Wilderwild Stage
New for this year, is the Wilderwild Stage, based - you guessed it - in the Wilderwild. A vibrant and immersive experience where music and nature converge to create unforgettable moments of harmony and connection. Alongside our music programme the Wilderwild stage will also host raves, yoga and some of our well being workshops. Nestled amidst the lush greenery the stage offers a one of a kind setting for both performer and audience members alike. Picture yourself surrounded by towering trees, swaying grass and the gentle sounds of flowing water as you soak in the magic of live music.
Tinkertown - City of Play
City of Play's Tinkertown are on a mission to revive the lost art of den building and are headed back to Deer Shed, this time armed with more pallets than ever before!
An incredible 2,000 of you visited our City of Play last year, helping our placemaking team design and build all sorts of structures from scrap timber. The open nature of Tinkertown empowers children to explore their ideas, safely learn about risk and collaborate both physically and socially on an inhabitable, autonomous project that is as big as their imaginations.
We’ve been busy collecting too, so be prepared to turn Baldersby Park into your very own Timber Town or Pallet Palace!F,SU.
Tree Climbing
If you're anything like us the first thing you want to do when you see a tree is climb it!
Well, lucky for you we've invited professional tree climber Jessica Herbert and her tree climbing team back to Topcliffe so they can show us how it's done.
Long time festival friends and honorary Shed heads, Jessica and co. will be on hand to help you safely scale some of the most magnificent specimens that Baldersby Park has to offer; don't forget to tell us what the festival site looks like whilst you’re up there admiring the view!£,SU.
Fire Side Choir with SHE Choir
SHE Choir Manchester is a cooperative choir. Singing their own arrangements and making decisions collaboratively. They welcome all women and non-binary people and actively strive to offer a welcoming, safer space for anyone who wants to sing with them. SHE Choirs share values on cooperation and collaboration. We could think of no group better to join us around the early evening campfire and run an interactive campfire choir session for all ages. So if you fancy having a sing song from pop to punk then just turn up and have a go!
Muster Stools
This interactive session will enable participants to embark on a wood working journey with Forest School for all. A versatile piece of furniture with a rich history and practical application. Forest School for All, Mark Clarke and his team will be offering drop in woodworking projects and bookable rustic stool making workshops throughout the weekend with ‘Making, Learning, Fun’ at the heart of everything they do.£,SU.
Pet Logs
Hazel, Birch, Ash: just a few of the names that spring to mind for your pet log that you can create at Deer Shed this year - and take home to look afterwards. No vet bills, no cages to clean out, the perfect pet you might say. There isn't even a grooming regime. Whether you're a seasoned pet owner or a new enthusiast, come and unleash your creativity with the help of Forest School for all and join other pet lovers in the Wilderwild.£,DI.
Lerae's Flower Head Garland Workshops
Using a combination of real flowers, herbs, greenery, feathers and ribbon, Lerae will help you get into the festival vibe with your own willow head garland. A whimsical and aromatic journey into the art of floral crafting, centred around nature. Experiment with colour combinations, textures and layering under Lerae's guidance.£,DI.
Wood Cookies
Wood Cookies, also known as tree cookies or wood slices, is a delightful craft that allows you to showcase the natural beauty of wood in various projects. This might sound delicious (and by the end of it they may look good enough to eat) but your Wooden Cookies are designed as decorative pieces; maybe a coaster could work for you, a DIY gift or a piece of art for your home? The opportunities are endless. Suitable for all ages, the Forest School for All team will be onsite to guide you step by step.£,SU.
Copper Ring Making with Bean Creative
Under the guidance of Bean Creative, this is a lovely opportunity to try something a little different by making your own unique, recycled copper pipe ring! Made from old plumbing parts! Inspired by the trees around you, you'll hammer, texture, file and polish to produce a beautiful ring that is the perfect piece of festival jewellery.£,DI.
Elder Wood Beads
The Elder Wood bead workshop, led by Forest School for All, is a delightful opportunity for families to come together and create meaningful keepsakes using elder wood beads - whilst learning about the elder tree and its significance to different cultures and traditions. Once you've sanded and polished yours, sit down and get creative, decorating your elder bead with different arrangements and colour combinations.£,DI.
Dancing Sticks
Dancing Sticks (or Dandiya sticks) are used during the traditional folk dance of Raas Garba. Garba and Dandiya dances are a tradition of Indian culture that is a usual feature in navratri celebration. Decorate your stick with ribbon and materials to provide colour and texture, guided by the team at Forest Schools for All. It should bring you luck over the festival weekend...£,DI.
Secret Sessions
We've wanted to do this for a while at Deer Shed, selecting a few acts from our music programme and getting them to do secret performances from our Wilderwild Stage. These sets won't be in the programme, but we might drop a few hints on socials...you'll just have to wait and see who's there on the day. A bit of spontaneity in a programme never hurt anyone.
