Around the UK in 30 Events & Festivals

The Glade Festival Returns for 2011 - EXCLUSIVE

2010-12-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Glade, one of the UK’s best-loved electronic dance music festival is back for 2011...

Glade Festival, which originated as an underground dance stage at Glastonbury, before becoming an award winning independent event in its own right in 2004, is pleased to announce it will be back in 2011 on June 9^th -12^th at a stunning new (secret for now) location.

After their hiatus in 2010, due unforeseen rises in site costs, this is very welcome news for all dance fans.

As organiser Anselm Guise explains:

“ We are thrilled to be able to say that the Glade will be back in 2011. The festival is being revolutionised yet stripped back to its shiny grass roots…half the capacity that it was in the last few years and getting back to its original spirit but with a big step forward creatively, musically and artistically. We’ve been dying to let everyone know that it is definitely here again and with everything that’s happened we’ve had to ensure that we’ve got something to excite, that we can make happen and that will be a true celebration of life, music and art. We now can. Half the battle was finding the right home for the festival and we really have. We’ve found a belter…proper English parkland where we can do our thing…trees everywhere! The Glade is back…!”

Tier One Tickets are set to be released on January 25^th, price tba, and available from the all new Glade Website which is also set to go live on January 25^th www.gladefestival.com

Winners: ‘Best UK Dance Festival 2008

"A dance festival with a mental village fete twist" - Louise, London.

For more information please contact:

Karen Johnson, Orbit PR, +44(0)7930391607 Karen@orbitpr.net

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2010-12-12T03:39:00.000-08:00

Peppermint's Guide to the top 10 Christmas markets in the UK

2010-12-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Tens of thousands of shoppers will be hitting the country’s high streets this weekend. Want to avoid the herds and find unique, handmade gifts? Want to relax at an outdoor bar with a hot cider in hand? Then, visit one of the country’s ever-growing Christmas markets. From Chester’s Victorian village to Birmingham’s Frankfurt experience, there’s something for everyone in just about every town and city across Britain. Check out our list of the top 10 Yuletide markets below:

Bath: Wooden Christmas chalets and festive mobile bars selling mulled wine are nestled amongst the city’s World Heritage sites of Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. Street entertainment also livens up the storybook atmosphere.

Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market: Birmingham hosts the biggest German Christmas market outside Germany and Austria. With 180 stalls of crafts, gluhwein, and bratwurst, more than 3 million visitors, and generating nearly 90 million in economic activity, it’s even bigger than the Christmas market in Berlin! The brainchild of a man tasked to advertise Frankfurt abroad, it has inspired the German market craze across the country. Check out our blog on the Teutonic phenomenon. Definitely not one to miss.

Bristol’s German Christmas Market: Decorations, nativity scenes, toys and more are sold from wooden chalets. Outside bars will serve gluhwein, bratwurst and waffles. Look out for the traditional Christmas Pyramid!

Cheltenham Christmas Market: This upmarket town on the edge of the Cotswolds hosts a market full of high quality goods, including freshwater pearls, fair trade knitwear, and costume jewelry. Wet your palette with award-winning fruit wines and don’t forget to try the ostrich burgers!

Chester’s Winter Wonderland: The festive fun includes a giant wheel, Victorian village in front of majestic Chester Castle, and an ice skating rink. Enjoy a hot drink at the Castle Courtyard Bar!

Gloucester’s “Very Victorian Christmas”: Characters in Dickensian dress sell food, drink and gifts from the city’s historic docks. Highlights include a real ale tavern, choirs, and brass bands.

Leeds German Christmas Market: Traditional wooden stalls, festive greenery, Christmas carousel rides and twinkling colourful lights all create a unique, continental-style atmosphere in the heart of the city centre.

Liverpool: The city is hosting its biggest ever Christmas market with around 100 stalls with traders from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australia and Oceania. Shoppers can find everything from traditional Finnish toys to Chinese wooden dolls.

London’s Winter Wonderland: The enormous Hyde park attraction has an ice rink, giant observation wheel and carnival rides, kids’ shows, Santa land, E:Cube and Spiegel Saloon restaurants, and outdoor bars.

Manchester Christmas Markets: The city hosts five German markets that include a beer tent, a giant six-meter-high pyramid-shaped nativity scene, and an Alpine house with a multi-lingual, talking reindeer.

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2010-12-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

The man behind the German Christmas market craze

2010-12-08T02:21:00.000-08:00

Mince pies and mulled wine are being traded in for bratwurst and gluhwein across the country as German Christkindlmarkts give their Victorian counterparts a run for their money.
Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market is the largest German market in the world outside Germany and Austria. With 180 stalls, more than 3 million visitors, and generating nearly 90 million in economic activity, it’s even bigger than the Christmas market in Berlin, according to Birmingham city council.
So what inspired us to look to Deutschland for holiday inspiration? The big business of sausages and sauerkraut all started with one man - Kurt Stroscher - and his marketing plan.

