Festival Fun - Beautiful Days, 2024

Hello! Apologies for the radio silence, we've been rushing around like crazy things trying to get organised for the next festival but without further ado, here's how the last one went.

We left home just after 9am on Tuesday 13th August and headed to Beautiful Days, rocking up at Escott Park in East Devon three hours later. We were thrilled to discover that once again we were on the hill overlooking the main stage. 

Despite a forecast for a dry day, we'd just about managed to erect the trade tent when the heavens opened. I don't remember it ever raining in Devon when I spent my childhood summers there but every time we go to Beautiful Days it p*sses it down at least once. At least the view was pretty ...

With the festival not opening to the public until Thursday we took our time setting up and were ready by lunchtime on Wednesday. We spent the rest of the day chilling out and chatting with our trading neighbours (Michelle & Sean from Chillo and Pat, Ian & Laura from The Dressing Room).

Health and safety at all times, darlings! 

On Thursday we had a wander around the site as once the bands start it's more or less impossible to leave the stall and caught up with more of our trader friends. Hello to Karma Clothing (our new neighbours at Glasto), Georgina from Save The Pixies, Catherine, Rob & Izzie from Asbeau  and Erling & Elaine from St Valentines Liquorice.

Jon wore his vintage Canadian cowboy shirt, old skool Pumas and, despite the skies looking a bit iffy, it was still shorts weather. I wore a 1960s psychedelic cheongsam with a pair of earrings I'd made from curtain tie-backs.

Despite the main stage not opening until Friday there were loads of people out & about and business was brisk. Those vintage punk trousers I shared on my last post didn't hang around for long. Ray, a lifelong Punk said he'd been looking for the perfect pair for over 40 years and left the shop wearing them. I don't think he stopped smiling all weekend!

 

One half of this beautiful pair were delighted with their retro sunglasses.

Sadly this sequin-encrusted dress was a little on the large side for petite Suzy but it didn't hang around on our rails for long, soon finding a new home.

Friday was hot and sunny - yay!

I've owned this amazing vintage (chazza shopped) Ossie Clark dress for over a decade but it's the first time I've ever worn it to a festival. I know it's rare, valuable and highly desirable but what's the point of it hanging up in my wardrobe...it needs to be worn. I'm in good company, Rhianna has the same one in red.

 Jon's wearing a 1950s leisure shirt, bought from a charity shop years ago. 

Stand out acts on the main stage on Friday were punk trio, HotWax, Irish metal band, The Scratch and Mancunian Indie pop band, The Lottery Winners. 

Outfit change! 

At 11pm, after another bostin' trading day, we rolled down the shop front and collapsed into bed.

Saturday dawned and we were open and selling before 10am. Jon's in his 1960s Luvisca leisure shirt and I'm in my Asbeau horns and vintage Bernshaw maxi bought from friends Graz & Steve way back in the days BC (before Covid.) 

Although it wasn't particularly warm, after a session in the mosh pit dancing around to Holy Youth Movement (a Primal Scream, 1990s dance music mash-up) I was glowing.

The phoo below is especially for Aril, who occasionally does events with them, that's Devon Morris collective, Beltane Border marching past.

I wish we could have photographed everyone who left the stall wearing what they'd bought from us but we were just too busy! I did manage to snap this gorgeous couple - she's wearing a 1960s mini dress and he's rocking 1970s pinstripe waistcoat.

Here's our friends, Olds Cool Traders Daron & Jo. Just when he thought he'd got enough vintage Harris Tweed jackets, this unusual striped one threw itself off the rails and onto his back.

Another excellent day for bands with (amongst others) Cast, Inspiral Carpets, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, New Model Army and Richard Ashcroft playing the main stage. 

This couple came back to show us how well the white evening shirt, bought from us earlier in the day, went with that crazy disco suit.  

