the innocent village fete day one

We were blessed with sunshine and blue skies today for the first day of our big village fete in Regent's Park. Here are just some of the highlights so far...

People enjoying the sunshine. There was a lot of it.

Bunting making with the Girl Guides.

Duck herding.

Rolly pollies on the village green during the Gymnastics workshop.

A Town Crier testing the dog agility course.

Lots of Morris dancing throughout the day.

Lovely flower arranging by our Aliana's sister.

Adem playing 'God Only Knows What I'd Be Without You' on the acoustic stage on a very small guitar in that nice t-shirt with two red circles and two green rectangles again. What are those small guitars actually called?

The William Fairey Band working the hay barn crowd into a frenzy with their brass band versions of acid house classics. They are probably the only brass band in the country to get this kind of reaction on a Saturday afternoon at a fete I imagine.

Plus our smoothies were very popular which was a relief.

Oh and I spotted Louis Theroux wandering around. Appreciating the stranger bits probably.

Comments

[Kelly & Scott]

Hi Guys, We wanted to tell you how amazing the fete was!! It was a fantastic day & we had so much fun! We especially enjoyed the bunting; mind you the stocks were a favourite part too!! Love the Mango & Passion Fruit smoothie; bought some for breakfast! The fete was truely fantastic & is definately the highlight of our summer!

[Dave & Mags]

Hi all you Innocent people. We had an amazing time at your fete, thanks for all the delicious free drinks, I've got my fingers cross I win the years supply. Thanks also the the guys in the "say hello to us" tent who were kind enough to put our home made bunting up. I hope it eventually made its way to the right place to help break the world record.
I'm already looking forward to next years fete :)

[James]

Oooh I'm in one of the photos! And I'm sure we sat next to the beardy chap who made that film of Adem... Great day guys, Cheers.

[The Carrot]

It was a m a z i n g! But if anyone has a film of the duck herding, I'd like to see it - we got there at 12:30, as we had a bit of a lie in. It was very cool - loved the ferret racing, but somehow missed the Ecover slide - which I'm rather miffed about (much like the buns in Granny's Caff!). Great food, free smoothies, and some very cool freebies - a grand day out, I say!
I also put some suggetions on the notice board, made some (ok, lots!) of bunting - while glueing glitter up my arm...! - and brought a kit for the big knit!!!
But I am only just learning - do you mind if they are slightly oddly-shaped hats? lol!
Thanks for a fab day out Innocent - you put on a damn good fete!
(although I couldn't find the giraffe rides, or the monkey chess...........wait a minuite - they weren't real! humph.)

[RG]

Really great day Innocent! Well done especially do you guys in Drum Club!! Are there any photos/movies of your performance?

[Me Julie]

I would like to say that i will NEVER be going to another Innocent Fete ..
What a rip off.
Even one sheet of paper for my kids to shoot paint at £2.
Rides on swings £2.....and because my children are under 5 I had to acvcompany them on most rides making it £4 a go.
The smoothies should have been free all day and the rides should have been cheaper

What a rip off

The only thing that was obvious all day is that Innocent are there to gain as much money as possible from the people (like me) who were encouraged to buy cheap tickets.
And to charge so much for every stall is ridiculous and down right wrong.
Honestly.....to have used all the facilities I would have needed about £200 and for a day in the park that is all wrong.
I do hope this comment is seen by others because I am sure there must be more people as p1s*ed off as i am now.

[Julia]

Hi, I brought my daughter (aged 7) to the village fete and we had a really great time. The weather was fantastic and everyone was very friendly. I would love to work for Innocent as all the staff seem relaxed, happy and fun. My daughter joined in loads of things including the maypole dancing etc. and enjoyed it all so much. The only slight downside was the cost of the helter skelter which was £2 for one ride!!! Please don't have that back next year as it slightly marred the feel of the day.

[Richard and julia Stark]

What a fantastic day we had !! My 3 Year old thinks that you are the Summer Party organisers supreme and what an orgasmic array of quality food and drink . However the best part was how very nice everyone was and it showed London off at it's best !
Can't wait for next year .

