FAQs

1. What’s the Big Feastival all about?

‘Jamie Oliver presents The Big Feastival with Alex James’ is a summer festival combining top-class food with the world’s best live music on Alex James’ farm near Kingham, Oxfordshire. Best of all, this is a festival with a heart: where funds are raised for The Jamie Oliver Foundation (charity no. 1094536) to help disadvantaged young people, also showcasing local produce and supporting the local community. Our committee of London’s leading food and drink gurus have brought together amazing food and drink from the UK’s best restaurants and chefs and you’ll be able to try it in  across the site while listening to live sets from your favourite bands.

2. When and where?

Sept 1st – Sept 2nd on Alex James’ Farm nr Kingham, Oxfordshire, OX7
Fri: 2pm – 00:30am (access for weekend camping ticket holders until 10pm)
Sat: 11:00am – 1.30am
Sun: 11:00am – 10.30pm
Please note there will be no entry to the festival after 10pm on each night.

3. How do I get there?

Where: The festival site is on Alex James’ farm near Kingham, Oxfordshire.
By Car: See ‘How to get there’
By Rail: The closest railway station is Kingham which is between the village of Kingham and Bledington and is only a short walk to the festival site. From London Paddington it is approximately 1hr 30mins to Kingham and there are regular trains to and from Oxford, Reading, Worcester and Herford. From the station it is a 3 minute walk to the festival site.
Parking: There is parking on fields next to the festival site.
Taxis: There will be a pick up & drop point for taxis.

4. What does my ticket include?

All tickets include the fantastic line-up of live music and loads of free activities on and off the stage on Sat 1st – Sun Sept 2nd. Guests can purchase Feastival dishes at reasonable prices in the whole festival and see Whats On before you arrive. There are Day, Weekend, Camping and also VIP tickets, All ticket options can be found here. For those camping, you can arrive on Fri 31st Aug and set up camp from 2pm. The VIP tickets gives you access to the VIP area where you can meet & great chefs or talent, have some bubbly, and experience the live entertainment.

5. Is there overnight camping? And what if I don’t want to camp?

Yes, there is full weekend camping and ‘Glamping’ with The Pop Up Hotel. The festival campsite opens on Friday at 2pm and closes on Monday 3rd September at 11am. Camping is easy and fun with options for family camping area as well but if it’s not your thing, there are also a number of lovely hotels, b&b’s and farmhouses nearby and public buses and taxis to get you to and from site. For local hotels and b&b’s check out. More info on camping, motorhomes and glamping to come.

6. Can I bring a picnic?

If you are camping you can bring food and drink within reason but only to the campsite. Big Feastival dishes made by the UK’s best-known chefs in our pop-up kitchens and are available to everyone at reasonable prices so there will be plenty of gorgeous food and drink to buy on the site. It’s not a BYO festival and there is food on site so unless it’s in the camp site, you won’t be able to bring your own food or drink.

7. Can I book a place for events in The Big Kitchen?

There’ll be lots of unmissable action in The Big Kitchen and it’s going to be popular. To be as fair as possible, it’s going to be first-come, first-served, so you won’t be able to book a place beforehand. The best thing to do is to keep an eye on what’s going on and get yourself there nice and early to get a good spot!

8. Can I bring my dog?

As much as we love dogs, things would get a little chaotic if every man and his dog came along. So we’ve decided the men (and women and children) can come but the dogs must stay at home. Guide and assistance dogs are, of course, welcome.

9. Where does the money go?

This is a festival with a heart. A proportion of profits from The Big Feastival will go to The Jamie Oliver Foundation (charity no. 1094536), as well as 50p from every dish sold at the festival going to the charity. The Charity runs a successful programme for helping young people overcome disadvantages and create better futures for themselves. They have a fantastic positive impact on the lives of many young people, giving them the skills, motivation and inspiration to get into employment, education and training.

10. Is this a child-friendly festival?

The Big Feastival is for everyone, big and small. Children under 12 go free, but you still need to register them for a ticket as we have limited capacity and there’ll be plenty of great stuff for them to do and see. Head for the Little Dudes Den where you can get your face painted and settle in for some storytelling, or roll-up your sleeves and get stuck in to loads of arts, crafts and messy stuff. There will be baby-changing facilities on the site.

Re-entry to the Event is not permitted, with the sole exception of parents/guardians accompanying children under the age of 16. After spending the day with the family at The Big Feastival you can drop the kids home with the babysitter and come back and party! Single use re-entry passes will only be issued on site to parents/guardians who are in possession of either an adult ticket or a child ticket and this pass allows for re-entry to the Event with or without your child. The reason for this exception is because The Big Feastival is a family-friendly event and we want to be flexible to the needs of parents/guardians. Adults not accompanying children to the Event will not be allowed re-entry.

11. Is the site wheelchair-accessible?

The site is generally suitable for wheelchairs.

12. Where’s the nearest cash point?

We are aiming to have a cash point onsite and card payments will be accepted at bars and merchandise stalls, otherwise there are cashpoints in the village of Kingham.

13. Will there be food for vegetarians/vegans?

Absolutely. You’ll find plenty of tasty food if you’re vegetarian or vegan.

14. I have a nut/dairy/seafood allergy (ie serious allergy), can I still come to the Feastival?

All participating restaurants at The Big Feastival will make every attempt to identify ingredients that may cause the most common allergic reactions for those with food allergies; however, there is always a risk of cross-contamination and those with allergies please be mindful.