Stoke Park Gets Ready For Magic Summer Live

Published on: 9 Jul, 2013
Updated on: 9 Jul, 2013

The set builders and riggers are on site at Stoke Park setting up the stages and marquees for this weekend’s music festival Magic Summer Live.

Scaffolding goes up for one of the stages at Magic Summer Live in Stoke Park, Guildford this weekend.

With the weather looking to be warm and sunny, organisers are expecting crowds of up to 25,000 per day will flock to the two-day festival that sees pop, rock and funky soul band Jamiroquai headline on Saturday night and Canadian rock legend Bryan Adams closing the spectacle on Sunday evening.

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams headlines on Sunday evening.

The festival is being presented by music event specialists Live Nation and London-based radio station Magic 105.4.

The organisers say that setting up is going well and everything is in place for two days of great music.

Also on the bill will be James Morrison, Joss Stone, Squeeze, Level 42, Soul II Soul, The Overtones and Kim Wilde.

Jamiroquai take to the main stage to round off Saturday’s music.

Local bands will feature on a Surrey Sessions Stage, there will be festival fun for children, buskers outside all the on-site bars, and stalls selling a wide range of festival-style goods.

The site opens at noon on both days and the final acts are scheduled to finish at 10.30pm each evening.

The is no overnight camping and car parking at the site is £15 per day, subject to availability. Parking restrictions will be in place in residential areas close to Stoke Park.

Tickets cost £60 (adult) per day and £30 (children). Two-day tickets are at £110 (adult) and £55 children.

There have been rumours of slow ticket sales and last week a story broke in which some music fans were discovering discounted tickets, namely two-for-one deals, being offered.

In response, Live Nation said ticket sales were good and were in line with its predictions for its first year at Guildford.

The spokesman said that normally it takes about three years to establish a new festival, “so we are pretty comfortable about where we are with ticketing.”

He confirmed that a limited number of tickets had been issued to brand partners, such as O2, to dispose of as they wished in promotions or cut-price deals including two for one.

If you are thinking of going and haven’t bought your tickets yet, the answer is to shop around on the internet. Click here for the Magic Summer Live website.

The programe director at Guildford-based 96.4 Eagle Radio, Peter Gordon, has welcomed the return of a music festival in Guildford, but has questioned whether enough has been done to form partnerships with local businesses and the festival organisers. Eagle Radio is playing no part at the festival this year.

He said: “We wish them the best. It is good to have events like these in Guildford. We actively help to promote local events [including at Epsom and Sandown racecourses and September’s Weyfest festival] and we have been working behind the scenes with Live Nation with some local facilitation for this year’s festival.

“But I am surprised that a local promoter was not approached and chosen. We hope to be in conversation with Guildford Borough Council [who selected Live Nation to run this year’s event] with a view that perhaps next time a local radio station can be involved.”