OUT OUT Fest is coming to Scunthorpe on 15-17 August 2025
BY ANASTASIA WALKER, IMAGE BY JORDAN CORRIN
Festival season. Those two words have been the equivalent to Christmas for me since I was 16 years old. A combination of two words, that, as a touring musician gives you an all-encompassing “fists punching the sky” feeling, equally coupled up with a “oh god, this is going to be a crazy ride…” train of thought.
Now that I’m on the other side of the festival circuit, organising the first three-day camping music festival in South Yorkshire for LGBTQIA+ women, as opposed to performing or headlining thosefestivals, I can assure you, the words “festival season” still evoke the same feelings.
Hi, my name is Stars (Anastasia Walker) and I’ve been lucky enough to tour some of the biggest stages and festivals in the world as the front woman of South Yorkshire band, Bang Bang Romeo.
I’ve been lucky enough, and unashamedly hard working enough to have toured with artists such as P!NK, Sting, Rag n Bone man and Spandau Ballet at venues including Wembley Stadium, Anfield, stadiums across Europe and main stages from the Isle of Wight Festival, Leeds, Reading, Rock Werchter and beyond. I still have to check back at the photos and videos from time to time to double check that my career hasn’t all just been a heavy REM medically induced wondrous dream. But it was and is still very much real.
A lot of the success of the band came from our incredible fan base who stayed loyal to the very end. And now? Fast forward a couple of years and festival season is still very much in the air, but for different reasons…
Laid in bed with my incredibly wonderful fiancée Stacey Donohoe, a fabulous singer in her own right after being a part of such milestones for the community such as The L Project with legendary acts such as Horse (we’ll get back to that queen shortly) and as an advocate and supporter in festivals such as the incredible L Fest created by THE DON of women LGBTQIA+ festivals Cindy Edward’s. Stacey turns to me halfway through an episode of The Handmaids Tale: “Babe, I know we’ve been flirting with the idea of women’s club parties for a while now, but I think it’s actually a festival we should be creating first…”
Both Stacey and I are core team DJs for the UK’s biggest-selling event – Day Fever. Created by BAFTA winner (and absolutely wonderful human whom we’re incredibly lucky enough to now call a friend) Vicky McClure. As well as Jonny Owen, Jon McClure (Uncle Jon/Reverend & The Makers front man) Chris McClure and James O’Hara. All amazing hard working people who have brought the daytime party to the masses across the UK.
There at Day Fever, we saw an opportunity to create something similar for our community, the LGBTQIA+ women of the country and provide a daytime party space that not only felt like 1 am in the nineties, but a safe space of belonging and nostalgia.
“A festival…. Wow, okay, sure you don’t want to try the daytime parties first?” I reply.
“If we’re going to create this space, let’s start with a bang. Let’s begin with a festival that is like a festival on steroids. Let’s take the women of the UK, OUT OUT.”
And she was right, as Stacey almost always is.
OUT OUT Fest is coming to Scunthorpe on 15-17 August this year, for its first ever outing (pun fully intended).
Held at the awesome Thorpe Meadows Farm, co-organised by our gorgeous friends and business partners Sam Thompson-Hall and Sharon Thompson-Hall, we are bringing nostalgic fun and a party atmosphere back to women’s festivals.
The three-day camping festival boasts headline acts such as number one dance hit makers Rozalla & Kelly Llorenna for our Saturday night nighties party, where hits such as Set You Free and Everybody’s Free will be heard from miles away. With the generational inspiration that is Horse headlining and closing the festival on Sunday with her full band. What a treat!
Additional and incredibly fitting live acts and DJs will also be gracing the stage, such as: Kiziah & The Kings, Harri Larkin, Kelly Marie as Cher, Hollands very own The 2 Chicks, Donna Moody as P!NK, DJ Sandra D, DJ Vanessa Motion, Jenny Ball and so so much more.
Away from the music you’ll find activities such as Total Wipe Out Out, Cowgirl Bunjee runs and Rodeo Bulls, DJ workshops, Tarot Card and Scrying lessons, Yoga, sounds baths and breathing morning workshops with VIP sofa seating areas adorned with Cocktail bars and a Scran Village packed with Greek, Italian, French and English LGBTQIA+ vendors including vegan and vegetarian options. (Oh, and our late night campfire jam sessions, bring your instruments!). We can’t wait to deliver a festival for the history books.
So, I suppose I only have one question left.. Ladies, are you coming OUT OUT?
OUT OUT Fest is coming to Scunthorpe on 15-17 August 2025. Find out more about OUT OUT here: outoutevents.com.
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