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The People Behind the Festival

Everyone involved in organising and running the festival puts their time and effort in for free, so you can blame or thank:

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  • Harry Moseley (co-Chair),

  • Jack Walker (co-Chair),

  • Claudia Stephenson,

  • Abby Saks,

  • Rhonda Hague,

  • Nick Hawker, and

  • Alex Douglas.

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The team would like to give special thanks to...

  • All of the wonderful people who volunteer to work the bar, collect rubbish, and do other bits and bobs over the festival weekend. 

  • The very understanding residents of Woodstock for turning up and making this festival the special community weekend it is

  • All of the local businesses for contributing to the event in terms of sponsorship, raffle prizes, and food and beverages

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Keen to get involved? We'd love to hear from you - info@woodstocklive.co.uk

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The History of Woodstock Live

Woodstock Live is celebrating its 20th year! The very first festival was back in 2004, and we’ve only missed two years since. To mark this milestone, it seems fitting to celebrate the people behind its creation and continued growth throughout the years.

 

This first section is written by Linda Latham, recognising her late husband Tim and the people who started the festival:

THE EARLY DAYS: 2004 - 2005

On 1st September 2004, four friends: Dennis Allen, Tim Cairns and Jim and Sue Kane sat together in the King’s Arms Pub, Woodstock, to talk of music - specifically, their idea for a music festival in the town.

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By their second meeting a month later, they had not only agreed a date for the festival, but Tim had also proposed a name for the event: Woodstock Live - just as it is known today.

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The first Woodstock Live took place on 13th November 2004 at a single venue - The Marlborough Arms. It was a 2pm start and this first line-up included poets, soloists, duos, and bands with performances throughout the day.

 

The event was considered a great success and in January 2005, the ‘founding four’ were back in the pub, this time The Queen’s Own (now gone). Now they had their sights on expanding the scale and scope of the festival from the one venue/one afternoon format to cover a Friday evening and a Saturday with venues from the Town Hall and Town Square to the local pubs and hotels over 13-14 May 2005.

 

After yet another successful Woodstock Live, Jim, Sue and Tim stepped down from their organising roles and handed the baton over to what became the Woodstock Live Committee, and the rest is history. Tim continued to participate in the festival but from the stage, playing keyboards with Cooper Black.

 

We would like to pay tribute to Dennis Allen, Tim Cairns and Jim and Sue Kane who laid the foundations for Woodstock Live; this festival that has endured and delighted so many people ever since its launch in 2004.

 

In memory of Tim Cairns, a man of many talents and a deep love of music.

 

Linda Latham, 2026

THE FIRST COMMITTEE: 2006 - 2019

The festival as we know it would not have been possible without the dedication of Chris Baylis, who chaired the festival until 2019 with the help of Dennis Allen, Simon Stafford, Rod Craig, Andy Mitchell, John Cunningham, Claire Crowther and Mike Thomas.

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Together, they established Woodstock Live’s presence on the Town Square during the August Bank Holiday Weekend, championing local, original music and providing a stage for musicians to start their careers. Many touring musicians can thank Woodstock Live for providing their initial platform and community support.

THE SECOND COMMITTEE: 2019 - 2024

When it was time for Chris and the team to step down, there was only one replacement who could take the festival to the next level. This was Greg Hooper, who served as Chair of the new committee, which included Katja Behrens, Richard Boon, Chris Bayne, Oli Lanestead, Sophie Gregory, Jack Walker, and Harry Moseley.

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This committee introduced two great initiatives to Woodstock Live: the cup re-use scheme to champion the reduction of plastic waste and the tradition of music in the pubs on the Friday night, bringing the wider community together. The festival owes a huge debt of gratitude to the work Greg and the committee did to grow, expand and formalise the festival. 

THE THIRD COMMITTEE: 2025 - PRESENT DAY

The current committee is co-chaired by Harry Moseley and Jack Walker, who took over running the festival in 2025. In the early days, the committee ran a lean operation, including only two other members, Claudia Stephenson and Abigail Saks. This committee introduced a number of new features to the festival, including the children’s bar, the raffle, and the tombola. This committee also pioneered the inclusion of the Marlborough School Bands, a tradition that we hope continues in the future. This team was instrumental in continuing to grow connections with the people and businesses of Woodstock and surrounds. This year sees the addition of Alex Douglas, Rhonda Hague, and Nick Hawker to the team. 
 

Thank you to everyone who has put in their time, effort, and energy into making Woodstock Live one of the town’s most well-regarded and well-attended events of the social calendar. So many people have made this town tradition possible, and we cannot express our gratitude enough.

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With that, enjoy this year’s wonderful programme and here’s to many more years of wonderful music to come!

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Harry Moseley and Jack Walker, 2026

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