Busfest
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Busfest (known before 2012 as Vanfest) is a three-day annual festival held in early September at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, for owners of VW camper-vans—the Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter or "Bus". Now in its 31st year, Busfest is recognised as one of the longest running UK VW Camper festivals, which has continuously been held at its original venue since its beginning.
With the festival starting in 1994, it is a truly international festival, with a large contingency from Germany attending every year, and attendees from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Sweden, USA and even Australia.
The festival is owned and produced by Vanfest Ltd and it is the largest VW Transporter festival in the world,[citation needed] attended by up to 9,000 vans and 45,000 people. Simon Holloway owns the event and is the Festival Support Director, Elise Holloway is the Festival Coordinator, and Neil Pickett is the Festival Director. They are assisted by over 50 event professionals around 150 volunteers. Attendees camp in their vans over the three days in large campsites within the showground, which are fully equipped with sanitation facilities throughout. The festival, which is open to day visitors as well as campers, has over 250 trade stands, a main arena with a full daytime entertainment schedule, a fun fair, FunZone, sideshows and displays, trade/demonstration stands, exhibitions and walkabout entertainers.
There is a variety of entertainers for children as well - face painters, craft workshops, magicians, animal menagerie, pottery making and more. There is also a professionally run Pamper Zone and Man Cave, offering the discerning festival-goer the chance to be pampered with a massage, have a hair cut, beard trimmed, facials, make-up and more.
There are several live music stages with evening entertainment for all ages, featuring various types of music to suit all tastes. Recent bands who have appeared there include The X Factor Tour, Slade, Showaddywaddy, Dr & The Medics, The Drifters, Rockaoke, The Rubettes, The Commitments, Bad Manners, Right Said Fred, Brotherhood Of Man, Karen Coleman, Odyssey, and the Edwin Starr Band. The HUB Stage is a "drop-in-drop-out" stage hosted by VDub Radio, who do a 24-hour Internet radio show from the stage studio, as well as 12 hours a day of live DJs, fun, competitions and giveaways. The Severn Stage is the main undercover stage, holding party nights with impressionists and tribute bands. The SheepShed Stage hosts rock, alternative and local bands, whilst the Chill Stage features laid-back beats and acoustic vibes; and the Dance Stage features techno, trance, dance and house music from Lee Dagger and other top DJs.