[gavin]

dave and mags, i think we met in the 'come and say hello' area - you were the guys with the smoothie stitched on the bunting. it was awesome. just wanted to tell you that, and hope you enjoyed the rest of the fete.

[Me Julie]

I would like to say AGAIN that i will NEVER be going to another Innocent Fete ..
What a rip off.
Even one sheet of paper for my kids to shoot paint at £2.
Rides on swings £2.....and because my children are under 5 I had to acvcompany them on most rides making it £4 a go.
The smoothies should have been free all day and the rides should have been cheaper

What a rip off

The only thing that was obvious all day is that Innocent are there to gain as much money as possible from the people (like me) who were encouraged to buy cheap tickets.
And to charge so much for every stall is ridiculous and down right wrong.
Honestly.....to have used all the facilities I would have needed about £200 and for a day in the park that is all wrong.
I do hope this comment is seen by others because I am sure there must be more people as p1s*ed off as i am now.

[Joy]

I went to both days and had a ball! My little boy (nearly one) had great fun bouncy around to the awesome Geno washington -what a set. , climbing up hills and seeing the great mix of things.....
It was great to have running hot and cold water in the Dyson tent- only shame it didnt last all weekend.
i thought it was great ...you always choose great weekends...
We didnot go on any of the rides- lots of other things to do and I didnt want to spend all weekend queueing..
Thanks Innocent great stuff ,....Jazz even has a little reminder of the day - yes he'll be walking around with a picture of Shakespeare on his bum for a while.
oodles

[Jameo]

I would dissagree with Me Julie's comments, I thought the whole day was pretty good value. There was tonnes of free stuff from little glasses of smoothie, to a G&T, some nice herbs to take home and cook with and funny paper ears. We all saw some great live music and with a packed lunch we wouldn't have spent a penny!

[Francine]

Smiles, Sunshine and (free) Smoothies.. what more could a girl want?

Thankyou innocent for a refreshingly random day out.

My personal highlight has got to be dancing to the "innocent drum team 2007"...amazing!!

My best friend and I are already waiting for the fete next year.
I want to come and work for you, everyone was so jolly!!

Well done innocent, all thats left to do now is sit with fingers crossed hoping I will win my next years worth of smoothies for free! :D

[M]

Having visited the unpleasantly over-crowded 2006 Fruitstock, we were looking forward to this year's Fete with its promise of more manageable numbers. All things considered, it was a fabulous day with lots to see and do and so much good food on offer that it wasn't difficult to make beasts of ourselves. A particular highlight for us was the Dog Agility but we were disappointed to be unable to watch the ferret racing as the event was so popular that it was impossible for anyone more than 2 rows back to see anything. It was lovely to see so many people out and about in the long-awaited glorious sunshine, all of them enjoying some good old-fashioned, clean fun. Our only criticism would be that the numbers were still rather high and people were again reduced to trying to pick their way round without treading on the many people who had set up their picnic stations on the ground, bumping into people carrying food and drinks or losing each other in the milling throng. A huge thank you to everyone who helped to organise what was a spectacular event and a heartflet request, please, to stage another one next year. If fewer tickets mean a higher price, then maybe that's something we all have to accept if we want a bit more breathing space? But don't, whatever you do, scrap the free tea & biccies from the Yorkshire van - it just wouldn't be right without!

[Em]

Me Julie, are you just trying to see how times you can post the same comment on the blog (albeit with slight alterations)? You've made your point.

I thought the fete was fab, great atmosphere and lovely smoothies. Thanks innocent.

[dan at innocent]

Hello all. We've removed a comment by Me Julie that contained swearing. Just wanted to let you all know.

People are free to post the same message as many times as they want to (although it does get a bit boring for everyone else), but we can't condone swearing. This is a family show.

[Lavina]

Hi Guys

I just wanted to say I had so much fun at the fete. The weather was perfect although i did manage to get a bit sunburnt. Plenty of activities to keep everyone happy!