Tasked with the job of advertising his home city of Frankfurt abroad, Stroscher decided to get away from the city’s image as a financial centre, and instead suggested exporting an authentic German Christmas market like the one running in Frankfurt since 1393.As its twin city, Birmingham seemed like the logical choice, and he persuaded skeptical German stallholders to ship their stands across the Channel and up to the Midlands. “We were the pioneers,” he told the BBC on a recent visit to a log cabin set up on Birmingham’s New Street.It turned out that Brummies loved the foreign food and festivities and the one-off event turned into an annual affair. Now, Frankfurt’s tourist office puts on four of the biggest German Christmas markets in the country – in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Leeds.

"Last year, almost 3 million people visited this market," Stroscher told the BBC, "and it doesn't cost Birmingham a penny."
Frankfurt pays for all the policing, trash pick-up, and administration costs in return for being allowed to sponsor the event, he said.

"Our research shows that between 2000 and 2010, there was a 30% increase in British visitors to Frankfurt's original Christmas market. And a lot of visitors decide to come when they visit German markets in the U.K. and want to see the real thing,” he told the broadcaster.

Birmingham’s Christkind bonanza is now copied across the U.K., with German, Austrian, and even French-run markets popping up from Brighton to Glasgow. Even British markets have begun to take on a Teutonic flavor.
More than a quarter of this year’s markets have only sprouted up since the recession began in 2009, according to Visit Birmingham.“It makes me proud to see what I started,” said Stroscher.

Reading, Leeds, Rockness, Bestival, Download and many more 2011 festival tickets go on sale

2010-12-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

Dreaming of The Big Chill? No, not the arctic cold front slamming Britain but the boutique August festival that early bird tickets just went on sale for. As much of the country braves the snow, many music lovers will be jumping online to purchase their summer 2011 festival tickets this weekend. Reading and Leeds, Global Gathering, Download and many more events just opened up their online ticket offices. So, if you fancy T in the Park instead’ve snowmen and sleds, take a look at Virtual Festivals’ rundown below:

Download Festival 2011
What is it? Three-days of raucous head-banging to some of the biggest, best and undiscovered metal and rock bands in the world.
Price: £180 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Confirmed: System Of A Down, Avenged Sevenfold
Click here to buy Download Festival tickets.

Reading Festival 2011 and Leeds Festival 2011
What is it? The nation's premier August bank holiday blowouts, with rock, indie, punk, dance and endless campsite shenanigans.
Price: £180 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Rumoured: Muse, The Strokes, Green Day,Soundgarden, Linkin Park
Click here to buy Reading Festival tickets.
Click here to buy Leeds Festival tickets.

Isle of Wight Festival 2011
What is it? Rock and pop old and new, mixing its 60s/70s origins with big names and a family atmosphere.
Price: £175 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Confirmed: Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Kasabian,Pulp, Tom Jones, The British Pink Floyd Show
Click here to buy Isle Of Wight Festival tickets.

T In The Park 2011
What is it? Scotland's biggest festival, with household name headliners and surely The Proclaimers on the Main Stage once again. Nice toilets as well.
Price: £180 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Rumoured: Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro
Click here to buy T In The Park tickets.

Rock Ness 2011
What is it? Originally more of a dance festival, has expanded into something more eclectic. Winner of Best Line-up at the Festival Awards 2010, expect a few curve-balls.
Price: £149 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Confirmed: Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers,Paolo Nutini
Click here to buy Rock Ness tickets.

Bestival 2011
What is it? Winner of Best Major Festival at the UK Festival Awards, Rob da Bank picks a quirky, varied line-up. Worth it for the fancy dress alone.
Price: £160 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Confirmed: The Cure, Primal Scream, Magnetic Man
Click here to buy Bestival tickets.

The Big Chill 2011
What is it? Legends and new talent of every possible musical hue mix together at a picturesque location.
Price: £155 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Click here to buy The Big Chill tickets.

Camp Bestival 2011
What is it? Winner of Best Family Festival at the Festival Awards, Bestival's kid-friendly sister event takes place in the grounds of Lulworth Castle, Dorset, with a mix of music, art, comedy, fancy dress and even an animal farm.
Price: £160 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Click here to buy Camp Bestival tickets.

Latitude 2011
What is it? Three days of music, art, comedy, literature, theatre, film, poetry and family fun in idyllic surroundings. Also watch out for special surprise guests.
Price: £155 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Rumoured: The National, The Flaming Lips, Elbow
Click here to buy Latitude tickets.

