For one fabulous day on July 10th, the industry came together at The Backup Fabulous Village Fete at Daytona Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey, to raise much needed funds for supporting those working in the live events industry when they need it most. This year’s event, which welcomed over 350 event professionals from more than 40 different companies, raised just over £51,000 for Backup Tech, bringing the total raised for the charity over the years to nearly half a million pounds.

The Backup Fabulous Village Fete, renamed this year in memory of Adam Taylor (AKA Adam Fabulous), an esteemed member of the events industry and well-renowned DJ who was a long-time supporter of the Backup Village Fete, continued the tradition of being ‘the industry’s best day out’.

The event delivered an exhilarating mix of competition and celebration, headlined by the legendary three-hour endurance karting race and the beloved 5-Star Cases Flight Case Relay challenge. Attendees also embraced reimagined countryside activities including fly catching (adapted fly fishing) and peasant shooting (laser clayz), alongside the creative pursuit of feather dancing.

Stage Sound Services won the Veg Off for their amazing raspberries, Unusual bagged the award for Best Fete Stall Activity, Tim ‘The Sailor’ from ES Global got the prize for Best Dressed Fete-Goer, Medialease baked themselves to glory in the Bake Off, and EM Acoustics won the Peasant Shooting competition.

The karting competition continued to be a cornerstone attraction, with 33 squads battling through the demanding three-hour endurance race, featuring strategic pit stops, tactical refuelling, and occasional penalties for overzealous driving. TAIT raced to victory, with CEG claiming second place.

The day’s crescendo came with the Fab Cab (Fabulous Cabaret), which transformed the venue into a sun-soaked celebration reminiscent of classic Balearic beach clubs. The stellar entertainment programme showcased DJ Asad alongside ‘Kit on Sax’ building the perfect soundtrack, culminating with headline acts Ruby Murray and The Idolls delivering a repertoire of beloved Ibiza anthems that had the entire crowd singing along.

At the heart of the event remained its strong sense of community, amplified by collaborative partnerships with Music Support, The Power of Events, and Music Industry Therapists, who provided essential resources and guidance throughout the celebration.

The inaugural DJ Off competition, created to celebrate Adam’s musical heritage, was a huge amount of fun with smoke machines, ‘old skool bangers’ and hands in the air. 

Generous prize contributions from Backup’s extensive network of supporters created an incredible raffle and silent auction, featuring suitably fabulous prizes, ranging from a Mental Health First Aider training course, tea for two at the OXO Tower and a pair of Yamaha HS7 loudspeakers, to helicopter ride for two and tickets to one of the coveted Oasis gigs. 

Roger Harpum, Business Development Manager at EM Acoustics, has been heavily involved with Backup over the years. After joining EM Acoustics in March 2022, he attended Kartfest to get a feel for the day, and after discussing events for the company’s 21^st Anniversary in 2023, he suggested they enter a karting team. The idea was an instant hit; it was decided that they would close the factory to bring their entire workforce to the day, and it’s now a regular event in the calendar.

“When learning of an industry friend’s lifechanging circumstances, I immediately thought of Backup,” says Roger. “Due to the situation, I volunteered to make the relevant calls and then completed as much of the application as possible. The team at Backup were incredibly helpful and their response was swift. In fact, I’ve found out since that the financial help was more than timely. This is exactly why we help support the charity.”

The Backup Fabulous Village Fete generates crucial funding for Backup Tech’s mission to assist the industry’s most vulnerable professionals during their times of greatest need. Participants enjoyed an extraordinary celebration while contributing generously to ensuring Backup can continue providing essential support to entertainment technology colleagues.

“It’s taken many years of tweaking, tuning, trying new things and running orders but I think the industry has now built out its perfect day out,” concludes Backup’s Lee Dennison. “It isn’t an awards ceremony or a trade show, but it certainly delivers everything people want whilst raising much needed funds for their charity. I’m hugely proud to be a part of it and looking forward to its continuing evolution next year. We’ll let you know more about that in the autumn.”

The BVF 2025 photo’s are now online on our Facebook Album #BackupVillageFete 2025