NEWS / Blissfields………why? A brief history.

First held on 1st Sept 2001 Blissfields comprised a few friends in a field at Bradley Farm when Paul and Mel Bliss decided to get together with Andy Comley and organise a party with a few bands.

Having organised various non-musical events on the farm gave Paul and Mel the confidence to take the first steps into music festivals with Andy supplying the technical know how, other friends soon stepped in to help with lighting and Blissfelds was born. This was a DIY affair with no stalls, food, fencing, stewards, but then who needs any of that for 70 people! What a great time was had though!

The ball had started rolling and nothing was going to stop it now, every year since has seen a growth in the production of the event with improvements in staging, sound and lighting being matched with an increasingly exciting bill of artists. For four years the event remained free supported by donations which also allowed us to fund raise for our local school and then later Practical Action.

Increased health and safety considerations and, for the first time, licence demands meant that for 2005 there was a charge to camp at the event. This was also the year that the festival became more than “friends of friends” attending. When the wonderful Mystery Jets came to play they brought along many fans who had never heard of the festival before, and they loved it! Word spread and 2006 and 2007 cemented the festival's reputation for putting on an event with a special feel, unfortunately this means now it has outgrown Bradley where there were restrictions for more than 1,000 to attend. Blissfields has left its first home however with a great vibe surrounding it culminating in winning Best Small Festival at TheUK Festival Awards in November 2007, something that was never dreamt of when the idea was first discussed over a beer in 2001!