Client: Sunshine Festival
Industry: Festivals / Live Music / Family Entertainment
Location: Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, UK
Event: Sunshine Festival
Event type: Independent Family Music Festival
Capacity: 10,000
Client relationship: Working together for 17 years, from the festival’s inception
Audience: Family-friendly, multi-generational festival audience
Big Foot services: Headline artist booking, artist sourcing, artist negotiations, artist management liaison, fee negotiation, offers, contracts, artist riders, technical and logistical liaison, live music programming, tribute acts, party bands, family entertainment and activities
The Brief
Big Foot Events has been working with Sunshine Festival in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire for 17 years – right from its inception. From the outset, we have supported festival owner Steve Castledine, offering ideas and suggestions, sourcing artists, dealing with Artist Managers and Agents, negotiating fees, making offers and liaising over artist riders, technical requirements and logistics. And we’ve booked artists at every level. Over the years, Big Foot Events has worked with Star Names and headline acts including:
Alongside the headline names, we’ve booked hundreds of professional party bands, tribute acts, performers and activities for the festival’s other stages and entertainment areas, including the Main Stage, Westons Stage and Mello Stage. It’s a relationship that has grown alongside the festival itself.
More Than Just a Music Festival
Sunshine Festival is proudly independent, with a capacity of 10,000, and sells out year after year. Around 60% of visitors rebook, which says a great deal about the atmosphere Steve and his team have created. It’s genuinely family friendly and multi-generational, with children attending free with an adult ticket – a huge plus for many families. Even dogs are welcome!
Alongside the live music, visitors can find children’s activities, a Circus Tent, workshops, bouncy inflatables, Zorb water balls, fairground rides, BMX stunt shows and plenty more. We even took our entire Jurassic Earth Show to Sunshine Festival in 2023.
There’s a fantastic choice of independent food stalls too, from Thai – my personal favourite – to Indian, Greek, American, crepes, noodles, steaks, brownies, sweets, fruit and vegetables and much more.
Trade stands range from jewellery, clothing and merchandise to power stations and camping equipment.
There’s even a VIP Tent serving cocktails, bubbles and beers with its own DJ.
The infrastructure, technical capacity, screens and production are second to none, but despite the scale of the festival, Sunshine has retained the friendly atmosphere that has made it so popular. The staff are helpful, the audience is a real mixture of generations and, importantly, it’s an event with a great vibe and no history of trouble or incidents.
The Challenge
Programming a festival of this size doesn’t begin a few weeks before the gates open. Planning takes place across the entire year. In fact, preparations for the following year’s Sunshine Festival begin before the current year’s festival has even taken place.
For 2026, we started contacting Artist Management in the months before the 2025 Festival to establish which star names were likely to be touring the following year so that Sunshine can reveal at least one major name in the current festival programme, encouraging guests to rebook and secure Priority Tickets for the following year.
That means we’re not only thinking about who’s right for the festival. We’re considering availability, touring schedules, audience demographics, emerging trends, budgets, technical requirements and which artists will help sell tickets a full year ahead.
Planning the 2026 Line-Up
For 2026, we secured The Proclaimers to headline on Saturday 29th August, announcing them in advance to help generate excitement for the following year’s festival. They ended up being one of my favourite acts of the weekend. When they finished their set with 500 Miles, the entire field was bouncing!
But festival programming isn’t only about established names. It’s also about spotting what audiences are going to want next.
During our planning, it was becoming increasingly apparent that K-Pop was going to be HUGE in 2026. Its popularity amongst younger audiences was surging and TikTok trends were impossible to ignore. We therefore secured KPop Superstars for Sunshine Festival 2026, giving the programme something specifically designed to appeal to that growing younger audience. That’s an important part of what we do for Sunshine – combining established headline names with entertainment that responds to changing audience tastes.
A Very Special Tribute to Bonnie Tyler
We had also booked Bonnie Tyler to perform live at Sunshine Festival 2026. Sadly, Bonnie passed away unexpectedly in July 2026, so the performance could not take place.
We had also booked the inimitable Lorraine Crosby, who has been friends with Bonnie Tyler for 31 years. The pair toured together and duetted on Through Thick and Thin (I’ll Stand By You) in support of Teenage Cancer Trust.
Lorraine is famous for being the female vocalist who duetted with Meat Loaf on the global hit I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and was managed by Jim Steinman back in the 80s.
Lorraine travelled from Newcastle to perform on Sunshine Festival’s Main Stage and performed a special tribute to her friend Bonnie Tyler during her Sunshine Festival appearance. It became one of the most poignant moments of the weekend, bringing some members of the audience to tears. Lorraine was certainly one of the highlights of this year’s line-up. She’s a powerhouse performer with one serious set of pipes on her! The energy and power she brings to a stage is something else. The audience flocked to see her and were completely mesmerised by her performance.
Download Through Thick and Thin (I’ll Stand By You):
https://awal.lnk.to/throughthickandthin
The 2026 Sunshine Festival Line-Up
Other highlights from Sunshine Festival 2026 included:
The variety is important. Sunshine isn’t aimed at one narrow musical demographic. It’s a family festival where different generations come together, so programming needs to provide something for everyone.
Tribute Acts Travelling from Across the UK
The tribute acts we book for Sunshine Festival are all fully professional performers who regularly travel the length and breadth of the country – and often overseas. For the August Bank Holiday weekend, artists travelled to Upton upon Severn from all over the UK, including:
Other tribute highlights included Harry Styled, Assembly School Bangers, inspired by James B Partridge’s hugely popular Primary School Bangers, and the inimitable Kaiser Monkey Killers – one of the most authentic Indie Rock Tribute Bands around.
