Chilfest blends Outdoor Cinema with live music from The Real Thing

Organisers of Hertfordshire’s annual music festival, Chilfest, who have been running a series of Outdoor Cinema events this summer, now announce a special experience including music from British 70s soul group The Real Thing.

This exceptional event takes place on Saturday 29 August at Pendley Meadow in Tring, utilising the current Outdoor Cinema setup. Visitors will enjoy the documentary ‘Everything: The Real Thing Story’ in an immersive viewing experience, using high quality wireless headphones. They will then be treated to a live set from the popular artists.

The Real Thing, who were the first all-black British band to have a UK number one, have performed at Tring’s iconic Chilfest festival on several occasions. When approached by organiser Steve Butcher about this unique performance opportunity, they agreed straight away to take part and perform for local fans.

Steve Butcher, Chilfest Event Director, explains, ‘The Outdoor Cinema series has been proving really popular. After one of the shows I went home and watched the documentary on The Real Thing and absolutely loved it. Then the idea came to me… why don’t we combine our cinema setup with some live music and treat Chilfest supporters to a very special evening of entertainment?!

‘When I spoke to the band’s management about the idea, they bit my hand off – musicians and performers, as well as those of us on the production side in the events industry, are desperate to get back to doing what we all love. We are on the brink of real disaster across the sector, but I’m determined to keep my business agile and do what we can to entertain people.’

Gates will open on Saturday 29 August at 5.00pm. ‘Everything: The Real Thing Story’ will be screened from 7pm. After a short intermission, the live music set will commence at 9pm. Guests can also take advantage of great food and drink throughout the evening.

Chilfest Outdoor Cinema has been running since July (showing Friday, Saturday and Sunday movies) and feedback from visitors has been five star. All the social distancing and health & safety measures in place have worked seamlessly. The team have worked hard to pivot from their cancelled Chilfest music festival, bringing events back to local people. Several screenings are now sell-outs as the event grows and public confidence in going out safely continues to build.

Tickets for ‘Chilfest’s intimate evening with The Real Thing’ are on sale now and can be purchased at www.chilfest-cinema.co.uk. The capacity for this unique show is limited, due to social distancing guidelines and the existing venue format. Those that want to join in the fun are encouraged to buy their tickets as soon as possible!

In the meantime, Chilfest Outdoor Cinema also continues. Tickets for each weekend are released on Mondays at 10am. Further details can be found at www.chilfest-cinema.co.uk, and on Chilfest’s Facebook and Instagram pages.