Story of the Week How a Glasto regular decided to stage his own festival

October 15, 2026

Discover how a Glasto regular took the leap to create his own festival.

How a love of music inspired a Glastonbury regular to stage his own festival. This is Chris’ story.

I was born in 1957 and was privileged looking back to ‘be there’ when so many legendary artists – some (Dylan, the Stones) still going – came on the scene. We were blown away by Pink Floyd. David Bowie. Lou Reed, and so many more (for a personal shortlist, see below taken alphabetically from my music library)

Aged twelve, after lights-out and under the bed-covers, I would tune in via miniature transistor radio to the Radio Caroline pirate station, and from then on music played a big part in life, the NME and Melody Maker being staple reads and latest releases eagerly anticipated (and of course in those days it was vinyl albums, on the whole finely crafted works with hardly a tune out of place). 

Teenage years were spent in the local record shop with headphones booths to listen to the latest releases; early twenties heralded the Sony Walkman cassette player and a major breakthrough for accessing and sharing tunes; and then came digitisation and the iPod. Meanwhile the responsibilities of fatherhood and building a business inevitably took higher precedence, though music was on loop playing around the house and in the car

Life progressed, thankfully without too many dramas, until in 2008 Spotify revolutionised the world’s listening possibilities (and do look up the 5-part documentary on its early days – an extraordinary tale) and I started digging back, re-visiting all those artists I had grown up with and going down numerous rabbit holes, discovering new bands and genres. 

At around this time, two close like-minded friends suggested we go to Glastonbury, pretty much the first and still the torchbearer for festivals, where life is put on hold and strangers share a collective happiness and connection with the tribal power of music and dance.

It became an annual pilgrimage until 2018 when we were faced with the Glasto ‘fallow year’ – to let the farmland rejuvenate- by which time we had all three of us shared our annual outings with wives and our children, who had turned an age where they ceased to be terminally embarrassed by their parents

My wife reached 60 that year, and I had the (remarkably stupid) idea of staging our own festival where we lived in West Sussex, a barn conversion with two acres of garden, set in the middle of a farm and with some large sheds close by. Of course, the memsahib was not amused by this ridiculous scheme. Quote : ‘you know nothing about a staging a music festival’; ‘does it have to be at our home?; ‘it’s going to cost us a lot of money’. She is a wise woman, but sometimes one just has to follow an idea. I did and am proud to  say Beat & Track was a massive success, so long as one espouses that great line ‘who wants to be the richest man in the graveyard’.

We lost £20,000. The bar itself somehow ran a £2,000 deficit! But we had 270 of our closest friends, gathered with their families to embrace the most magical of weekends in the most extraordinary August heatwave. Totally wonderful, and when I finally came clean that financial projections had come up a bit short, my wife admitted that it was money well spent. The weekend had sprinkled such joy and created many wonderful memories amongst all who came it was worth every cent.

Would I do it again? Well, of course, COVID hit and in mid-2021 the opportunity for another love-in came and I was seized to hold Beat & Track 2. This time there were nearly 400, and we only lost £7,000. Surely, we were onto a winner.

But turning now 70 years, that’s it. There are plenty of other festivals around and actually one has to face up and act one’s age. So never again. But life remains for living and in 2027 to celebrate a milestone birthday with our three married children and four grandchildren we are off to the End of the Road festival in early September. Can’t wait to teach the nippers a few of granddads moves.

My fave raves from yesteryear 

Beatles, Bowie, Cat Stevens, Coldplay, Dylan, Dire Straits, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Grateful Dead, J J Cale, John Mayall, Lou Reed, Oasis, Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Roxy Music, Santana, Simple Minds, Stevie Wonder, Stones, Van Morrison, Wishbone Ash. And the Bonzos

Editors note: 

I can attest to the effect of Beat & Track 1 because it was that weekend that triggered my son’s recovery 18 months depression. It wasn’t just the music, it was also how a festival can inspire change.

If you;ve been inspired by a festival then do please tell us editorial@silverskys.com

Read some of our other stories that may have inspired or been life changing.