Success for club's first ever Torchlight Festival

Wednesday 24th August 2022

More than 4,500 people attended The Camping and Caravanning Club’s first Torchlight Festival of Camping from 19-22 August at Walesby Forest in Nottinghamshire.

The new-look festival built upon the Club’s long history of running family-friendly events and relaunched the previous National Feast of Lanterns (NFOL), which dated back to 1921.

The festival’s main stage, sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, played host to big-name music acts including Squeeze, Gabrielle and The Wurzels. The Club’s President, TV presenter Julia Bradbury, also took to the decks for her own DJ set where she performed on stage alongside The Invisible Circus – a spectacular illuminated show of acrobats. And there was also a wide range of activities in the Family Tipi and an on-site wellness sanctuary.

Nicola Simpson, the Club’s Director of Marketing and Insight, said: “We were delighted to welcome campers to our very first Torchlight Festival of Camping.

“Torchlight saw us launch a new festival and at the same time pass the traditions of a fantastic Club event that served us well for a century on to a new generation of campers and festival-goers.

“It was wonderful to see so many caravans, motorhomes and tents illuminated with lights across Walesby Forest while families and friends met up and had a great time enjoying outdoor activities and top music acts. The festival was ageless with Club members ranging from babies right up to campers in their 90s, which helped create a fantastic atmosphere. We’ve been overwhelmed by so much positive feedback.”

Other highlights from this year’s festival included a light trail through part of Walesby Forest where campers could look back on 100 years of the previous annual event, the NFOL, and see vintage tents from the Club’s archive plus historic caravans while checking out camping artefacts dating back to the early 1900s and the birth of modern camping. 

For more information about this year’s event and to check for updates for 2023 visit www.torchlightfestival.co.uk.

-Ends-

For further information please contact:

Simon McGrath, simon.mcgrath@campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

Andrew Robson, andrew.robson@campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

Notes for Editors:

1. The Camping and Caravanning Club was founded in 1901 and is the largest and oldest Club in the world for all forms of camping. It has nearly 100 Club Sites throughout the UK.
2. The Club is celebrating record membership with approximately 770,000 members. For information about joining the Club from just £45 a year visit www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/join.
3. Get involved: for more information and the latest updates from the Club follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/thefriendlyclub, like us on Twitter www.twitter.com/campandcaravan, or check out our Instagram page www.instagram.com/campandcaravan.
4. To view the Club’s comprehensive video directory, visit www.youtube.com/thefriendlyclub.