{"id":12860,"date":"2013-07-16T11:34:23","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T10:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/?p=12860"},"modified":"2013-07-16T11:34:23","modified_gmt":"2013-07-16T10:34:23","slug":"photos-of-leefest-2013-a-small-but-perfectly-formed-non-profit-festival-in-the-south-of-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/photos-of-leefest-2013-a-small-but-perfectly-formed-non-profit-festival-in-the-south-of-england\/","title":{"rendered":"Photos of Leefest 2013, a small but perfectly formed non-profit festival in the south of England"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-01.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>LeeFest was first born back in 2006 when\u00a0founder Lee Denny decided to throw a party in his parent&#8217;s garden after they&#8217;d gone away on holiday. It went so well, a second party was thrown, with the not-so-legal bar raising \u00a3150 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.<\/p>\n<p>His parents naturally found out, but tolerated another two years of their back garden being churned up until the festival &#8211; now attracting 600 people &#8211; moved to his school&#8217;s playing fields.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-04.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 2009, the festival bagged the\u00a0Best Grassroots Festival Award, and by 2012 had moved to a new site in the countryside and was pulling in crowds of excess of 2,000, with all profits going to charity.<\/p>\n<p>This sounds like the kind of festival I like, so I popped along on the Saturday to take a few snaps.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-05.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>LeeFest is about as small as a proper festival can be, serving up one main stage and a smaller marquee\u00a0stage, a DJ tent, a small performance tent and a &#8216;beach&#8217; surrounded by hay-bales.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-10.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The crowd is much younger than at most festivals &#8211; and I imagine for many it&#8217;s their first ever festival, with the fun boosted by the seeming lack of parents on hand.<\/p>\n<p>Its location close to London and Croydon &#8211; backed by the regular festival buses from the site to Bromley South and East Croydon &#8211; \u00a0meant that quite a few folks headed home every night rather than trying to sleep under canvas in the searing evening heat.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-02.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My extremely smoky camp-site neighbours.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-03.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the main stage, which boasted a very impressive PA system and light show.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-06.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The beach area.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-07.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-08.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the smaller marquee stage.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-09.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-11.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-13.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-14.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>All We Are on the main stage.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-12.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-15.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-16.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Basking in the heat.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-17.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Back in the marquee tent.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-18.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-27.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-19.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the hay bales by the beach.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-20.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-21.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Some bloke doing something with a clock face in the performance area.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-22.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-23.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To Kill A King \u00a0pulled in an enthusiastic crowd\u00a0on the main stage.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-24.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-25.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-26.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Temple Of Boom dance tent.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-28.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-29.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-30.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-31.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Camp site troubadour.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-33.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Noisettes were fabulous: lively, loud, brash and fun.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-32.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-34.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-35.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-36.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-37.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-38.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-39.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photos of Leefest 2013, an award winning non-profit festivalat Highams Hill Farm, Bromley, South East London, UK, 12th-14th July 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/leefest-festival-2013-40.jpg\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>LeeFest took place at\u00a0Highams Hill Farm, Sheepbarn Lane, Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PQ.<\/p>\n<p>I enjoyed my stay at LeeFest &#8211; it&#8217;s a very friendly, non-corporate affair with a big heart and a lot of enthusiasm, put on by people who clearly love what they do.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not a festival for all night, party-loving ravers though (the site closes down early) but it&#8217;s certainly one of the nicest festivals I&#8217;ve been to, with a <a href=\"http:\/\/leefest.org.uk\/story\/ethos\/\" target=\"_blank\">spot on ethos<\/a>\u00a0too.<\/p>\n<p>Read\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/leefest.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">more about LeeFest \u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LeeFest was first born back in 2006 when\u00a0founder Lee Denny decided to throw a party in his parent&#8217;s garden after they&#8217;d gone away on holiday. It went so well, a &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[54,194,43,193],"tags":[5,1198],"class_list":["post-12860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-festivals","category-london-features","category-music","category-places","tag-bands","tag-festivals"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/leefest-festival.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pQI7P-3lq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12860"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12865,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12860\/revisions\/12865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}