Like the very best of festivals, Nozstock was founded by a fun-loving family, their extended relatives, friends, acquaintances and pretty much everyone who had a guitar to play or a joke to tell. It was a hazy, optimistic time at the turn of the millenium, when life felt simple and summers were long and full of amusements. The Hidden Valley has successfully retained this homely, welcoming nostalgia, but we’ve woven it into a delightful amalgamation of performance, art, electronic supersounds and good old-fashioned guitar-strumming and drum-bashing, thanks to some great advice and not a small dose of audience participation and feedback. Now an established family event, Nozstock is a sonic escape boasting nine stages of entertainment with surprising sights and intimate, secluded areas of theatre and discovery to be unearthed.
When its visitors down tools and hand themselves over to Nozstock’s crew, safe in the knowledge that their hedonistic needs will be met, they discover there’s a small world of frivolity to find, all scrupulously programmed by the festival’s founders, the Nosworthy family and their eclectically informed friends.
The festival’s ethos is about bringing play to everyone, in whatever form it can. Nozstock believes in the value of not only entertaining, but in participation and contribution. It’s an ever-changing event with a clear agenda; to invite conversation, interaction and serious recreation. Above all, Nozstock The Hidden Valley is a blissful family festival that caters to all ages with activities that little ones can enjoy as well as entertainment for teens, students, seasoned festivalites, party-starters and grandparents.
Previous guest Nozstockers include:
Happy Mondays, Seasick Steve, The Sugarhill Gang, Jurassic 5, De La Soul, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Roots Manuva, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, James Zabiela, Craig Charles, Andy C, Friction, Cardinal Burns, Josh Widdicombe, Beardyman, Congo Natty, DJ Hype, The Mouse Outfit, Phill Jupitus & The Blockheads, Russell Howard, Imelda May, Richard Herring, Henning Wehn, Howard Marks, Dub Pistols, Delta Heavy, Hazard & Eksman, The Beat, Mr Scruff, DJ Yoda, Benny Page, DJ Marky, Congo Natty, Wilkinson, Fuse ODG, Neville Staples, The Four Owls, Dirty Dike, The Futureheads, The Proclaimers, Jake Bugg, Zinc, Ed Rush, The Rubberbandits, Phil Kaye, Alabama 3, Foreign Beggars, The Wurzels, Toddla T, Netsky.