As a festival DJ and host I am in a lucky position to work on many festivals throughout the year, all of which are amazing in their own way. Although there is one all-day event which stands out on its own and is really like no other. Its strapline is 'Sunday, Funday, The Day Before Bank Holiday Monday', and takes place every Bank Holiday Sunday at the end of May, in the large grounds of Elton Vale Sports Club in Bury.
The festival is called 'Ferringofest', and is named by the man behind it all, the iconic and unique character that is Steve Ferringo, who does provide the ultimate fun day out for live music fans. As frontman of his legendary mad party band 'The Steve Ferringo Band' for over three decades, Steve has entertained tens of thousands of people with his band over the years, but it was when his personal life was struck by sad events caused by cancer, that he decided to launch his own festival, 'Ferringofest', with the aim of raising as much money as he can for cancer charities.
Steve's wife Ange Rogers passed away to cancer in April 2015, and shortly after Steve himself was also diagnosed with cancer, but was fortunate to receive successful treatment in good time. So far, over £70,000 has been raised for various charities thanks to Steve and his friends at Ferringofest events, with £14,000 being raised at last year's Ferringofest alone. This year's festival will be in aid of the 'We Are Macmillan' and 'North Care' charities.
Three large stages will be in place for this year's all-day event, with many bands from around the Northwest giving up their time to play in aid of the causes, in front of a crowd of around 2000 music fans of all ages who will descend upon the site for the now legendary annual all-day festival. Bands and artists playing this year include The Steve Ferringo Band, MCR Made, The Sprats, North Blood, P*Starr, Leah B, and many more, and I will be once again hosting the main stage.
Sound and stage design for the event comes from Martin Duffy, whose wife Dawn each year gives up her time to look after and feed the acts and production team, and lighting design comes from Paul Walker, all who have been a huge part of the festival since it was launched.
The event is a family friendly festival, with gates opening at 12pm, and the event ending at 8pm. For ticket sales and information and further details, visit www.ferringofest.co.uk, or you can find Ferringofest on Facebook. It's also a great website to learn more about Steve Ferringo, the festival itself, and the chosen charities.
It's a day full of live music, food, drink, fun times and laughter, and I highly recommend it to anybody looking for a great day out, and it's all for a great cause. I hope to see you at Elton Vale Sports Club on Bank Holiday Sunday May 26th for Ferringofest 2024. Sunday, Funday, the day before Bank Holiday Monday.