The only problem was the overflowing dustbins and finding a place to sit down to soak up the atmosphere.

Thanks for a great day, can't wait for next year's fete!

[Sandra]

Hey Dan.

It was a family show!
I think I spotted you pulling a buggy with the cutest little one inside :-)
(nice hat)

Hope you guys (and families) had opportunity to enjoy yourselves a bit too.
Huge thankyou for all the hard work in producing the best summer event ever!
It was perfect (I posted my comments already).

Just one thing I forgot to mention in my other post... What happened to the attempt to break the record for longest bunting?

Thank you again

[Jamie]

Had a great time, really well organised event. Only downside was the helter skelter, I accompanied my 3 year old son on the ride and we each had to pay £2, £4 pound in total! Ouch. And the guy staffing the ride was so miserable, how on earth do these guys end up in that line of work? The innocent staff were really friendly though I must add. Thanks

[Jess]

I had a fantastic time at the fete, that Westbeech chap was amazing and i loved the big band on the Sunday afternoon. Couldn't me more grateful to you for putting it on Innocent. It's a shame that Me Julie didn't have a good time, may I suggest to her that she takes her kid to 'the park', i believe all the rides are free there.

[Em+]

Took reluctant father in law to fete and he even broke a smile at the dog show. Kids loved the face painting and merry go round and I loved the music and water melon. Just quick question - lost my camera - any lost property arrangements?

[tri]

Wow what a fete we all had a great time.

The free Hendrick's and tonic was such a treat in the midday heat and loved the mini croquet - our little ones couldn't get enough of your smoothies.

The duck herding was hysterical ..... hope you will be back next year.

Tri and co

[paul]

Had a great time. Only criticism was the bouncers from your 3rd party supplier near the north entrance. As we were leaving one of them kept saying, come on you cattle this way. And not in a nice, innocent way either.

[Shirley]

A great day - thanks all you guys. Lots of stuff going on all the time so no time to see everything - perhaps I should have bought tickets for both days ! If you manage to raise the enthusiasm to do it again next year, could we have a few signs at the park gates to guide us to the Fete entrance ! Coming from Baker St Station a whole wadge of us were wandering about trying to find you. A friendly dog walker eventually pointed some of us in the right direct across the football pitches, but by then a fair few people had given up and gone off to other London attractions. Thanks again.

[Amyv]

Abosolutely Fantastic Day out!
Beautiful weather and loads of free stuff!
Amy MacDonald was brilliant, bought her album due to seeing her at innocent!
Would definitely go next year, thought it was a bargain at £5 a ticket, for all that entertainment and fantastic atmosphere!

[Jo de Mornay Davies]

Hello Innocent! A huge thank you and big slap on the back for a great day out and original ideas for a good ol' english fete (no racism intended!) you guys were all very friendly and helpful and must be flat out for the hard work. We had the most fun learning how to Lindy hop at the ballroom and making paper palm trees.
And we did a lot of fun stuff for free so stop complaining everyone!
looking forward to next year, cheers!

[Lou]

Had a lovely family day out with friends and our children. Was a shame that the children's park area was not available this year, as an enjoyable couple of hours for the children was spent there last year, whereby the adults could have shifts looking after children/mooching round the festival/fete. I agree that it was pretty miserable of the helter skelter people charging for adults to accompany their small children. I also agree with M whereby a higher ticket price would be acceptable to ensure a more spacious and enjoyable event. (I'm pretty agreeable really aren't I?) A case of quality over quantity! It did feel a bit like a product placement bombardment at times, but I guess its as good a way as any to become aware of some of the great natural/quality products that are available. On a more positive note, the shaded tree area that was seen being tested out by staff on your website was all I had hoped it would be, see you again next year, xxxxx

[Reddy]

