Steelhouse Festival 29th – 30th July

It’s been 6 years since the Welsh hills first came alive with the sound of Classic Rock. And like the towering, solid piece of stone it’s perched on, the Steelhouse Festival stands resolute – a seemingly immovable object on the festival landscape. Steelhouse 2016 looks set to be the biggest and best yet with rock soldiers from far and wide making the uphill ascent for a bill that mixes the classic and the contemporary and is as breathtaking as the location itself.

Officially the UK’s highest music festival, this unique event will once again be held in the spectacular surroundings of Hafod-y-Dafal Farm situated on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons. 

Aiming to be the UK’s best value rock festival where families and friends can rock out at a price that won’t clear out the holiday kitty, the event has built up a loyal following and a real heritage over six successful years. Classic rock cornerstones such as THUNDER, THE DARKNESS, UFO, EUROPE, BLACKSTAR RIDERS, SAXON, MICHAEL SCHENKER, SEBASTIAN BACH, DEE SNIDER and more have all etched their names into Steelhouse history.

From the festival site, a remote farm that quite literally sits atop a mountain, you’re overlooking some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales. Not far is Marine Colliery, the deep mine that employed thousands in the area and finally closed in 1989. The nearby Ebbw Vale steelworks, which inspired the festival’s name, cast its last steel in 1978 and was finally wound down in 2002. It’s a common tale in these parts – heavy industry has been replaced by light, but the region still bears the scars of the UK’s slow industrial decline.

All of which makes the Steelhouse Festival one of the more unlikely and inspiring underdog stories of recent times. Saxon, Magnum, Europe, Black Star Riders and UFO have all graced the mountain top over the years. The valleys have always been heartland for rock, yet of the 5000-capacity crowd, just 40 per cent come from the local area. This self-styled ‘Welsh International Classic Rock Festival’ attracts people from across the UK and further afield – Finland, Japan, last year one huge Dee Snider fan flew in from Australia to watch him headline.

Saturday headliner Skindred and Sunday headliner Saxon. Click here for full line up http://www.steelhousefestival.com/line-up/

The Festival site is less than an hour from CARDIFF and BRISTOL, and less than 2 hours from BIRMINGHAM READING and the WEST COUNTRY. 
Sat Nav Information: NP13 2ER, directions to the festival are also printed on the back of your ticket. The nearest train station is Ebbw Vale.

Tickets http://www.steelhousefestival.com/tickets/