New Milton’s Fawcetts Fields will be home to a brand new 2 day festival this weekend.
Firefly Festivals who provide festivals and venues with acts decided that the New Forest could benefit from a weekend that usually involves having to travel significant distances to see. Festival – goers can expect an exceptionally high standard from touring professionals and regulars who perform at UK-wide festivals and prominent venues each year either in their own right, sharing stages with or as supporting acts to major acts such as Blue, Boyzlife, Craig Charles, East 17, Example, Liberty X, Martin Kemp, Natalie Imbruglia, N-Trance, Peter Andre, Reef, Rozalla, Sister Sledge, Scouting for Girls, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Toploader.
Sham Rocks Tribute Festival will feature some of these top Tribute acts over both days as they recreate the looks and sounds of their respective artists and genres. Saturday headliners Flash as Queen, Sunday’s closing act Are You Ready For Love features local lad Charles Duke with his band as Elton John, Madonna by Vicky Cluskey, Lady Gaga by Maybe Gaga and Juno Rising as both Alanis Morissette and an 80’s genre set are just a few of the highlights to whet your appetite.
There are also genre tributes to Britpop from The 45s, Rock Of The Pops – who played to around 100,000 attendees last year will get you on your feet with 90’s Club Anthems, festival favourites Majestix will be hammering the 2000’s Rock Anthems, the music scene’s current “tip for the top” Nevaeh will be belting out her tribute to the X Factor and The Voice adding to her Girl Power set.
Families and kids of all ages will enjoy the matinee of Music from The Movies also appearing on our Main Stage. Saturday features The Ogretones performing songs from The Shrek series with Sunday featuring Snow Princess Parties who entertain as Elsa from Frozen.
Emer Druce CEO of Firefly Festivals’ explains “working in the music and events industry is always exciting and I thought that the acts should come to us, to the New Forest for once. It also lets my Lymington family and friends – who have been hugely supportive of Sham Rocks – see what I actually do. I see lots of festivals that are overwhelmed with costs, so it’s important to me that ticket prices favour the public who although they too have a cost of living challenge they also need to have a bit of fun! Our adult tickets start at £12 with child at £4 and adult weekend tickets at £22. We hope that this year blossoms into an annual festival – where everyone can get involved. My door is always open”
Embracing local community is key to the festival’s priorities, so they’ve teamed up with Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington as charity partner. Community Fundraiser Hannah Davies says” Oakhaven Hospice is delighted to be supported by the New Forest’s newest festival Sham Rocks. The hospice is a vital part of the New Forest, Totton and Waterside community. For over 30 years, the team has provided specialist, individualised care to patients with a life-limiting diagnosis and support for their families, free of charge. Sham Rocks will be raising critical funds through ticket sales and donations, to help ensure the continued provision of Oakhaven’s outstanding and much-needed services”.
Helping to put Sham Rocks on the map with local and regional creatives will be the public facing launch of industry specialists The GiG. The GiG Bar will host:
- The “future headliner” stage for original music from solos and duos.
- networking area for emerging and established creatives to meet and mingle.
- merchandise area for all promoters, venues and performers in the area to sell and promoter their products.
- the bar in conjunction with Quintessential Events for the public to chill with the acts.
- in house radio partner Spectrum On Air who will be broadcasting from the festival – and may even interview you!
Music Industry Festival Curator and Stage Manager CEO Clive Leighton “pre-launch, our free directory has generated over 400,000 hits. Now we want to make it a physical presence. We’re inviting all creative industry performers, production, publicists, promoters and emerging photographers and journalists to get in touch. This is the ideal platform to promote yourself and to meet existing and new colleagues. The GiG itself is working towards a weekly internet TV based cross genre and UK wide original music show. Key to being selected is having a profile on www.thegigtvshow.com/directory”.
Quintessential Events also provide The Firefly Bar with both offering a curated selection of craft beers, lagers, ciders, prosecco and premium spirits as they prioritise sourcing British, artisan and local products whenever possible. Complementing the drink will be a balance of traditional and new food traders, festival concessions and fun fair rides, featuring;
- The Hungry Hog – Mouthwatering loaded fries and speciality gourmet burgers.
- Warrens Ice Cream – The South coasts premium ice cream providers.
- The Laughing Street Chef – Lymington’s Nic brings incredible tastes from the Caribbean to Asian, BBQ to sushi.
- Eleanor’s Coffee Emporium.
- Pancrepes – Crêperie.
- And for the rum lovers – The Island Box.
For mindfulness and wellbeing there’s KvLS – a mental health service providing low cost, affordable counselling and psychotherapy in person and online. The Southsea Wax company offer Soy wax melts, hand poured and decorated in small batches. BR Amusements bring inflatable slides, bouncy castles and hot delicious donuts. With dogs and Under 5s allowed in for free…this really is great variety and value for everyone.
With more content and traders to be booked, Sham Rocks may be a Tribute Festival but there’s no doubting that this is the real thing – our very own festival – and on our own doorstep.
Sham Rocks is at Fawcett Fields, New Milton Sat 10 May and Sun 11 May 2025.
For tickets, please go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/fireflyfestivals.
For full programme and performer details please go to www.fireflyfestivals.co.uk.
If you’d like to get involved in any way, please contact Emer directly via emer@fireflyfestivals.co.uk.
