25 Jun 2024
At Home Farm is a series of individually ticketed outdoor events running through the spring and summer, brought to you by some of the finest musical, culinary and comedic talent, and organised and run by three St Albans women who wanted to create something truly magical…
For the fourth year running, At Home Farm has hosted intimate music, comedy, dining and wellbeing events on the Aldenham Estate, 150 acres of privately owned fields and woodland in the heart of the Green Belt.
The concept was established during the winter lockdown of 2020, with a desire to bring live experiences back to artists and audiences, but also to offer something very different.
With the event team’s careers in festivals, programming and hospitality, every part of the At Home Farm experience has been carefully considered and curated, from the main collaborators to the audience’s journey through the farm, mindful of maintaining an intimacy and rustic nature.
Three of the four-woman events team stem from the district.
St Albans mum Elissa Gold is the event director. She trained in audio visual production and graduated from Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. Elissa has worked in the events industry for over 20 years and her passion sits in immersive storytelling and performance where she orchestrates extraordinary, show-stopping experiences.
“I grew up in Stanmore, but moved to St Albans in 2011 when my daughter was just 20 months old and I never left. I love it!” she said.
“I’ve been lucky to work on the At Home Farm events since its inception, and last year I was honoured to take on the role of event director. I grew up in the area and visited the Aldenham Estate many times as a child, so to be able to bring such a magical event season to local people and connect with fond childhood memories has been an amazing experience.”
Event producer Mandy Janes has worked in event management for 24 years. As a director of Continental Drifts she event managed and produced many large scale community and cultural festivals including Hackney Carnival, Greenwich Together, Lollibop and Bermondsey Carnival.
“I grew up in Chesham and after living in London for 15 years finally came to live in Wheathampstead, St Albans. I’ve been here for 11 years now and I love living in St Albans and all it has to offer.
“I fell into events management fairly organically. After doing a degree in Community Arts I then set up a company doing large scale community arts projects. ”After this I got a job in two consecutive contemporary circus and performance agencies as an event booker; booking circus and performance for large scale festivals and events before I was made a director at Continental Drifts where I worked as an event manager for 24 years.
Finally, marketing manager Kat Whitehead has over 20 years experience working in festivals and events, including running The Great Festival for nine years, showcasing 400 up and coming bands annually across 30 intimate venues in Brighton. It has a reputation for discovering new music, with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Adele, Stormzy, Mumford & Sons and Florence & the Machine all performing when they were just starting out.
She said: “At Home Farm is genuinely magical. The series is set in lush meadows and ancient woodland, just 30 minutes from St. Albans, making it a gorgeous spot to spend a summer evening with friends and family or extend it into an overnight experience with a stay in the glamping meadow.
“All our events are intimate, with no more than 500 guests at our music nights and 150 at the wild dining events, promising an unforgettable experience like no other in Hertfordshire.”
This year’s season, which runs from May until September, features intimate performances on a secluded woodland stage from folk-royalty and twice Mercury-nominated Nick Mulvey, as well as Communion’s Holly Humberstone – an award-winning alt-pop rising star – along with two nights of music presented by Ronnie Scott’s featuring vocalist Vanessa Haynes who will sing as Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul and Izo Fitzroy with her powerful blend of soul, gospel and blues.
Meanwhile, celebrated chefs Adriana Cavita, Josh Katz and DJ BBQ will each create bespoke long table banquets that beautifully marry their own signature style with Ben Quinn’s (Woodfired Canteen) expertise in fire cookery, served in a three-hat tipi.
New to the programme this year is Wild Oak Meadows, a one day family festival filled with music, theatre, circus skills, crafting and wild woodland activities, all celebrating the beautiful outdoors. A unique programme of enriching workshop and wellbeing activities will run alongside the live music, wild banquets and family events, including creative workshops with Essoldo Design and a half day yoga and creative wellbeing retreat. Overnight stays are also available to be booked in the glamping meadow.
Working out the programme for each season is a year-long process, as Elissa explained: “After each event season, planning begins in October. We start to speak to partners and artists to gather feedback and brainstorm new ideas.
“We work with regular partners including Communion One, Ronnie Scott’s Presents and Woodfired Canteen but we always ensure we are showcasing some new artists, musicians and chefs with each year’s programme.
“We always work hard to evolve our offering. So this year we’re particularly excited for our brand new family day festival Wild Oak Meadows which takes place on July 13! This is something that I think the area really needs.
“Once visitors come to an event, we always hope that many will naturally want to return the following year as we’ve created a really magical laidback experience. It’s been designed to take people on a journey and foster a connection to nature.
“A great example of this is our music events. Guests enjoy pre-show drinks and food on straw bales in the glamping meadow before going on a beautiful festoon-lit walk through the woodlands with a private lake to reach the hidden Woodland Stage. Magical is really the best word to describe it.”
She added: “All of our events have been so wonderful for different reasons. We work so hard behind the scenes to make the experience a success for our audience.
“When we are live – seeing everyone’s faces light up and smile – and hearing feedback from guests that it was a beautiful experience gives me goosebumps and makes me feel extremely proud. If I was pushed to pick out a few, it would be Patrick Watson in 2022 and Ronnie Scott’s performances last year, Nick Mulvey’s 2021 show – and of course he returns in August.
“But this year the one I’m super excited about is our new family festival Wild Oak Meadows. The area is calling out for an event like this and we can’t wait for families to experience what we have planned!”
Find out more about At Home here: https://www.athomefarm.live/
