Henley Festival took place in Remenham last week. HILARY SCOTT was our woman in the VIP stalls …
The Pet Shop Boys said for once they didn’t feel overdressed, some of the black-tie audience admitted they had to Google Jess Glynne and Goldie charmed a whole new audience – yes, Henley Festival triumphed again.
The dancing didn’t stop despite the revellers fish-tail gowns and tight cummerbunds – in fact each night saw the most glamorous festival goers in the UK throw caution to the wind as they shimmied to Chaka Khan, who shimmied like no one else can, kept in time to the jungle beat with Goldie who performed with the Heritage Orchestra, and embarrassed their daughters on Sunday’s Family Day to the likes of Melanie C and All Saints.
In between performances on the Floating Stage, you could pick up some food from the many mobile vans, Henley’s renowned Spice Merchant restaurant and Paul Clerehugh’s pop-up Crooked Billet restaurant which had a prime riverside spot and Paul’s usual top-notch food.
And if you couldn’t catch one of the Moat usherettes with their mini bottles on trays, the champagne company debuted their first Moet vending machine.
Other stars who performed were Mica Paris on the Friday who went down a storm with The Staxs Band, Geno Washington and local talent Cecil. On the comedy stage Stephen K Amos, Russell Kane and Seann Walsh had the audience straining those cummerbunds again with Walsh’s jokes about posh people and courgette spaghetti, giving up bread and sparkling water actually proving the audience could laugh at itself.
The Jazz Quarter, which included Ronnie Scott’s, was a huge attraction, and the Bedouin tent included folk artists and singer/songwriter acts.
The art installations and resident artists were in full flow from neon trees and signs to live painting demos.
The festival, sponsored once again by Westcoast, saw the river packed with all sizes of boats from rowing boats to large cruisers and there was even a giant duck that sailed past which brought cheers and quite a few raised glasses of bubbly.
Check out our gallery for all our photos from Henley Festival.
All photos by Dijana Capan/Dvision Images for The Wokingham Paper.
