tickets for the confirmed festivals this summer, you’ll discover that Glastonbury is sold out, Creamfields is sold out, Reading Festival only has day passes remaining and Creamfields South has just a few tickets up for grabs too – get on those waiting lists now!

That’s before we start to look at the likes of Camp Bestival, Greenbelt and all the other fabulous festivals dotted around the UK, which are planned alongside a host of university balls, weddings and parties – it looks like we’re in for one Amazing (pun intended) summer of fun. Pull on your wellies, don your festival gear and glitter your faces…

That said, the return of events and festivals will certainly bring some learnings from the last couple of years. These are the musings from our team for the summer of 2022:

In-person events will be social and creative

Despite some hybrid events still being around, we do expect there to be a surge in in-person events such as outdoor festivals and concerts, where there is plenty of space and fresh air. People are keen to socialise in person, make up for lost time and host those events that just couldn’t be done in the same way online. For that reason, we expect in-person events to be more creative with a focus on experiences – something that online events simply can’t recreate in the same way.

Focus on sanitation and cleanliness will continue

Even once restrictions are relaxed, we predict that there will be a continued focus on sanitation and cleanliness. People are much more conscious of hygiene after two years of being constantly reminded, and the expectations of cleanliness will continue. This might mean extra toilet facilities at festivals, or hand sanitiser dispensers remaining a feature at events for the foreseeable future.

Contactless will still be king

From QR codes to virtual check-in, e-tickets and cashless bars, we expect the contactless ways of the last few years to continue. These processes have been particularly useful during social distancing, but have also proved their worth in efficiency, reducing costs and reduced waste.

The pandemic accelerated an already established trend towards more digital and contactless solutions for events. We expect that things like e-tickets are here to stay.

Reducing environmental impact

One of the benefits of events being online has been the reduced environmental impact – from less travel to less plastic packaging. This will all be on the minds of those running events, but also for attendees. We are much more aware of our impact than we were a few years ago, and all much more concerned with reducing our plastic waste and carbon footprint. We expect to see event organisers focus even more on reducing single-use plastics and looking for ways to off-set the carbon footprint of the event, such as Glastonbury’s ‘Love The Farm’ initiative, encouraging festival goers to ‘reuse, reduce, respect.’

In summary outdoor festivals and events are definitely back for 2022 and our #SaddleSpan tents will be found on site at:

Creamfields

Creamfields South

BBC Big Weekend, Coventry

The VET Festival

With more to follow…

We look forward to seeing you out there!


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A few of our favourite festivals

We all love a good festival, whether that be music, food, arts or otherwise. We’ve seen our fair share of fantastic festivals over the years in both glorious sunshine and pouring rain, and we’ve certainly missed attending them.

After cancellations across the board in 2020 due to the pandemic, we had all hoped for a return to normal this summer, none more so than the entertainment and events industries. The government decision for restrictions to end on 19 July was music to our ears, but unfortunately it was too late for many of this summer’s festivals, and some have found insurance and other challenges too insurmountable for this season. We are delighted to see that some festivals are managing to run again this summer and are looking forward to a return to the full festival season next summer.

We decided to take this opportunity to look back at the festivals we’ve provided our Saddlespan event tents for over the years, and to celebrate some of our team’s personal favourites.

 

WOMAD festival imageWOMAD

More than just a festival, WOMAD is an experience, bringing music, workshops and cuisine from around the world all to a little corner of Wiltshire. The festival is inclusive in every way possible and that is part of why we love it, as well as its commitment to the environment. We’ve provided the event tent for what our team think is the best part of the festival ‘Molly’s Bar’ named after a beloved dog. A few of our team are very disappointed that WOMAD won’t be running again this year, as they like to attend with their own families – only once our Saddlespan stage covers are all in place of course!

 

Creamfields festival image

Creamfields

This huge festival is the biggest electronic dance music (EDM) festival in the UK and is always an exciting event to be a part of. The Creamfields festival brings the biggest names in EDM to Cheshire for a four-day event over the August bank holiday, with 70,000 people attending each day. For a number of years, we have provided two saddlespan tents for the VIP area for the festival. We are delighted that this festival is due to go ahead this year.

