By Julie Marshall
But for a fraction of the cost you can go along to Sledmere House in East Yorkshire the weekend before. There you can spend four days listening to some of the finest tribute bands in the world – including Coldplay tribute Starfish who are headlining on the Sunday night. Around 50 other world-class tribute bands will be playing across the Main Stage and in the Big Top, with dozens more appearing in the five tents dotted around the site. It will feature tributes to, among many others, Queen, Blondie, The Bee Gees, Human League, Abba, Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner and Madness. Some are Tribfest regulars, others are making their debut, and all are guaranteed a special Tribfest welcome from the thousands of fans who turn up year after year. This year鈥檚 festival takes place from Friday, August 15 to Sunday, August 17 and on Thursday, August 14 there is early entry available to all weekend ticket holders for a small additional cost. Dempsey Faulkner, who, along with her dad Ed is the powerhouse behind the festival said: 鈥淪adly, this summer has already seen dozens of festivals in the UK go under due to the economy and we are so proud to see a festival in Yorkshire really thriving. 鈥淚t has gone from very humble beginnings at Driffield showground with a few hundred people attending to the largest independent festival in our area. 鈥淲e have always prided ourselves on being a family-friendly festival. 鈥淧eople come back year after year and say how safe and inclusive they feel and how much fun everyone has, no matter how young or old.鈥 Ed who, as well as creating Tribfest is the lead singer in The Beautiful Couch a tribute to The Beautiful South and The Housemartins, said: 鈥淚t has been a lot of hard work and it doesn鈥檛 get any easier but we are constantly striving to make Tribfest the best it can be. 鈥淣ow I have people telling me they鈥檝e been coming for 10+ years so I know we鈥檙e doing it right. 鈥淲e see it all over the weekend – we鈥檝e had Tribfest proposals, babies and even a wedding on the Main Stage. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honour to bring this amazing event to East Yorkshire every August.鈥 The festival facilities are some of the best in the country; winning 鈥楤est Tourism Event鈥 at the REYTA Awards in 2023, and 鈥楥ontribution to the East Riding鈥 at the Hull Live 2021 Business Awards due to their perseverance in getting the festival on with just a few weeks鈥 notice. They have also been consistently recognised in the Best Bar None awards and won 鈥楤est Entertainment/Leisure Venue 2018 鈥 2020鈥 in the East Riding of Yorkshire Best Bar None Awards. All weekend tickets include free camping and free parking and there are options to bring your motorhomes/caravans etc (you will need to purchase additional tickets for this). Check out the Tribfest website for more information on the lineup, facilities and accommodation options on offer. www.tribfest.co.uk