WHAT A FAB DAY!! 9/10 OVERALL... We had such a lovely family day out, great food, music, entertainment! The only downside was the cost of the rides, namely the helter skelter. I don't mind £2 for a ride my little ones will onyl go on once but they wanted tho ride the helter skelter all day and at £2 per ride I just couldn't afford it. :-( Other than that minor detail AMAZING! We will definately be there in 08! x

[sally coakley]

Hi, loved the fete, I took 5 kids came up from the country so were hot and bothered when we arrived Saturday lunchtime, but freebies at the door, free smoothies and a ride on the Virgin Train with free back pack of goodies for each child meant that within 5 minutes my lot thought they were in a very special place indeed, they stayed happy for 5 hours which isn't easy for 5 8-11 year olds, we didn't do the rides they knew I wouldnt have the money, but we watched shows listened to music, ate and drank a lot and tried just about everything we could, lots of interesting ideas, fantastic day BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BUNTING, we bought 40ft with us and made more so did we break the record, the girls have Guide camp this week end and want to tell the results to thier guide leader, sorry for ramble but its was FAB, thank you very much

[Ron]

fyi, I believe Adem's tiny guitar is a ukulele. Brilliant fete, guys, please do it again next year!

[Kathy Oliver]

The fete was great but far too crowded, which was a shame. And so disappointing that Seth Lakeman who we love was playing on Sunday, when we only had tickets for Saturday...

[Vicky]

Hey to everybody @ Fruit Towers! I would just like to say that my day @ the fete was probably by far the best day of the summer for me so far! I thought it was great! The tickets were cheap and there was soooo much to see and do! I have read all of the comments on this page and some of the negative feedback is just ridiculous! The whole day revolved around good causes, and innocent put on a great show! With the sun shining as brightly as it was I cannot belive that people were complaining! It was great to see so many families with small children tucking into the smoothies and healthy food. innocent is playing a great part in encouraging healthy eating for children - pat on the back! :-) I bought lots of yummy food from the farmers market and enjoyed hours of live music! I even met Corinne Bailey Rae! :-) A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE @ FRUIT TOWERS for an amazing day - pleeeeeeeaaase host another day of fun in the sun (fingers crossed) next year!! x

[Cathy]

We loved the innocent fete! There was so much to do and see and the weather was great! Hopefully the fete also raises the awareness of ethical trading. It was great seeing the alpro soya people there.Thankyou for a GREAT day!

[karen]

Is me Julie having a laugh! the whole day was absolutely fanbloomintastic,we didn't get to see half of the stuff as we were having such a good time at what we did do!
re the rides we didn't go on any we just told our 41/2 yr old that she wasn't going on them and she was happy as no child could have possibly been fed up there was soooooooo much going on.
as for charging more,no I think it is lovely to have a very cheap day out and I believe legoland charges £30 and it is still chocca bloc with people
thanks again and hopefully me julie won't bother coming next year
xk

[danni]

hi
i had a wonderfull time here with my mum it was a lovely time however i went to ben&jerrys festival (a little diff i no) and every thing was free apart from normal food. as i have read you could do something with the helter skelter because a the ben&jerrys festival it was free too go on and you could go on it however many times you wanted but it was a village fete and it certainly did feel like a fete thank you

[Andrewb]

Hi Paul,

Thankyou for letting us know. I will have a quiet word with our security people. Glad you enjoyed the day.

[Nelly]

We enjoyed our day in the sunshine! We were impressed how well organised the fete was and loved the abundance of really good food and drinks. It would have been nice to be able to go to the playground for our 3 year old daughter but we were there together with friends so it was okay. The last hour was really good because the atmosphere was more relaxed, people sitting down for a last bite and a little dance to the wonderful Swing music. Thank you!

[ros]

Lovely to read all the comments on the fete, should have gone myself! Would like to point out the spelling of definitely – note second 'i' not 'a'. Thanks

[Laura Bowley]

Had an absolute ball! We were on my best mates hen do and it worked out a treat. We bought our own games with us but did get involved in letting the ferrets go for the ferret racing!!!! Great day had by all. Thanks for having us. Lets do it again next year x