 

Latitude festival image

Latitude

A family-friendly festival set at Henham Park, in the Suffolk countryside, Latitude is a definite favourite of a few of our team. With a range of entertainment from top musicians to poetry, dance to comedy, art to theatre, there is something for everyone and all the family. We’re proud to have supplied our Saddlespan event tents to house the Lake Stage for the last several years, which has played host to the likes of Wolf Alice and Clean Bandit.

 

Electric Castle festival image

Electric Castle – Romania

Set against the backdrop of the 15th Century Banffy Castle in Transylvania, Romania, Electric Castle is an exciting festival, that brings an eclectic mix of music, technology and alternative arts. What truly makes the festival unique is that organisers donate a percentage of the profits from ticket sales towards the restoration of the historic castle. So far this has helped restore the roof and build flooring. We first supplied our Saddlespan tents to the festival in 2018, where it housed the festival food hall, which boasts an impressive variety of cuisines and even fine dining options.

If you are lucky enough to be attending a festival this year, we hope you have a fantastic time. And if you are an event organiser planning a festival for autumn or next year, then get in touch with us if you need to get it covered!


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7 top tent tips for running a successful event

Without sounding big-headed, we’re pretty much experts at this stuff. We can empathise with you on the jaw-clenching, huffing and puffing process of organising events, but don’t you worry, we’re here to help!

Here’s 7 tips, for a happy client:

  1. Safety first – we all want to have a great time at a party, but tripping over a loose cable, flying 3ft across the room and splatting on the floor is not just embarrassing, but dangerous. Where there’s a blame, there’s a claim – don’t let it be against you.
  1. We all talk about how organised we are on CV’s and in pitches, but when it comes down to it, sometimes doing comes before planning. This may seem like the right thing to do at the time, but you’ll always be left with the dreaded ‘I feel like I’ve forgotten something’ feeling in the run up to the event. Make lists, spreadsheets, plan the event as a series of interlinked projects – whatever works for you. Stay on top of deadlines and deposits, as well as managing your budget closely. However, at the same time, try to be flexible, some things are going to occur that aren’t in your spreadsheet or on your ‘to do’ list. Make a note of everything you’ve done for this event and in what order, to give yourself a checklist for next time.
  1. Treat the guests, give them something different, something special they haven’t seen before. Something they’d want to share on Instagram! Consider standout features to create the all-important wow factor. This could range from incorporating a funky feature like an ice bar, a photo-booth or even just creating an exciting atmosphere by lighting up your SaddleSpan with different coloured vibrant lighting. If your guests are dining, try changing the light colours throughout the different courses.
  1. Keep calm and take control. It sounds like simple advice, but if you’re able to stay calm then this will keep your team at ease and will reflect positively to your client. By establishing friendly relations, even in the midst of a crisis, you’ll build goodwill and help create positive energy at your event.
  1. Expect the unexpected. The beauty of being an event organiser, is that you’re the most sheer resilience of facing unexpected problems. Don’t keep these unexpected hiccups to yourself, sometimes they’re out of your control, keep your team in the loop, one of them might have a solution you haven’t thought of.
  1. Switch off. This doesn’t make you non-committed to your job or the event, it allows your brain to get the rest it needs in order to make the right decisions. You’re better off using all of your brain power some of the time than using some of your brain power all of the time!
  1. Utilise your suppliers. Don’t do their work for them, if you’re paying for a service, trust them to be able to deliver that service effectively. Don’t be guilty of thinking ‘if you want a job done properly do it yourself’ leave it to the professionals – like us.

 


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#SpotOurSaddleSpans

It’s been great to get feedback through our beloved Twitter and Facebook about how much you all enjoy seeing our beautiful SaddleSpans out and about. We’ve been enjoying some of the snaps you’ve shared online and thought we’d take things one step further.

