A local brewery company has come to the aid of Witney Music Festival after a major sponsor pulled out.
Hook Norton Brewery will sponsor the event in place of Wychwood Brewery which withdrew its backing after being taken over by Carlsberg.
Organisers, who revealed they have already had to invest their own money to keep the event afloat, faced a major headache as Wychwood were a big part of the funding and businesses struggling on the back of the pandemic, were not able to help.
Chair of the committee Eric Marshall said: "We are super excited to announce a partnership with Hook Norton Brewery. It's great to work with a local family firm again who are community-focused.
"They have loved what we do and were excited to be part of the festival. They have bent over backwards to help us in a very short period of time so a big thank you to Ray, Mark and the team at Hook Norton because its been a tough ask at such short notice to pull this together."
READ ALSO: Witney MP Robert Courts gives Boris Johnson full support
The brewery has provided beer for music festivals and other events and decided to get involved after being approached by the team following the Wychwood cancellation.
Hooky marketing manager Mark Graham said they liked to sponsor local events and have a pub, The Eagle Tavern, in Witney.
He said: "There will be Hooky beer on the bar, Hooky original cider and wines, spirits, soft drinks. We will be setting up on site from Wednesday, offering the technical support so that people can have pub-quality beer in the middle of a field."
Last month festival organisers asked the public to book tickets now to cover their upfront costs and ‘keep the festival alive’.
Mr Marshall said: “We have a lot of costs upfront and we are struggling to pay suppliers their advance fees so we need the help of the public."
The public responded and advance ticket sales have been so strong the event is likely to be sold out.
He added: "Being in lockdown it has been easy to feel isolated and not part of anything but with the response we have had it's clear the community of Witney want to come together to celebrate the amazing local talent we have.
"Headliners EMF are in the middle of a 2022 tour which is taking them all over the UK so they will be on form by the time they hit Witney. We also have Tom Hingley, front man of the Inspiral Carpets, performing on Friday with his band the Kar-pets.
"Things are going well - we are truly humbled by the support of the community as they get behind their local festival."
The festival, now in its 16th year, will be charging a small amount to ensure the event is sustainable and can continue for another 16 years.
The cost is £5 per person per day on Friday and £10 per person per day on Saturday. Under 14s are free.
"It was a big decision to charge for entry this year but the response has been hugely positive," said Mr Marshall.
READ ALSO: Does Oxford have a genuine Banksy?
The music festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the lockdown and in 2021 it went online, broadcast on YouTube, Windrush Radio, music streaming service MixCloud and video live streaming service Twitch.
The last live event in 2019 drew a 'record breaking crowd', according to organisers.
The festival will be on the Leys on June 10 and 11 with local act The Inflatables headlining on Friday with support from cover bands and tribute acts. There will also be a dance tent for the first time.
Saturday will be headlined by the band EMF who topped the US charts in the 90s with their anthem Unbelievable.
EMF will be supported by original music from Witney acts.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here