Global Gathering 2011
What is it? A huge dance festival with world-class DJs and electronic music artists playing to 50,000 people. Global is now into its 11th year.
Price: £99 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Rumoured: The Chemical Brothers, Deadmau5
Click here to buy Global Gathering tickets.

Creamfields 2011
What is it? The original dance festival and the UK Festival Awards' Best Dance Event 2010. Top DJ's and live performers are spread out across a live outdoor stage and ten arenas.
Price: £100 – adult weekend ticket with camping
Rumoured: Swedish House Mafia, Magnetic Man,Leftfield
Click here to buy Creamfields tickets.

Escape Into The Park 2011
What is it? Wales' biggest dance event, with DJ's spinning trance, drum n bass, techno, house, and hardcore all weekend.
Price: £41.50 – General Admission, £57.50 - VIP
Click here to buy Escape Into The Park tickets.

Evolution Festival 2011
What is it? Rock, pop, dance and DJ's entertain 60,000 people over two days along Newcastle's quayside.
Price: £35 – weekend ticket, £25 - day ticket.
Confirmed: Iggy And The Stooges, Plan B
Click here to buy Evolution Festival tickets.

Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2011
What is it? Folk-rockers Fairport Convention's annual festival in the Oxfordshire village of Cropedy. Mainly folk based and family-friendly, a Fairport vs Cropedy cricket match serves as a Sunday afternoon finale.
Price: £85 – adult weekend (three-day) ticket with camping
Confirmed: Fairport Convention
Click here to buy Fairport's Cropredy Convention tickets.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011
What is it? Celebrating it's 21st year, this diverse jazz/blues/folk/roots festival also has comedians, DJs and activities, and all with no corporate sponsorship.
Price: £190 for a five-day ticket, £156 for a four-day ticket and £125 for a three-day ticket – with camping
Click here to buy Larmer Tree Festival tickets.

Summer Sundae Weekender 2011
What is it? Three days of everything from rock and folk to electronica and pop from huge names and emerging talent.
Price: Early bird tickets are £100 for adults and £37.50for children aged five to 15. Under-5s go free.
Click here to buy Summer Sundae Weekender tickets.

Blissfields Festival 2011
What is it? Four days of eclectic music in intimate, family-friendly surroundings, with local food and ales at reasonable prices.
Price: Adult weekend passes are £60 early bird or £65otherwise; youth weekend passes are £37 early bird or£42 on general sale. Under-5s go free. Camping for Thursday night is £10 early bird or £15 otherwise.
Click here to buy Blissfields Festival tickets.

The Cure to Headline Bestival 2011

2010-12-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Bestival announced on Wednesday the first confirmed acts of 2011 with The Cure making the Isle of Wight event their only European festival performance of the year. Also on the bill will be Primal Scream playing their album Screamadelica and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

“From underground heroes to worldwide heavyweights, The Cure have, over the last 30 or more years given us some of popular music’s finest moments, which is why everyone here at Bestival H.Q. is so incredibly proud that the band will be touching down in 2011 to deliver what we’re sure will be a legendary and unforgettable Saturday night headline performance,” the Bestival web site announced.

News of the band’s performance came just weeks after the event was named Best Major UK Festival at the UK Festival Awards.

DJ and Bestival curator Rob Da Bank said: “I've spent the last 20 years of my life listening to The Cure and the last five attempting to persuade Robert Smith and the crew to hop on a ferry to our magical Isle.”
Smith said, “I'm delighted and excited that our only European festival performance in 2011 will be at Bestival. We will do all we can to help make it a weekender to remember.”

Other acts listed in the first wave of confirmations were: Magnetic Man, Robyn, Crystal Castles, DJ Shadow, Katy B, LFO, Omar Souleyman, 65DaysofStatic-Live Film Score, Cranes, Boys Noize, Diplo, A Trak, Norman Jay, Grandmaster Flash, David Rodigan, 2 Bears, Carte Blanche, Pantha Du Prince, and Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

In addition to the eclectic line-up of musical talent, the event at Robin Hill Countryside Adventure Park boasts an original boutique campsite experience, a Bollywood Cocktail Bar, enormous fancy dress party, and even a Hidden Disco.
Bestival 2011 will take place between Thursday 8th September and Sunday 11th September.

Prices are:
Adult weekend ticket (including camping): £160
Student weekend ticket (including camping): £150 (Valid NUC or ISIC ID required)
Age 13 to 15 weekend ticket (including camping): £80 (These ticket holders must be accompanied by a ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21)
Age 12 and under weekend ticket (including camping): Free, but you must obtain a ticket (These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21)
Campervan tickets: £65 pounds per vehicle

For more information see: www.bestival.net

Hello world!

