FAQs

Where is Grimsthorpe Castle

The castle is 4 miles from the town of Bourne and 8 miles from the A1 (where there is a Travelodge at the junction). It is situated within a triangle between Grantham, Spalding and Stamford, all of which are served by trains. It's north of Peterborough, and east of Leicester and Nottingham.

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What are our policies for people with disabilities?

Anyone with special needs should contact us via email - click here

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In addition to the designated parking for blue badge holders within the castle grounds, we also have a designated camping area for disabled people close to the Music Arena. Day visitors who are blue badge holders will be allowed to park alongside this area - our stewards will direct you. It would be helpful if you tell us in advance that you need to do this.

 

Throughout the festival our stewards can provide help as needed, assistance dogs are allowed and we operate a 'carers-go-free' policy. There are further details on all of these points and more in our Accessibility Policy - click here.  

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What are the festival's opening hours?

​Both the 'Music Arena' and our camp site will be in a large field to the west of the castle. The directions to these areas will be signposted and there will be stewards to help you. Provisional timings are as follows:

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Thursday 4th September

11.00 - Gates open to customers for camping

16.00 - Arena opens for food, traders and our bar

17.00 - Music commences

23.15 - Music ends

23.20 - Last orders at the bar

23.30 - Bar,  food vendors and traders close

23.59 - Site closes, all day visitors should leave by this time

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Friday 5th, Saturday 6th, Sunday 7th September

07.30 - Breakfast available in a dedicated area of the Music Arena (t.b.c.)

10.30 - Arena opens for food and traders

11.00 - Bar opens

11.00 - Music commences

23.30 - Music ends

23.30 - Last orders at the bar

23.40 - Bar,  food vendors and traders close

23.59 - Site closes, all day visitors should leave by this time

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Monday 8th September

11.00 - Site closes - all campers should leave by this time

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What are the Camp Site rules?

In general it comes down to common sense and good manners, but there are some specific do's and don'ts - for the Camp site rules - click here.

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Will there be toilets on site?

To be honest we're surprised anyone asked this - yes, of course, there have to be, both in the music arena and the camp site. But it give us another chance to say not just those horrible blue cubicles; we've invested in "luxury loos" - the sort you get at weddings. That's what we'd want so it's what we're providing everyone else too!

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Are there showers?

Again yes, there will be showers located within the camp site.

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Dogs

NVRF will be dog-friendly and all dogs must be on a lead and under control and well behaved at all times. They will only be allowed inside the marquees that house our stages if they are kept at least 10m from the speaker stacks. You must clean up after them. Any instructions from our stewards regarding dogs should be followed without argument in the first instance. If you disagree then please do as they say first and then ask them to refer it to our managers.

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Glass

No items made of glass, or that predominantly contain glass, may be brought into the campsite or music arena. Obviously you can bring spectacles, mobile phones and cameras, but anything that might break and cause injury is totally prohibited.

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Can we bring camping chairs and where can we sit?

Yes! We know that some of our likely supporters won't want to stand for four days so we're making it as easy as we can.

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Outside the marquees you are welcome to bring small fold-up chairs and put them on the grass pretty much anywhere - unless it's blocking an access/escape route. You can leave them too if you wish but at your risk - we accept no responsibility for them.

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Inside the marquees there will be designated areas to use these small fold-up chairs. Other forms of seating, e.g. inflatable armchairs, will not be permitted as space will be at a premium. Also note that you should not leave chairs unattended inside marquees for any significant length of time. Going to the bar, toilet etc is fine but space is limited - you can't just grab a space and claim it. Our professional security people will be monitoring the areas and will remove seats that are left - it's the only fair way to operate, as we're sure you will agree. We also hope that everyone will be reasonable and give preference to those less able to stand. Finally, there is likely to be a curfew on most seats towards the end each day - for example when the headliners are playing as this year we are not running the Kingfisher stage during most of the main headliners' sets. This is likely to be necessary so that everyone who wants to can get into the marquees. We aim to keep a reduced area available for those with particular needs, but hope most people can stand during one set, just as they would at most indoor concerts. However we'll monitor the situation and take decisions at the time. We think that's the fairest way for everyone.

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Our policy on cameras

​You may use cameras within the general arena as long as this is without any detriment to those who are there to enjoy the event - this includes the use of mobile phones and tablets. We reserve the right to ask people to desist if their use is unreasonable and consistently blocking the view of other people. Basically - if you're sensible then all will be fine! We do have official photographers who can supply magazines, websites etc in relation to reviews of the event so contact us if you need those. We will heavily restrict photo passes and only offer them to those who are helping with our festival. Use of video cameras will only be possible with advance approval from us.

