Comedian Rob joins line-up at Festival Green

The annual music festival, which takes place from August 25-28, offers visitors a taste of the full Towersey experience with a Festival Green ticket - which can cost as little as £18 for a family of five or more.

Rob Deering, Gavin Osborn and Steve Faulkner are set to appear as part of Towersey’s traditional Saturday night comedy-themed line-up on August 26.

A former pupil of Lord Williams’s School, Rob hosts the weekly Running Commentary running-themed podcast with fellow comic Paul Tonkinson, and a winner of both Celebrity Mastermind and The Weakest Link. Despite being a ‘local lad’, this will be Rob’s Towersey comedy debut.

Famed for his often bittersweet - yet funny - tunes, Gavin Osborn has released a string of well-received releases, appeared regularly on BBC Radio 4, and works closely with comedian Daniel Kitson, while Steve Faulkner is a multi-award-winning magician and street performer who’s wit and dexterity have wowed such names as Ian Hislop (Have I Got News For You) and chart-toppers The Arctic Monkeys.

Saturday day tickets are £40 (adult), and allow access to all main stage shows including Newton Faulkner, Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band and The Blockheads, and more.

The Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson Trio are the latest addition to the Towersey line-up.

BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominated Ross and BBC Young Musician Award winner Jarlath perform a unique blend of Scottish and Irish music for Uilleann pipes, border pipes, whistle and song, and will be appearing at the festival on Saturday, August 26.

On the Festival Green, visitors will find a rolling programme of live bands performing well into the evening, as well as strolling performers and leading international entertainers, including the energetic Zulu Tradition.

There’s also a range of drop-in activities in and around The Creative Quarter, including medieval themed fun - sword making, needle craft, games and puzzles - as well as circus skills workshops, Slackline School, giant bubbles, hula hoops and a storytelling tent.

A myriad of stalls sell everything from hand-crafted musical instruments to unique jewellery and clothing, while various street food outlets serve everything from Mexican meals to delicious fudge, and locally sourced handmade sausages.

Over in the Festival Green’s main bar are 36 real ales and seven ciders, from such acclaimed independent brewers as Oxfordshire’s Hook Norton and White Horse, to Buckinghamshire’s Vale Brewery, Chiltern Brewery, XT Brewing, and Reading’s Loddon Brewery. The ciders, supplied by Scotland’s Thistly Cross, include their popular Whisky Cask Cider and the new Cloudy Special Edition, which receives its British debut at Towersey!

Festival director Joe Heap said: “A Festival Green ticket offers an affordable and thoroughly entertaining day out for all ages, from seeing some great music acts and sampling our fantastic range of real ale and ciders in the covered bar, to dressing up and face painting for younger visitors.”

Tickets for Towersey Festival’s Festival Green are £9 (Adult / £7 conc), available in advance via the festival website or in person from Bizzie Lizzie Flower Shop, in Thame; or £10/ £8 on the gate. Children (under 16) are free, and car parking is also free. Gates open at 10.30am with music and entertainment from 11am.

A day ticket to the main festival costs from £30 (adult), £21 (Youth), £14 (child) with under-fives free.

Visit www.towerseyfestival.com