Festival organiser proud to welcome more than 2,000 people to celebrate what the county has to offer

Solstice Festival, which provided a day of family fun and creativity on the longest day of the year, took place at Duston Mill on June 21.

The festival shone a light on the “incredible talent, enterprise and spirit” of the county, and featured musicians, performers, food traders, makers and community organisations.

More than 50 individuals and groups took centre stage at what was hoped to be a “joyful platform for the region’s creativity and community spirit”.

The event proudly supported three charity partners, The Lowdown, The Lewis Foundation and Animals In Need Northamptonshire – and 10 percent of all festival profits will be split equally between them.

Organiser James Leay told the Chronicle & Echo: “It was a really beautiful day and I was very grateful to see it come to life. It was a community effort and everyone was hugely supportive.

“The vibes were excellent. There were just over 2,000 people and the feedback has been amazing.

“The real stars of the show were the local businesses, groups and performers. They exceeded expectations, put the effort in and went to town. It blew me away.”

Solstice Festival has been praised for the vibes and atmosphere it created, which James puts down to the power of local people and the design of the site.

One of James’ highlights was the ‘art jam tent’ for children as it was full with youngsters painting, creating, making and performing – which he said was “really special”.

The variety of performances was also a highlight for James, as well as seeing his two-year-old son blown away by a real life fire engine.

“At the start of the year, I set out to celebrate Northamptonshire’s creativity,” said James. “That’s something that’s in pockets across the town and county. For us to give a platform for that to come together was amazing and heartwarming.

“We just provided the stage and they responded, threw themselves behind it and showed up. They were the stars of the show and that’s why I did it – as I know the talent that’s here in my hometown.”

People have already asked James if they can expect another event like this in the future, and the organiser said there is clearly the “demand for it”.

“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s entirely self-funded and we need to think about how to do it in a sustainable way. There will definitely be an after party.

“We didn’t get to do the fire at the end of the evening as there had been wildfire warnings and we had to put safety first.”

Though the final total is currently being worked out, James knows more than £30,000 was raised in revenue by the local businesses in attendance. The team also invested more than £6,500 in local performers and more than £15,000 in local suppliers.

James is proud of the impact this has had on businesses and Northamptonshire’s economy, and he looks forward to revealing the final total that the three chosen charities will receive.