2010-12-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

The UK Festival Awards 2010 Winners Revealed:

2010-11-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

Festivals:
Best Major Festival - Bestival
Best Medium-Sized Festival - Green Man Festival
Best Small Festival - Kendal Calling
Best Overseas Festival - Snowbombing
Line Up Of The Year - RockNess
Best Metropolitan Festival - Gaymers Camden Crawl
Best Dance Event (Sponsored by Peppermint Bars) - Creamfields
The Grass Roots Festival Award - 2000 Trees Festival
The Greener Festival Award - Croissant Neuf Summer Party
Best Toilets - T in the Park
Best Family Festival - Camp Bestival
Best New Festival - Vintage at Goodwood

Artists:
Headline Performance of the Year - AC/DC at Download
Best Breakthrough Artist - Mumford and Sons
Feel-Good Act of the Summer - Paulo Nutini
Anthem of the Summer - Florence and The Machine – ‘You've Got The Love’
Virtual Festivals Critics' Choice Award - Biffy Clyro at Glastonbury Festival

Organisers:
The Lifetime Achievement Award - Geoff Ellis
Promoter of the Year – Glastonbury Festival
Outstanding Contribution to Festival Production - Neil McDonald

Brands:
Best Sponsor Activation - Coca Cola Recycling Campaign

Photos of Nottinghill Carnival & Coconut Joes

2010-09-03T03:08:00.000-07:00

Check out some of the photos from Nottinghill Carnival and a our two month pop-up bar in Liverpool - Coconut Joes

Nottinghill Carnival 2010 - with Toob Records & Bacardi

Coconut Joes - Our Summer Bar at Liverpool ONE

Photos courtesy of Ant Clausen photography

Nottinghill Carnival, Secret Garden Success and sold-out Bestival "Fantastic"

2010-08-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Feet, touched, ground. No chance.

But, what a great July we've had, blessed with great weather and some fantastic events - such as bar operations at 1234 Shoreditch, Tony Hawks in Brighton and Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae on the Common.

An amazing return for Secret Garden Party this year and some cracking weather to boot. Camp Bestival saw everyone dive down to Dorset for a long weekend with the kids and family - we have never seen such a clean and tidy festival! Tiesto at Victoria Park didn't disappoint, once again Loudsound putting on a cracking show. Closely followed by the very-cool Field Day at the same venue headed by Marcus and another great turnout - with some fantastic music and cocktails to boot!

Our Cowes Week event saw London nightclub Raffles join our party, with their VIP bar on the Pier which attracted the likes of England Rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio, broadsheet journalists and the Pineapple Dance studios film crew.

Coconut Joe's - our pop up bar bang in the middle of the amazing new Liverpool ONE shopping centre and complex has gone down an absolute hit with the locals - sipping cocktails on the man made beach whilst the sun goes down has been very popular. It runs until the first week in September - if you haven't been down already - check it out at www.coconutjoes.co.uk - also checkout some amazing pictures here.

Phew.

Now we've just done the bars for Hevy Festival and the simply jaw-dropping Red Bull X Fighters at Battersea Power Station -which doubled in size since last year.

All that leaves is LED Festival in Victoria Park and Nottinghill Carnival. We have been awarded the contract to run all the official bar sites within the Carnival which attracts over a million visitors over three days. We start with the Panorama Parade in Emslie Horniman's Pleasance on Saturday evening, followed by Blenheim Cresent and Westbourne Grove - where we'll be serving ice cold Mojitos on Sunday and Monday. Come see us!

Then, its back to the Isle of Wight for Bestival celebrating its 7th year. This year it's the year of the "Fantastic." We'll be running all 20 bars, including 8 cocktail bars.

800 bar staff, 4 days, 50,000 revellers - can't wait.

2010-07-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Peppermint Shepards Wharf builds on its strengths

Peppermint Shepards Wharf, one of Cowes Week's official events sites & marina celebrates its 7th year in the event with a raft of changes for 2010. Known for its popularity among crews, families and friends - Peppermint Shepards Wharf knows what makes the site popular and has built on it.

The official event site run by Peppermint Events (who also work with closely with Bestival on the Isle of Wight) in recent years has been moving towards 100% island-based suppliers; and this year they have taken it a step further. The on-site food operation dubbed "I Love Wight" has been taken in-house and will champion local, fresh Isle of Wight organic produce. Supporting this will be a local farmers market on both weekends of Cowes Week.

Peppermint have also sourced local island ales, affordable lagers and even Wight Vodka! "We're always looking at ways to improve. The official Cowes Week survey feedback is very useful to help us tweak our operation – such as more activities during the day and competitive drinks pricing. It's helped us build on our strengths too, such as good food and a buzzing atmosphere," comments Adam Hempenstall, Marketing Director.