I bonded with two fabulous women over the weekend, Suzy (who bought her 1980s Frank Usher electric blue cocktail top from us the previous evening) and Tania, who used to be a vintage trader (and bought a groovy vintage orange nylon maxi).

I got changed into a vintage Bernshaw psych print maxi & my Frye boots ....it was effin' freezing after the sun had set!

That yellow jacket was purchased from our stall last year. We don't sell throwaway fashion! 

After Richard Ashcroft's sensational set we closed up and headed to The Bimble Inn with a picnic blanket and a bag of booze. We bumped into long-time festival trader mates, Ellie & Jim (check out their online shop HERE) and were amazed when we realised that it was almost 2.30am! 

Despite the late night and the lack of sleep, we were open and dancing around the shop to our Sunday Northern Soul playlist way before any of our neighbours opened.

Jon's wearing a groovy chartreuse fine knit I bought him for his birthday and I'm in my Hollywood Charmer 1970s maxi (which used to belong to my friend Cheryl.) 

How fabulous does this lady look in her 1960s St Michael shift dress? She bought it from us and loved it so much she kept it on. 

Beautiful Days always has a theme, this year it was Masquerade (as represented on the rocks we kept finding hidden on the stall), we would have played along but masks aren't the most practical choice when you're working. Here's Suzy showing us how it's done, this time looking like an absolute goddess in a fringed flapper dress.

We met Annabelle at her friend Steph's festival, Brookestock, ten years ago and she hasn't changed a bit. She bought both the Venetian mask and the 1970s off-the-shoulder midi dress from us the previous day - don't they look great together?

(We also bumped into Alex, who we hung out with in Goa almost twenty years ago!)

Rocket Records proprietors Nicki and husband, Spud were our neighbours when we traded at Beautiful Days two years ago. She's an incredibly talented seamstress and made her dress especially for the festival. Being a specs wearer she designed her mask around her glasses - clever! 

She left the shop with two 1940s satin dresses, both in need of a little TLC, I can't wait to see what she does with them.

Favourite acts on Sunday included Hard Fi, Pop Will Eat Itself (who sadly didn't do Beaver Patrol, probably not very PC these days!), The Dub Pistols, The Dualers and The Damned. 

 

Here's this year's trading neighbours, the lovely Michelle and Sean from Chillo. Sean's Pretty Green (from when it was Liam Gallagher's label) tee shirt is a Kinky buy! 

Michelle reckons I have more costume changes than Mr Benn! This 1970s Mexican dress is new-to-me...ain't it fabulous? 

As always, The Levellers closed the festival with a two hour set and a spectacular firework & light finale and we couldn't have asked for a better view (or company!)

That blue fake fur's another of Suzy's Kinky Melon buys! 

At 11pm we rolled down the shop front for the final time, bagged up the remaining stock and collapsed into bed. We got up at 7am on Monday, took six hours to break down the stall and another six hours to drive home (the traffic was atrocious)....but we did stop off for a legendary posh pie at Gloucester Services which made the journey back a little more bearable.

Talking of food, my pal Annie asked what we did about eating when we're trading - we never buy food at festivals, the collage below is what we ate at Beautiful Days. It's always fruit & yoghurt for breakfast and then whatever Jon feels like making - and how busy we are, it's practically guaranteed that the shop fills with customers as soon as there's a plate of food in front of us. We ate paninis, cheese salads, pan-fried Haloumi with peppers, onions and couscous, some very tasty LM Mozzarella burgers & chana massala/ paneer massala with coriander naan. 

This is our camping kitchen, we use an old fridge from a caravan (bought from a car boot sale) and a three burner gas hob. Our ambient food is kept on the larder shelves and the pans, plates and bowls are stored in the red crate. We also have a compressor fridge which I haven't photographed, which doubles up as a freezer.

Beautiful Days was phenomenal - brilliant music, fantastic customers and great sales and, in less than a week, we get to do it all over again at End of the Road! 

A dream line-up for us 6Music listeners!

Thanks for reading & see you on the other side.