This year has been a busy year for the Ground Control team! We started off the festival season in the Austrian Alps with Snowbombing way back in April before moving onto the biggest Parklife Weekender to date in Manchester’s beautiful Heaton Park. We then headed north to Cumbria for a rather wet Kendal Calling – the record rainfall didn’t dampen spirits as the festival proved its worthy win of ‘Best Medium Sized Festival’ 2013. Ground Control finished off the festival season in the unique setting of Portmeirion, Wales with Festival Number 6 in September. We were blessed with the weather which only complimented the incredible line up. A great season – we hope to be as lucky with our 2015 ventures.

You may think we would be having a rest after the festival season but our team were kept busy as autumn arrived. The MCR Student Takeover hosted in co-operation with the Heart of Manchester BID brought an afternoon of street entertainment, an art installation and DJ’s onto Market St, King St and New Cathedral St as a backdrop to exclusive student discounts for one afternoon only.

We were very pleased to be back at the Jodrell Bank Observatory with Abandon Normal Devices to deliver a night of outdoor cinema under the stars! The event Watch the Skies! This was a flagship event in the British Film Institution project ‘Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder’.

With the countdown to Christmas in full swing, we are half way through supporting the Warehouse Project to deliver yet another top notch series of events back at the Store St venue under Piccadilly train station, Manchester. But our summer festivals are not a distant memory – we are proud to announce our 2014 shows are already winning awards: Festival Number 6 won Unique Festival Site at the Festival Congress and Best Small Festival at the Live Music Business Awards, adding to its three major awards won in 2013 and 2012. The new Parklife Weekender stage ‘The Temple’ (pictured) also won Best Stage at the Festival Supplier Award collected, deservedly, by No Nonsense.

We are awaiting Attitude is Everything’s announcement regarding our charter awards for 2014 with Kendal Calling aiming for Silver this year. Finally, we are absolutely delighted to learn our festivals are shortlisted for 10(!) awards in the 2014 UK Festival Awards taking place in December. See below for the list of nominations.

Next year is set to be another busy one with the team already planning the delivery of next year’s Parklife Weekender. More news to follow soon!

 

Festival Awards:

Best Medium Sized Festival – Kendal Calling

Best Small Festival Festival – Number 6

Best Family Festival – Kendal Calling

Best Dance Event – Parklife

Best Overseas Festival –  SnowBombing

Best Toilets – Kendal Calling

Headline Performance of the Year – Suede at Kendal Calling

Line up of the Year – Festival Number 6

Best Use of new technology – Drugs Testing at The Parklife Weekender

The Extra Festival Activity Award – Festival Number 6