Richard Kay Storytelling
Richard Kay is one of Yorkshire's finest Story tellers. Far from recounting tired old tales, his story telling is spell binding and immersive, often incorporating music and magic skills into his performances. Let Richard light up your imagination around the fire, for a second time!.
Pottery Workshops
Father and son team, Claude and Louis Frere-Smith, return to Wilderwild with their traditional potter's kick wheels, running workshops throughout the weekend. Prebook a time slot that suits you, to make your very first Deer Shed pot, along with a little expert help. And you get to take it home with you.£,SU.
Dora's Rave
Spike and Sponge Friday Raves are part of the furniture now at Deer Shed. An electrifying and colourful celebration, designed especially for our youngest party animals! Groove to pulsating beats and dazzling lights, with Dora and Gris and a handful of friends at the helm. We've decided this year we need to create the buzz atmosphere at the Wilderwild stage, so who needs silent headphones when you can get the real thing out loud.F,DI.
Weaving
We know how much you love a good weaving session at Deer Shed, so we've decided to create communal sessions in the Wilderwild this year! You'll be adding to big frames across the weekend using natural materials, along with hundreds of others, to create one large marvellous installation. We can't wait to see what your creative minds come up with.F,DI.
RSPB Moth I.D
Together with RSPB, learn more about what species of moths call Baldersby Park their home. Learn about moths, their role in the eco-system and how to safety observe and study them, ready for a happy release back into the wild. Learn everything from life cycles, their importance in pollination, and food sources - to come away as a Moth Expert.F,DI.
Sunrise & Twlight Kayak Sessions
As if having our very own lake on site wasn’t cool enough, in addition to our daytime kayak sessions we'll be bringing back our pre-bookable specialised Sunrise and Twilight sessions so you can fully appreciate how gosh darn beautiful Baldersby Park is… No, you’re crying!
Anyway, whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’re welcome to join us on the water and paddle to your heart’s content as Topcliffe wakes up/goes to sleep around you. Just watch out for any dozing ducks, okay?£,PB.
Fire Side Stories with Jenna Drury
We highly recommend you join Jenna Drury of Mud Pie Arts around our campfire for a tall tale or two…
Mud Pie Arts have been baking up interactive, multi-sensory stories for over 20 years and celebrated playwright and children’s author Jenna is currently Education Associate at York Theatre Royal, so we can’t think of anyone better to hand-pick their very best yarns and finest capers for you, the quick-witted folks of Deer Shed.
Be sure to bring your imagination, as well as a blanket and some snacks; who knows what adventures are in store!
Save the Bees
Bee-lieve it or not, bees don’t just make all that yummy honey we eat every day, they also play a vital role in keeping our flowers blooming and our orchards full of fruit. So, making sure our bee buddies are happy and healthy is really important!
Join Ash, to make your very own seed burst that you can take home, to help the bees in your garden. You can also check out how a beehive works and what we can do to keep the bees abuzz; whether we’re helping tired bees find their way back home, protecting existing beehives or encouraging new ones by doing amazing things with seeds, this experience is guaranteed to be the bees' knees…£,DI.
Wild Run
The Wild Run is fast becoming a Saturday and Sunday morning tradition here at Deer Shed; few things can prepare you for a full on day of family fun than flying through the fields of Baldersby Park!
Don't worry if you're just out for a gentle morning jog though, our dedicated team of fitness bunnies will be delighted to keep you company.
Whether you're determined to set a new BP-PB (that's Baldersby Park Personal Best btw) or if you need to dust those night-before-hangover-cobwebs away, you're more than welcome; no judgement here - just jogging!F,SU.
Fireside Sessions
It doesn’t get much cooler than this… Or should we say cosier? We’ve invited a selection of the incredible acts and artists from this year’s line up to join us by the fire for some special, stripped-down sets.
Remember to pack your best blankets, make sure to double up on marshmallows (you can never have enough in our opinion) and prepare to snuggle down next to a proper campfire alongside some suitably soothing songsmiths.
Fireside Storytime
Is there a better soundtrack to a bed time story than the hiss and crackle of a proper campfire?
Cosy up next to our seasoned storytellers as they whisk you away to distant lands full of mystery and adventure… But don’t forget to take a s’more or two with you before you go. We’d hate for you to get peckish on the way!
RSPB
It happens every. single. year. Whether we’re drifting off to sleep in our tent or waking up first thing, we’ll hear a brand-new bird call and proceed to spend the whole weekend trying to track it down!
Fortunately for us, the RSPB are setting up shop at Deer Shed this year to put our bird-brains at ease. They’ll have all the info you need on the wide variety of feathered friends that you’re likely to see in Baldersby Park - and maybe even some tips on their annual nature & treasure walks,…