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Will I have to choose between bands?​

Unlike many other festivals, we have taken active steps to minimise clashes by providing two alternating stages (Swan and Heron) within one large marquee, where most of the better known bands will play, so you will not have to choose between them. This means each of these band will have at least one hour to play, with just ten minutes between sets, so we can give you as much music as possible. However, our smaller marquee will offer a contrasting musical style (genre) so there will always be a choice on our third stage (Kingfisher)! But smaller doesn't mean less - it will still have a broadly similar PA and lighting system, but there will be longer gaps between sets. This year we will end the Kingfisher stage much earlier so that everyone can see most of the the main headliners without having to make a choice.

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What will our bar offer?

The bar will be run by us and offer a good range of real-ale, but also lager, cider, wine and some spirits. There will also be alcoholic-free options and soft drinks available. We will again operate our 'token' system - you should buy a our unique tokens from our outlets at the festival and exchange them for ales, lager, cider and wine . This will reduce queue times at the bar handling either cash or card payments. Spirits and soft drinks must be bought using a cashless card system.

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You may not bring your own alcoholic drinks into the Music Arena as it is a controlled Licenced Premise. This will be checked by security at the Box Office. Please use our bar - it is essential to keeping the festival going!

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Will we need to buy special cups for our drinks?

No - everyone will be given a free NVRF plastic "glass" when they get their wristbands. Please keep hold of it! You will only need to buy one if you lose it (for a small fee to cover our costs) or, of course, if you want to take some extra ones back with you!

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Can we park by our tents?

Yes, it is our intention to allow you to park by your tent. However, the UK weather is unpredictable and we have seen first hand what can happen in extreme conditions. Therefore we reserve the right to implement contingency plans at short or no notice, if necessary to protect the campsite and more importantly your safety. To put it simply, you won’t want to get stuck in a mud bath and we don’t want that either!

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Will NVRF be cashless?

It is our intention to operate our bar and other outlets on a cashless basis as far as we can. You will be able to buy our tokens at a few locations on site. However, food and other traders will use cash or card payments.

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Where can we stay?

We have our own dedicated camp site within the castle grounds, indeed in the shadow of the castle itself. The castle is linked to the A1 by the A151 road and there is a Travelodge at the junction of the two roads less than 15 minutes drive away, with hotels, inns, AirB&B locations in the area if you don't wish to camp. 

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Can we have BBQs?

BBQs and open fires are not permitted in the campsite or the music arena for a variety of reasons including the risk of fire. 

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I live nearby. Should I be concerned?

The festival is being run by a team with many years experience of similar events between them. The festival must have a licence, issued by the Council, and must follow the conditions laid down within the licence - this includes volume levels which will be strictly monitored. NVRF will be significantly smaller than Malle Mile Festival that already takes place there and we intend to offer to meet with residents in the near future to discuss our plans.

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How is the festival run?

The festival is run by NVRF Ltd, who have three directors (Andrew, Tony and Trevor) and a handful of other key people who are putting everything together all through the year. For the directors it almost amounts to a full-time job, on top of anything else they might choose to do. However, none of those involved are taking any pay at all and everyone is covering their own expenses. Every penny goes towards the festival. When the event takes place they will be supported by a team of volunteers, although professional security, sound, lighting etc will be used, as you would expect.

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What are the full Ts & Cs for the festival?

Click for the full festival Terms & Conditions. Essentially though it boils down to common sense - take care of yourselves and be considerate to others, don't bring anything that could be dangerous into the site. Don't bring your own drinks into the arena other than soft drinks in unbreakable containers up to 750ml (security will enforce this). We perhaps could have added "have a great time", but we're pretty sure you will anyway!

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What is the background of the organisers?

Everyone has been involved in key roles at other festivals in the past, in most cases over many years. In 2023 the team came together to run the inaugural NVRF at Nene Park in Peterborough, to exceptional levels of praise for the bands, the music and the organisation. For 2024 this team is taking another step forward by relocating to the fantastic setting of Grimsthorpe Castle.

 

Andrew is COO of a leading Intellectual Property firm having started in the aerospace industry. He's a qualified Chartered Engineer and Management Accountant. He has a detailed understanding of the operational aspects of running a festival, including finance, licensing, risk management etc.

 

Tony is now "retired" (though you wouldn't notice it!) and spent 30 years as RAF aircrew and was an instructor on the E-3 AWACS. He left to become Principal Consultant for an engineering company, specialising is communications and radar and is a fully trained Project Manager. He's been going to gigs since 1971 and also runs a small village festival - all great experience for NVRF.

 

Trevor worked for British Rail's IT department since leaving school (when it took two rooms to house less computing power than the average phone these days!). A mainframe system programmer, designer, manager etc, he oversaw the Y2k programme for all of the railway's software as the Programme Manager. He was also a Councillor for 12 years and has an extensive background in involvement with music and bands.

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How can I apply to play at NVRF?

The line-up for the 2024 NVRF is complete and we had numerous bands wishing to play! Thanks to everyone for their interest. For the future, first we need to get through this year, so the best thing you can do is to buy tickets, tell your friends and supporters, come along wearing your T shirts and be seen by us; track us down and talk to us too! There is then a band application process linked to our website here: Band Application - just fill it in and make sure you read all the notes first and do as they say!