CHAGSTOCK Festival has been given the green light to go ahead this weekend.

Up to 5,000 music-deprived revellers will be converging on the festival site near Chagford to watch a diverse line up of bands and artists, with camping possible on both Friday and Saturday nights. The party starts tomorrow afternoon at 4pm.

The past few weeks have been an anxious time for organiser Simon Ford and his team, as they waited with bated breath to see whether the Government would go ahead and lift the remaining covid restrictions on Monday (July 19).

He said he was ‘thrilled’ that the event would be going ahead.

Tickets for the cancelled 2020 event are valid for this year.

People can set up camp during the day tomorrow with the programme starting at 4pm and from midday to midnight on Saturday.

There will be a shuttle bus from the centre of Chagford at regular intervals on the Friday and Saturday.

Locals are welcome to just come for the day, or stay for the Saturday and then opt to camp over.

People are being encouraged to have a covid test before coming, although this will not be checked on the gate. Masks do not need to be worn on the site, although they are recommended in crowded areas.

An eclectic line-up from the 2020 festival has been carried over, to include headline acts rock-pop outfit Scouting for Girls and blues and American blues musician Seasick Steve. 

Other artists to take to the stage include Town of Cats, Cut Capers and Cable Street Collective as well as popular homegrown indie pop band Quorum, who are based in Exeter and have strong Okehampton links.

Simon said he was over the moon to get the green light for a full capacity shindig. ‘It was touch and go for a while but I’m so glad we can go ahead and get to see the amazing artists we booked all that time ago,’ he said. ‘Outdoor events carry very little risk; our beautiful Dartmoor site has panoramic views... and normally a gentle breeze too.

‘Chagstock isn’t a festival with hundreds of thousands of people crammed in, there’s plenty of space and queues are almost non-existent. Lockdown’s over, let’s dance!’ 

On the understandable questions surrounding safety, the festival organiser went on to say that the weekend would be covid-conscious. 

He said: ‘We are committed to having as safe an event as possible... so as it stands, we would encourage people to test before they come, though we will not be checking these at the gate.’

 Simon added that he was reassured that the event would be safe following a number of Government trials with pilot gigs around the country which concluded that outdoor concerts carry less potential for viral transmission. 

Headliners California songwriter Seasick Steve and pop-rock trio Scouting for Girls were to have topped the bill at the festival in July last year. Scouting for Girls’ back catalogue of hits includes She’s So Lovely, I Wish I Was James Bond and Elvis Ain’t Dead. Brit Award nominee Seasick Steve is a blues songwriter known for his contemporary style of Deep South guitar.

His high energy live shows have earned him a huge following countrywide.See www.chagstock.info