New for 2010 will be day time entertainment in the form of bands every afternoon and evening inside the crew bar as well as beach games and activities. The RNLI , the official charity for 2010, will be hosting a party on Monday evening and the now established "must go" Mount Gay Cap Party returns on the Thursday evening. Club Infernos, Cowes Week's crew nightclub is back once again.

This year a luxury nightclub Raffles is welcomed into the Pier bar, where they will be hosting VIP tables that can be booked in advance as part of the nightclub.

"We are thrilled to announce that Raffles members club – the infamous Chelsea members club – will be providing a VIP pier bar and terrace, the perfect spot for a sophisticated drink or to book a late night table and enjoy the wharfs ambience in luxurious surroundings". The Pier bar will be open during the day for class receptions and private hire.

Peppermint Shepards Wharf is open from 7am until 2am every day during Cowes Week and is FREE to enter.

February...

2010-02-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

* To keep up to date with the lastest news from Peppermint, follow us on Twitter here *

The Moose Bar - We draw the curtains on another fantastic year for the Moose Bar in Canary Wharf on Sunday Feb. 21st. Thanks to everyone that made it happen including Steve, Mark, Simon and all of the extremely hard working hardworking Moose team. Will we be back next year? Who knows... Click here to visit the Moose Bar website.

Cowes - We're already looking forward to our 7th year at Cowes Week's official Crew Enclosure, Shepards Wharf. If you are interested in getting involved visit our mini site here or contact us.

Festivals - Well, if last year was a "slow" year for festivals, then this year is set to be off the hook! Lots of exciting new events for Peppermint this year, as well as our favourite regulars of course. To keep in touch with all the festival news follow us on twitter here.

New on-line bar hire system soon to be released on this website. Browse pictures, calculate delivery charges and pay on-line, all from the click of a button. Watch this space...

January Update!

2010-01-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

Festival Award Winners!

November 18th 2009, at the O2 in London saw the return of the "Festival Oscars"

Peppermint were there providing some essential refreshment for the Festival Awards Conference delegates and waitress service for the main event in the evening at the Indigo2 - where we were happy to see three of our clients pick up awards this year!

Congratulations from all from us at Peppermint - and we're already looking forward to 2010's awards, where you can bet we'll be helping all the attendees have a drink or two to wind down after a long and hard working festival season.
Peppermint: Proud to be working with the UK Festival Award Winners 2009:

Bestival

WINNER: Best Medium Festival

Camp Bestival

WINNER: Best Family Festival

Beach Break Live

WINNER: Best Small Festival

The Moose Bar

Our very own Moose Bar in London's Canary Wharf has had a very busy couple of months with Christmas events, corporate parties and our extremely loyal following of local professionals happy to soak up the log-cabin ambiance in the heart of London's financial district beneath No 1 Canada Square.

Jamie Oliver and Gok Wan are just a couple of celebs that have come down to see what all the fuss is about and we didn't disappoint! Unfortunately, all good things do come to and end and come the 21st Feb, we'll be pulling down those lovely log walls for another year and putting Mr Moose to hibernation over the summer. But, that's over 5 weeks away, so plenty of time to come down for a skate, a mulled wine or a Moosehead lager and see what all the fuss IS about!

Our weekly schedule has just been updated so you can see what we have on. If you want to come down and reserve and area simply visit the moose bar website and email us from there. We hope to too you there soon. Oh yes, and we havent increased our prices due to the VAT...

To view the latest Moose Bar newsletter click here

Mondays
From 17:30
Darts Night
Every Monday from 5:30pm - winner takes all K.O. darts competition Entry is £1

Tuesdays
From 18:30
The Moose Pub Quiz

Wednesdays
From 18:30
Karaoke
hosted by our very own "DJ Moose"

Thursdays
From 17:30
Live "Moosic"
Live Bands and Acts EVERY WEEK

Fridays
From 18:00
DJ Moose
Kick starts your weekend from 5pm

Saturdays
All day
Winter Warmers
our suggestions before or after you skate to keep you warm!

Sundays
All day
Read all about it
Relax with the Sunday papers whilst the kids go on the ice!

Bars at Festival - Why we're the experts

As well as our own stand-alone events like the Moose Bar and Cowes Week - we have been running bars at festival since 2002 and here's a reminder of why we're the industry choice:

* Peppermint has served over 8 million drinks to 2.5 million customers including over a million cocktails.
* We have over 8 years experience in the industry with a strong and rapidly growing portfolio of events - and the best reputation in the business: built on quality, accountability and attention to detail.
* We are the pioneers of high volume, high quality cocktail bars at outdoor events. We are able to provide cocktails, mixed perfectly, garnished beautifully and served with finesse in quantities
* We operate everything from intimate cocktail events to 75,000 capacity music festivals
* We serve over 200,000 drinks and 10,000 cocktails per day at times during the summer
* We have a team of bartenders and mixologists who are drawn from the best bars in country.

