Upton Blues Festival

🎺🎺 We had an amazing amount of campers arrive yesterday and we are expecting more over the weekend... the pubs had their bars open and bands playing last night, the radio station is set up and ready to go - and now - drum roll - the three official stages are, OPEN! 🎺🎺

Putting the finishing touches to the New Acoustic Stage in the church!

Well folks - the gates open tomorrow and we can't wait to see you! Be sure to check in with us on face book when you arrive and tag us in all your festival fun - but until then, get an early night, safe trips all round and we will see you all tomorrow!

A fantastic week of workshops in schools across the Midlands funded by Upton Blues Festival. Thank you to the committee for issuing the grant and supporting the project 100%. We’ve had so many lovely successes with students from KES in Stratford-upon-Avon, Whitley Academy in Coventry, Holyhead in Handsworth and Upton Primary. Some of the students had never studied Blues and some hadn’t even picked up an instrument before! Let’s hope this experience will lead them to the festival in years to come.
We will be performing with Whitley Academy tomorrow on the Riverside stage from 3pm.

The preparations are definitely underway and the finishing touches being made... Who do you have to leave at home though?

🍺 The beer delivery has arrived 🍺
Quite possibly the most popular post of the festival - it was in last years' top 5!
Remember that if you use a 2018 of 2019 enviro-cup then there will be a 20p per pint discount at the festival bars: High Street and Big Top Field, Bar Severn, The White Lion, Ye Olde Anchor, the Boathouse and The Swan.
... Join John and his team from Alewrightnow.co.uk at the festival bars who are looking forward to helping you "quench your thirst" 😁🍺
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😎😎 Meet our very own Steve Steinhaus 😎😎
Steve is our musical director and Chicagoan compere - he'll be hosting a lecture entitled 'what is the blues' (look at the programme for more details) and here he is with one of our enviro-cups - available for £5 each at the festival bars, merchandise stall and selected pubs.
This year the festival bars will not serve beer in single use plastic cups, will not use plastic straws and water will be tinned and not bottled... reducing our p...lastic usage even more.
The great news is there's a 20p discount for people using 2018 and 2019 enviro cups at the festival bars; Bar Severn; The White Lion; Ye Olde Anchor; Boathouse and The Swan.
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It's getting close now - not long until we open the gates and close the roads for the BEST Blues Festival in the UK! Here are a few shots from last year to get you in the mood... Look out for Emma, our Upton Blues Festival Music radio presenter and one of our official photographers - when she's not presenting she'll be out and about with her camera! 😎🎷📷🎥📸🎙

We are on a Mission .... a blues mission you might say!
... To bring you not only the best blues festival in the UK but also the very best acoustic blues - live from our new and improved venue.
The Acoustic Stage now at the Church of St Peter and St. Paul, opposite the entrance to the sports field and big top stage.
... It will be hosted by our very own Trevor Babajack Steger and soon to be Mrs. Steger. 💍 (Emma Pell)
They bring you - 'The altar of the Blues'!
Be sure to stop by at any time over the weekend - but be sure to visit us for Birmingham Gospel Choir; Sunday 21st 10:30am - 11:30am - you won't be disappointed!
Share and spread our new venue, please!
Upton Upon Severn, Worcestershire WR8 0JQ+ Google Map
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Sunday, 21st July 2019 11:00-12:00
‘What is the Blues?’
Panel discussion moderated by Steve Steinhaus at The Anchor:
... Our very own festival musical director, Chicagoan and man- mountain of a compere, Steve Steinhaus, will be hosting and moderating a panel of musicians, promoters and critics discussing “What qualifies as the Blues?” Basically, it will be a discussion about what the definition, if any, is of “real blues” and which bands “count” as blues bands.
This is born from an annual comment or two we get at Upton Blues Festival that this band or that band are not or were not “Bluesey” enough – so expect some fun & fireworks!
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We love to hear about your fantastic time at the festival ... so, let's start with - who are you coming with this year?

💃🕺💃🕺Fancy learning some cool moves? 💃🕺💃🕺
Join District Swing Saturday and Sunday mornings in the Big Top on the sports field...

🤩🤩🎷🎷 Competition announcement 🎷🎷🤩🤩 ⛺️⛺️🏕🏕 4 free camping tickets 2020 🏕🏕⛺️⛺️
Enter our best dressed hat competition and if you win you will bag yourself 4 free camping tickets for next year!
... All entrants to arrive for judging at the Radio station at 12 noon on Sunday 21st July 2019.
We look forward to seeing this years entries .... !
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We have a competition winner! - selected completely at random it would seem that we may have picked one of our youngest festival supporters! @Robyn Rooney you may need to help your little one enjoy the Blues Festival Hamper! Please PM us to arrange collection of your treats.
More competitions to come everyone - so be one the lookout!

Last Thursday we visited students at King Edward VI school in Stratford-upon-Avon. We spent the day teaching students (mostly years 7 & 8 ) the importance of blues in modern music. We dug into some surprisingly advanced topics including:
Playing by ear Improvisation Major pentatonics... Minor Pentatonics Blues Scale Transposing Harmonising chords Chord extensions (including a dominant 7 #9) Motif Band dynamics Conducting Time keeping
They were really clued up and kept us on our toes!
Thank you for supporting the festival and making charitable projects like this one happen. 😃
Next week we’ll be visiting Handsworth (Birmingham), Whitley (Coventry), and Upton Primary School and we’ll be at the festival itself on Friday to showcase some of the student’s music.
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Question session now closed.
You can also visit our website for answers...https://upton-blues-festival.co .uk