We’ve launched an ‘Upcoming Events’ section on our website to let you know where you can #SpotOurSaddlespans – we’ll be popping up all over the country so look out for us soon at an event near you! If you’re thinking of booking one of our lovely tents, why not take the opportunity to come along and look at them in person. Or if we’ve not listed anything in your area, drop us a line – it may just be that we are around the corner but are unable to publicise our attendance. We do guard our clients’ confidentially seriously, but if we can tell you, we will!

And don’t forget, if you do #SpotOurSaddleSpans then don’t forget to hashtag us – we love seeing your snaps!


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The wow factor venue: dress to impress

One of the easiest ways to create a memorable event is by doing something unique and forever memorable. Create a magical, bespoke venue, which will immediately excite your guests. Once you’ve sorted the venue, it’s time to dress it to impress!

We know more than most folk about the importance of your venue matching the theme of your event. It’s the first thing people see when they walk into a venue and we all know first impressions are extremely important. Why not try some spectacular effects? After all, you want your guests to have the wow factor when they walk in!

So what are our trade secrets?

  • Choose your venue wisely. It needs to work hard to meet all the demands of your agenda. Whether it’s a historic house, a hotel or a custom venue such as one of our SaddleSpans, it needs to reflect the ethos of your event.
  • Think about how you’ll make your venue into a show stopping event to convey your theme. The beauty of our structures is that they allow your branding to be showcased onto a blank canvas. If you want to fully brand inside and out, you can! Or you can have a light show, projections…the only limit is your imagination (and the budget!)
  • Think big. Imagine your venue buzzing with your guests. Smaller or lower decoration won’t necessarily be visible when you’ve got a roomful of attendees – unless they are going to be sitting down to dinner or to hear conference speeches. Given the height of our SaddleSpans, branding effectively is easily achievable – you can create extremely effective results with lighting which won’t cost the earth.
  • Innovative technology definitely has a place in bringing an event to life. Motion graphics, glassless 3D screens, live streaming video, augmented reality and other techniques such as video mapping can all help your event have the wow factor.
  • Sometimes less is more. You might want to showcase one particular logo or use one lighting theme to create a spectacular backdrop – the large area of a SaddleSpan means you have the space to play with to create the look and feel you’re aiming for.

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Festival tips for fun in a field!

As we spring into summer, more and more festivals are featuring in our calendar. We’ve got a busy season ahead installing Saddlespans at events across the country. Whatever the size of your festival, a SaddleSpan can be used as a stage cover, bar or to create a funky corporate area. Organising a festival is a momentous task and having the right people and experts on board helps to spread the load. Read on to find out our top tips to create fun in a field, whatever size of festival you’re planning.

  • Ah, the glorious British summer. The fashion welly is essential at most festivals, except those ones we work on in more arid climes. Fortunately, our SaddleSpans can give audience cover come rain or shine. And they’re built to resist winds of up to 70mph, meaning they’re an ideal choice whatever the weather.
  • It’s all about the money, money, money! You’ve so much to do with the budget you have, it’s good to know that the opaque fabric of our tents offers a fantastic blank canvas allowing you to create spectacular effects with fantastic light projections and gobos. It’s both easy to do and easy on the pocket.
  • Enabling everyone to see what’s going on can make the difference between happy punters or dissatisfied customers. Our structures offer good view lines for an audience of up to 5,000 festival goers.
  • Issues such as noise complaints, legal restrictions, licencing, access and litter can cause festival organisers a real headache. So it’s good to know that our SaddleSpans come with as little hassle as possible as they’re quick to install with a typical build time of 4-5 hours, and safe to build as there’s no working at height required. And there’s no plant or power required when installing, meaning you can focus on last minute preparations elsewhere!
  • You’ll need to cater for all sorts of festival goers, and sometimes this can mean supplying a corporate area. We’ve got it covered – use one of our SaddleSpans to provide their own version of a ‘banging’ environment!
  • Be flexible and expect the unexpected. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow – literally if there’s a month’s worth of rain in a weekend. Prepare for all eventualities by liaising with expert suppliers such as ourselves, meaning you can take time to put your wellingtons up and enjoy it.

If you’d like to talk to Amazing Tents about helping you create an awesome event, give us a call on +44 (0)1453 861 131 or email us at enquiries@amazingtent.co.uk


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