15% off ALL our fees throughout January

* Are you an event or festival looking to make more money on your bars? (We have helped countless events & festivals make MORE from their bar operation AND increase quality)
* Are you looking into raising sponsorship for the bars at your event in 2010?
* Are you looking to increase the quality of drinks at your event?

Quite simply, if you contact us between now and the 31st Jan 2010, allow us to quote for ANY event you have in the next 12 months (anything from a bar hire to a full festival bar quote) we will give you a 15% discount on our fees.

Conditions
This offer applies to new events or new clients only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Mention the promo code JANPROMO15 when you call us.

Call the direct line now on: 0208 687 2774 or email info@peppermintbars.co.uk quoting JANPROMO15 in the subject line.

Now the dust has settled...

2009-10-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

And... breath out.
September

What a crazy couple of months we've had here, apologies for the delay in the latest blog! Since Cowes (which incidentally we have just secured another 5 years on) Tiesto, Field Day and Red Bull X Fighters we went headfirst into the Tower of London's very own music festival: Tower Festival, situated in the moat (yes) of the Tower of London. A strange location you may think - but was treuly breathtaking to run a 10 day event in somewhere so grand and unique. Apart from a lot of carrying stock up and down stairs, it was a huge success - highlights being Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Nigel Kennedy and Womad. We ran the main bar and VIP lounge hosted by Continental Airways for the duration of the 10 day event.
Bestival

Whilst this was all going on, we ran all the bars at little event on the Isle of Wight called Bestival. (!) It was our 6^th year to deliver a total of fifteen bars on site, including the popular flag-ship cocktail bars The Black Dahlia and Pink Flamingo. Other bars included the Wonderland Inn with huge furry animals sitting on the bar, the Village Pub serving Bestiv-Ale, space-aged bars for Red Bull and Jim Beam and 90metres of bar to service the newly located main stage, among nine others to service the 45,000 ticket holders.

"It was a fantastic year for us at Bestival. It was so good to see such a great turnout and people enjoying themselves in the good weather despite the current climate. I think being on an island helps people to really escape – we certainly didn’t see people holding themselves back at the bars!"

Many thanks to all the team at Bestiva l - a challenging, but thoroughly enjoyable week. We are already formulating the master plan Bestival's 7th birthday in 2010

Other News

The Moose Bar

Our very own log cabin pop-up bar in the heart of London's financial district is returning bigger and better! Our very own Moose Bar as part of Canary Wharf Ice rink returns one week earlier this year and is open from Saturday 14th November 2009 - Sunday 21st February 2010.

This year the bar is bigger, more music and entertainment and dedicated corporate space. We have teamed up with Balmlane Events to bring excellent corporate packages. For more info on these packages click here to view the PDF.

The Boiler House @ Battersea Power Station

Following our success running the bars at this venue for Red Bull X Fighters, we have just been appointed preferred bar suppliers to London's newest and most unique event's venue - "The Boiler House @ Battersea Power Station." This venue is open for the next 2 - 3 years before one of Europe's largest re-development projects commences. We are extremely excited to be working alongside 1st Option Management, who represent some of the UK's best event spaces. You can visit their website by clicking here.

That just leaves Christmas - we're already busy putting together Event and Bar packages for seasonal month of December - its coming around quicker than you think! If you need something totally unique, speak to us - we're bored of the normal, boring venues, themes and venues - contact us we have some great ideas.

Bar Builds

We currently in the middle of designing and building some great new bars on behalf of our experiential clients - structures that can be used at a variety of events and festival - but can be carried around the country. Whatever you want, we can do it! We have an excellent in-house design team ready to make your ideas come to life. have a read on our website here about what we do, or give us a call on 0845 226 7845 ext 221.

Cowes Review

2009-08-21T09:43:00.001-07:00

It was the sixth year for us at Peppermint Shepards Wharf in Cowes this year and once again the week was a resounding success for the crews, friends and families of the competitors of Cowes week, the world’s largest sailing regatta.

With the likes of Brian Adams, Zara Phillips and Joe Worsley in attendance, its proof that Peppermint Shepards Wharf was the place to be this Cowes week. For the full Cowes write up visit our blog or look in Hello magazine for the review.

Peppermint Shepards Wharf was open for the 7 days of the regatta boasting 3 bars, a stunning Pier bar overlooking the Medina, Club Infernos nightclub and a trade village and a sit down restaurant. We have just signed another 5 years at Shepards Wharf, proof that we're in it for the long haul and continue our quest to be THE place to be during Cowes week for the competitors...

X marks the spot.

