By Mark Lunn & Susannah Lunn
Well, ok... where do we start?! The Long Road Festival 2023 did not disappoint! From the moment we arrived until the moment we left we were entertained by an abundance of musicians, had so much fun and laughter with friends and we indulged on a variety of fantastic food from the broad selection of vendors.
Some of the bands and artists that we particularly enjoyed watching over the weekend were the Eli Young Band, Megan Moroney, Blackberry Smoke & The Josh Abbott Band. There were so many amazing artists playing over the weekend that it's very difficult to mention them all but every single one that we were lucky enough to watch put on a fantastic show for the thousands of Americana, Country and Roots fans that attended the 3 day festival.
There were so many activities throughout the weekend including The Lucky Dice Car Show featuring many classic American cars and trucks. Brave festival go-ers also had the unique opportunity to participate in wild swimming in the picturesque lake on site. Throughout the duration of the festival there were an abundance of other activities on offer such as axe throwing, roping, barn dancing and so much more. There were also children's games and activities taking place throughout the day in the Lil Possum County area.
Our main artist pick of the weekend (and quite possibly the star of the festival for us) was the incredibly talented Tyler Booth from the state of Kentucky. Now, this guy is the real deal! He played on Saturday & Sunday at Buddy's Bar, a great little spot tucked away in the woods. I mean it doesn't get much more country than that! He also did a small, intimate set on the Team Kentucky stage. He performed songs such as Palomino Princess, Different Kind of Blue & Hank Crankin' People. He's our America-UK "One To Watch Out For". Check him out here: https://newmusic.tylerboothmusic.com
Our food vendor pick of the weekend has to be the Texas Smoker. A 1946 Chevy Firetruck imported from Pottawatomie Indian Reservation in Kansas and converted into a huge smoker capable of smoking upto 800KG of meat in one go! Our favourite menu item was the Dirty Dog- a foot long hot dog loaded with beef brisket & pulled pork smothered in BBQ sauce, cheese, chipotle sauce and spring onions. Other items available were various loaded burgers, fully loaded nachos and fries just to name a few. To find out more check out: https://texassmokers.co.uk
Other America-UK favourites include two live fire food venders, Game and flames and acme fire cult they were cooked with attention, very well priced & the chefs were very approachable and incredibly knowledgeable.
Our main pick of retail stores at the festival was YETI. The iconic products they sell really are on another level so it's no wonder they are featured in many country music lyrics and videos. Not a lot on the market compares. When you buy a cooler from them it is for life. They are built very well and should last the test of time. They claim to keep your items cool for at least 72 hours (though from speaking to happy customers we can tell you that figure is modest of them!) and to the surprise of many, they are not mains or battery powered. They also seemed to be selling many drinkwear items all weekend long with customers taking advantage of free personalised engraving. Find out more about the products they sell here: https://uk.yeti.com
We also feel the need to mention the Boho Buffalo store. They looked so busy all weekend long selling their unique boho western boutique items, luxury bohemian clothing and handmade jewellery. Emma-Jayne, Owner of Boho Buffalo, supports fair trade craft workers by outsourcing projects to Peru, Ethiopia, Bali, Guatemala and India, providing them with the income to substantially feed their families. Check them out here: https://bohobuffalo.com
Following Cam's headline set we ended the Sunday evening in country style as we sat down around a fire pit making s'mores at the Solo Stove store. Their smokeless fire pits don't just look impressive but work so well. We will definitely be investing in one of them in the near future! Find out more about this Texas based company here: https://eu.solostove.com
If you ask us, the Long Road Festival really did have it all & it did it all incredibly well. Hats off to the organisers- you pulled off an August bank holiday masterpiece of a fun filled weekend.