This is where having access to a nationwide network of professional performers really matters.
Symphonic Ibiza – And a Little Unexpected Snow
Symphonic Ibiza is always an extravaganza. The combination of live orchestral music, dance classics, a laser light show and a packed festival field creates an electric atmosphere, and it’s consistently one of the most popular nights with Sunshine guests. For 2026, however, we decided to add something extra.
Snow. In August. Obviously.
We introduced a Snow Machine to create falling snow across the Main Stage. The effect was fantastic. Excited children were leaping and dancing beneath it while adults reached for their phones to video the spectacle. Sometimes it’s the unexpected little additions that create the moments people remember.
The Great British Weather
One thing none of us can book, negotiate with or put on an artist rider is the Great British weather. It’s always a challenge with an outdoor festival. Sunshine therefore has undercover areas available within the Mello Tent, bar areas and VIP areas, while families can still enjoy undercover activities including the children’s workshop tent and covered fairground attractions. To be fair, most Sunshine guests don’t seem particularly bothered. Wellies and rain-macs are pretty much standard festival attire! Thankfully, 2026 was kind to us overall. Yes, it rained. But the sun also shone brightly and the atmosphere throughout the weekend was fantastic.
What Big Foot Events Delivers for Sunshine Festival
Our work with Sunshine Festival goes far beyond simply sending over a list of available acts. Across our 17-year relationship, Big Foot Events has provided:
The Result
Over 17 years, Sunshine Festival has grown into a 10,000-capacity independent family festival that sells out year after year. Around 60% of visitors rebook, giving the festival a loyal returning audience alongside the new visitors it attracts each year.
Acts and festival-goers travel from across the country to the beautiful village of Upton upon Severn, while the programme has grown to incorporate household-name artists, live bands, professional tribute acts, family entertainment, children’s activities and large-scale production.
For us, though, one of the strongest measures of success is that after 17 years of working together, Sunshine Festival continues to trust Big Foot Events with its entertainment.
Client Testimonial
Festival organiser Steve Castledine said:
“We work solely with Big Foot Events because they are the most professional entertainment agency in the UK. I can trust them and rely on them to dot ‘i’s and cross ‘t’s so that my line-up is secure. They are a huge part of Sunshine Festival.” – Steve Castledine
What’s Next for Sunshine Festival?
We’re already working on Sunshine Festival’s 18th year in 2027. And, in true Sunshine style, it’s continuing to grow. One of the new additions will be a lake with water sports activities for campers.
And the line-up? So far, Chesney Hawkes, Incognito and Stereo MC’s have been confirmed – with plenty more still to come.
Follow @SunshineFestival on Facebook and Instagram for announcements and updates.
Tickets:
https://www.thatsthetickets.co.uk/
Key Facts
Client: Sunshine Festival
Location: Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, UK
Industry: Festivals / Live Music / Family Entertainment
Festival type: Independent Family Music Festival
Capacity: 10,000
Client relationship: 17 years – from the festival’s inception
Repeat visitors: Approximately 60% rebook year on year
Planning period: 12 months and beyond
Stages: Main Stage, Westons Stage and Mello Stage
Entertainment: Headline artists, live bands, tribute acts, DJs, family entertainment and activities
Previous Big Foot booking: Full Jurassic Earth Show in 2023
2026 highlights: The Proclaimers, JLS, 10CC, Reef, The Fratellis, Tony Hadley, T’Pau, The Wonder Stuff, The Blockheads, The Wurzels, Ian Van Dahl, Ultrabeat, Lorraine Crosby, KPop Superstars and Symphonic Ibiza Orchestra
Special effect: Falling snow across the Main Stage
Big Foot services: Artist sourcing, headline bookings, fee negotiation, management and agent liaison, artist offers, riders, technical and logistical liaison, entertainment programming and year-round festival support
What This Project Demonstrates
Our 17-year relationship with Sunshine Festival demonstrates a very different side of what a nationwide entertainment agency can provide. Big Foot Events doesn’t simply have acts on a website for clients to choose from. For Sunshine Festival, we work as a year-round entertainment partner, helping to research, source, recommend, negotiate and secure entertainment at every level – from major headline artists and nationally touring bands to professional tribute acts, family entertainment and emerging trends.
We have great relationships with all the major artists, Artist Managers and Agents, negotiate fees, make offers and liaise over riders, technical requirements and logistics. Planning for the next festival begins before the current one has even opened its gates.
Our work also demonstrates the reach of our artist network. For one festival in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, we brought together professional performers travelling from Southampton, Devon, Warrington, County Durham, South Wales, Merseyside, Kent, Brighton, Bury, Manchester and elsewhere across the UK.
Over the years, we’ve helped Sunshine Festival secure household names including James Blunt, Joss Stone, Ronan Keating, Blue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Heather Small, Ella Henderson, Gabrielle, Tony Hadley, ABC featuring Martin Fry, 10CC, UB40 and Busted, alongside hundreds of other performers.
Most importantly, this isn’t a relationship built around one successful weekend. Big Foot Events has worked with Sunshine Festival from its inception for 17 years, supporting Steve Castledine as the festival has grown into a 10,000-capacity independent event that sells out year after year.
For festival organisers looking for an entertainment agency to book headline artists, live bands, tribute acts and family entertainment anywhere throughout the UK, Big Foot Events can provide anything from an individual performer to year-round support with the research, negotiation, programming and booking of an entire festival entertainment line-up.