2009-08-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Excitement is mounting here at the Peppermint H.Q as it's not only friday ...but also the day before what will undoubtedly be the coolest, most exhilerating event of the year - RED BULL X-FIGHTERS. Held at the Battersea Power Station, the boys at Red Bull promise to have you jumping out of your seats as stunt motorcyclists perform their most death defying stunts over tonnes of dirt and thousands of gawping spectators. Peppermint Bars will be there with knobs on, cooling off even the most flustered of viewers! Expect to see us looking fresh, dishing out beers, ciders, wines, Red Bull by the crate and maybe a sniff of vodka too.. !

Hold onto your hats, we'll be back next week with all the news, reviews and hopefully some sweet shots of the most breathtaking action the big smoke has ever seen!

Peppermint back and fresher than ever!

2009-08-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, what a long time it's been since the last blog - and so much has happened!

The last weekend in July saw the busiest weekend of the Peppermint Summer with our triple header weekend of Secret Garden Party, Camp Bestival and the Ben & Jerrys Summer Sundae and I'm happy to report we hit the ground running! With three events, infamous and incredible in their own right, the only complaint to be heard was that they were all on the same weekend!!

Still, the weekend saw Peppermint faces, old and new come together to provide shots, cocktails, pints and beverages of every kind in their thousands and you loved it! With the sun shining down on us (for all of 5 minutes!) we all had an epic time doing our thing and we know you did too!

My festival of choice (a tough, TOUGH one to call) had to be Secret Garden Party, which since its induction in 2004 has fast become the best (and not so well kept) secret in the UK festival scene. With super big time acts such as Jarvis Cocker and Rodrigo & Gabriella being a super small contribution to the colourful and riotus 4 day party, it's no wonder Peppermint fitted in so well. From cocktails served in Watering Cans, fresh Pineapples and Melons to ice cold pints of cider and lager and delivered by our loyal army of Volunteers and our in house team of hippy Pepperminters, this was not event to be missed by anyone!

Last weekend saw a completely different set of events in the funky Victoria Park. With a Tiesto gig on friday that saw 2,000 VIPs alone, thousands of die hard fans gathered to watch the sun go down to the World's most revered DJ, cool pint in hand and dancing shoes on feet!

The Saturday welcomed Field Day: the cool kids' new favourite event that embraced all ranges of music from rock to pop and grime to funky house. In true British style, the rain came out and you all came in the bars to sample more cocktails, traditional ales and good old pints! Well, what else does a Brit do in the rain?!

No sooner had the last drink been finished, it was time to head down to Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight, the UK's largest sailing regatta. The place to be: Shepard's Wharf, Peppermint's very own slice of the action. During the week, thousands of sailors, wannabe sailors and good old spectators flocked into our Wharf to get involved. With our bars gleaming and staff beaming from the well deserved break from the festival scene, what a truly splendid affair it turned out to be!

What's next for Peppermint I hear you ask? I wish I could say a jolly good rest but I'm afraid no such luck in that department! With two of our biggest events on the way, we're still packing, building, planning to make our bars bigger, better and even more loved than ever in time for the highly anticipated RED BULL XFIGHTERS and our favourite season ender BESTIVAL where it's all hands on deck and no one rests until the first leaf falls from the tree!

To all of you that have read the entirity of this blog- well done, you are truly mad!

Emilie x

For more pictures : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=902481&id=272900756#/album.php?aid=35646&id=272900756

Techno, Tequila, Tempests.

2009-07-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

(Glade 2008)

Hello Summer and goodbye Sun!

It's a little joke within the industry that you can always tell when the season starts..by the rain!
And whilst I'm still clinging onto hopes of sipping one of our ice cold cocktails at a scorching Secret Garden Party I can't help but notice the huge, black cloud that appears permanently wedged outside the Peppermint window.. here's hoping it's just mother nature going through a (short) phase..

..Fortunately, the weather will prove totally insignificant for the hardcore attendees of our next big festival GLADE !!

Those hippy ravers will have no trouble doing their thing rain or shine and I for one am with them! Hosted this year at the Matterley Bowl in Winchester, Glade promises to be one of the highlights of the Peppermint Summer with a whole host of fabulous DJs including Underworld, Squarepusher and Booka Shade. (check out the full lineup at http://www.gladefestival.com/)

With our staff and volunteers raring to get onto the field, it's just a matter of counting down the days. See you there and don't forget the wellies!!

Peppermint - What will they do next!?

2009-06-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

It's monday and we're back at our H.Q in Colliers Wood.
I have to admit, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't pining to go back to Beach Break, what a fantastic week! Every year there is always the worry that the coming year won't quite live up to the last but this year shows promise of being even better!

