We are family – the team behind Tribfest, the world’s biggest tribute festival

But hundreds more dumped their tents, chairs and mountains of rubbish, leaving the park looking like a hurricane had blown through it.

Contrast that to the scenes at Sledmere House in East Yorkshire, the weekend before, where the world’s biggest tribute festival had taken place.

As the 5,000 or so people left on the Monday morning after four days of non-stop music, there wasn’t so much as a cigarette butt left behind to mar the fields - home to the estate’s population of deer.

Over the weekend, a hardworking team constantly picked up the small amount of litter left in the arena and emptied the massive bags of rubbish around the camp two or three times a day.

The litter pickers, along with the other hundred or so ‘backroom’ staff and volunteers, are vital to ensure the smooth running of the festival that has just celebrated its 18th outing.

Conceived in 2007 by Beautiful South tribute band member Ed Faulkner it has run every year since - except for 2020 when Covid caused the cancellation of all festivals.

From a few hundred at the Driffield Showground via the Beverley Polo Club, it has been at Sledmere House since 2012 where thousands go along for a truly family-friendly event.

But it doesn’t all come together each year like magic. Ed, his wife Jo, their daughter Dempsey and the Tribfest team spend months booking bands, sourcing suppliers and making sure nothing is left to chance.

Ed said: “Over the years, we have streamlined the process and now use the same companies for our stages, food, fencing, marquees, toilets and everything else and many of them have become friends.

“The same people come back year after year and they share our passion for making Tribfest the best experience it can be.

Tribfest truly is a family affair: over 60s dancing to heavy rock bands with their grandchildren, and the youngsters singing along to bands that were in their prime long before they were born.

Ed, one of the directors of Ed Entertainments said: “It’s a massive community now. Around 90 per cent of people come back year after year. They tell their family, friends and neighbours about us.”

Ed is now 65 but has no plans to retire. He said: “We got a three-year deal at Sledmere with two more to go, so I’m certainly not going to retire before then.”

When he does take a back seat and hand over the reins, he’d like it to be to his daughter, who has been a director of Ed Entertainments since 2018.

He said: “Dempsey is unbelievable. She puts so much time and effort into Tribfest, she never stops. When I do hand it over, I’d like it to be to her.

“She’s really special and I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter.”

One couple who have retired this year are Ali and Ged Watts. They have run the bar every year since the first Trifest and now want to experience life from the ‘other side’.

Ali said: “Ed and Ged have been friends for years. They were playing golf back in 2007, the same year we met. Ed said he was thinking of putting on a festival and would Ged be his bar manager.

Ged added: “I’d run pubs for 25 years so I said yes and roped Ali in.

“She’d never pulled a pint in her life but she loved it and we’ve been here ever since."

Ali added: “In all honesty we’ve had a ball doing this. We really have. They’re our friends and we see them year after year. But it’s not the end of Tribfest for us - we’ll come back as visitors.”

The couple finally got married last year and spent their honeymoon at Tribfest, of course.

What of the bands?: Around 50 world-class tribute bands played across the Main Stage and in the Big Top, with dozens more appearing in the five tents dotted around the site.

It featured tributes to, among many others, Oasis, Queen, Blondie, The BeeGees, Human League, Abba, Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner, Coldplay and Madness.

Some are Tribfest regulars, others made their debut, and all received a special Tribfest welcome from the fans.

Denise Danielle, who has fronted a Blondie tribute act called Heart of Glass for 24 years, has been to every Tribfest except one.

Last year she underwent vocal chord surgery which necessitated a year away from the stage.

The 62-year-old grandmother-of-three puts on an amazing high-energy show more reminiscent of a performer half her age: non-stop dancing, high kicks and a powerful voice that hits every note.

She keeps fit with daily workouts and running around with her grandchildren

She said: “I’ve been a Blondie fan since the age of 16. I adore her.”

Denise is renowned for her regular costume changes throughout the show. She said: “We do about three or four gigs a month. I’m having some new costumes made and we’re going into rehearsals soon to work on some of Blondie’s new material.”

Oaces, a tribute to Oasis fronted by Chris Maddocks and Michael Bishop has been coming to Tribfest since 2016.

Chris, who is on vocals, said: “I thought this year was one of the best crowds we’ve ever played to. The atmosphere was unbelievable and everyone was bouncing up and down.

“There were lots of young children at the front which proves that Oasis’ music is multi-generational."

And we couldn’t leave without a shout-out to Darren Lethem, who has been the main stage host at Tribfest since the very beginning.

Darren has introduced every act for 16 of the 18 Tribfests and is as familiar a face as Ed himself.

He said: “Back in 2007, when I was working for Viking & Magic 1161 radio station, Ed approached us to be the station to promote it. We hosted the first Tribfest and I’ve done another 15 since then.

“This is my favourite weekend of the year.”

Ed said: “It’s an honour to bring this amazing event to East Yorkshire every August.”

The festival facilities are some of the best in the country with the toilets particularly noteworthy. They are emptied two or three times a day and regularly cleaned out and disinfected.

Water, soap, toilet paper and hand towels are constantly replenished and there are so many dotted around the arena and campsite that queues are minimal.

All weekend tickets include free camping and free parking and there are options to bring your motorhomes/caravans etc (you will need to purchase additional tickets for this).

Check out the Tribfest website for more information on the lineup, facilities and accommodation options on offer.

For a limited time only discounted tickets are available.

www.tribfest.co.uk/