The new and improved Peppermint team are all we could hope for: fun, hardworking and passionate (our cocktail bartenders in particular are some of the best in the game!)

All in all it was an incredible week: not a cloud in the sky, great music, a great crowd (students represent!) and a great vibe! And it's only the beginning...

Over the next few weeks we're hitting up events of every type, starting off with Polo in The Park and Loop festival in Brighton, moving onto our favourite dance festival Glade, Music on the Moor, Hevy Festival, Cowes Week, Field Day and rounding off July with our TRIPLE header weekend (!!) which will include Secret Garden Party, Camp Bestival, Ben and Jerry's Summer Sundae festival! It's a good job we don't like twiddling our thumbs because it's going to be a big one!

For all your twitterers, don't forget to follow us on www.twitter.com/peppermintbars

Stay classy, festival heads.

BEACH BREAK LIVE! DAY 3

2009-06-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

So we're back in the dirty, sunny bliss that is the festival season and halfway through our first major festival BEACH BREAK LIVE. So after the ups and the downs, the event is going spectacularly with a whole line of amazing acts playing (friendly fires being my top favourite), the sun high in the sky and students soaking up the rays and the music in the new location of Kent!

Our Peppermint team has been working tirelessly to bring these scally students great drinks and a great atmosphere, but it's almost over!! Dizzee plays tonight and there's a buzz in the air for it!! But for now, it's time for me to check on the team and top up my sunburn, check out the photos next week!

Emilie x

Polo In The Park - what a weekend!

2009-06-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

So we've just finished our first event- Polo In The Park!

A new event for us and we rose to the challenge and had a fantastic time! With lovely Polo players and champagne aplenty, our staff rose to the challenge and we loved every minute of it. As the first Polo match in central London for over 75 years, we at Peppermint were delighted to be involved. Our bars looked gorgeous and the staff looked as sexy as ever in their posh uniforms and cheeky smiles... check out the photos!

Moving forward, we're so excited about our future events, the next of which is the infamous Duke of Essex Polo.. and after that we start rolling with the festivals... and no one is anticipating it more than us!

Ready, steady, go!

2009-05-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone's been trained, the event plans are close to completion and we're just about ready to be flung head first into a very busy and exciting summer, hold on tight!

Events include Glade, Secret Garden Party, Field Day, Tiesto, Bestival (and her little sister Camp Bestival), Hevy Festival, Red Bull X Fighters and many more (and more soon to be confirmed.)

We're also getting ready for our site at Cowes Week (if you live on the Isle of Wight and you have bar experience send your cv to mailto:cv@peppermintbars.co.uk) as well as Polo in the Park which kicks off in just over a week's time.

More to come soon, piccy's to follow also. In the meantime, follow us at http://www.twitter.com/peppermintbars

BBC makes it official, we're in for a hot one!!

2009-05-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, the BBC have told us it's going to be a long hot and DRY (!!) Summer this Summer which I for one am taking as gospel.

Hello, sun tan and ice cold cider and goodbye wet socks and ponchos.
(note: anyone seen wearing a poncho in the name of fashion will be removed from our bars and chased off site by our charming fleet of rottweilers!)

So anyway, here at H.Q it is getting busy, busy, busy! I for one have worked tirelessly at ensuring that the best of the best in delicious cocktails are brought to you this Summer, by extensive and exhausting tasting sessions. It's a hard life for poor little interns!

In other news..

Our lovely warehouse guys have been making all of our bars look super pretty and we'll soon be ready to head into the sun, with the Peppermint lorries in tow, ready to rock your pallets from the inside out!

Anyway, the sun is out, it's 5.45pm and home time beckons, along with a lovely pint along the Thames. More next week!

Sunshine Cocktails

2009-05-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

Well, sorry for the week break, but the last couple of weeks have been pretty busy for us. Volunteer recruitment for Secret Garden Party has gone just crazy and we're now FULL UP! That's a record! Beach Break Live and Glade are starting to fly as well now, it wont be long until we have all the volunteers we need.

As for our other staff, recruitment is going well - we have some great people joining the Peppermint team - never before have we been inundated with so many CV's and people interested to work: I guess one positive for us in the current climate.

This week we're finalising our summer season's cocktail recipes and we have Glen (our head Mixologist) coming in to trial our shortlist. Its a good job this "tasting" has been scheduled for Friday 5pm eh?!!!

First event in 3 weeks time: Polo in the Park - cant wait.

www.peppermintbars.co.uk

Before the crazyness starts...

2009-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, the evenings are definately getting lighter and we've spent the last week in our head office in Colliers Wood baked in glorious sunshine, makes us think how much we're looking forward to the summer, but also, argh! how close we are! Still we can't wait and we start the season with Polo in the Park on the 5th June...

http://www.peppermintbars.co.uk