About
LOOPFEST, now widely regarded as one of the most important events in the West Midland’ cultural calendar, has exceeded all expectations in the two years since it started. Technically (while writing this in August 2024), the event is still not even two years old (the first LOOPFEST was held on Saturday 17th September 2022), and we’re approaching the fourth event on the 2nd to 4th May 2025.
The growth of the event is somewhat down to hard work, but actually most of the success comes from our community-minded values.
And we’ve achieved a lot already with a tiny team of volunteers.
Partners
LOOPFEST 2022 (Sat 17th Sept)
Historically, Shrewsbury has had a thriving music scene, but like many towns across the country venues stopped booking original acts following economic uncertainty after the Great Recession. This all changed in Shropshire when Albert’s Shed opened its doors in 2017. David Gregg (Operations Manager) and Jamie Smith’s (Marketing/Events) vision went against the norm and championed original artists.
After Covid this led to the development of LOOPFEST, its aim was to reinvigorate the Shropshire music scene, bring people closer together and supercharge the local economy.
In September 2022, the first LOOPFEST ran on a budget of £3,500, featuring 75 acts across 17 venues. Every single aspect was managed internally by Jamie from scheduling to booking the sound engineers. The event broke footfall records (even pre-Covid records) and many venues boasted record sales.
LOOPFEST 2023 (Sat 8th July)
The second LOOPFEST, ten months later, featured a new stage at Shrewsbury Castle and featured 125 acts across 25 venues – again on a shoestring budget. This free entry event broke footfall and sales records again, but crucially also saw a 100% increase in turnstile usage at Shrewsbury Railway Station. Indicating people are travelling to the event from beyond Shrewsbury.
LOOPFEST 2023 also saw organisers address gender imbalances and the introduction of accessible venues.
LOOPFEST 2024 (Fri 3rd to Sun 5th May)
In 2024, LOOPFEST stepped it up, featuring over 200 artists performing at 25 venues across three days. This brought in an extra 20,000 visitors to Shrewsbury over the Bank Holiday Weekend, shattering previous footfall records.
The event was free entry, but fringe ticketed events were held over the weekend at Shrewsbury Castle and featured nationally recognised artists including Beardyman, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, The Futureheads and Nubiyan Twist.
LOOPFEST 2024 also featured immersive experiences such as a sensory play area the “Orchestra of Objects” as well as crowd participation events including spoken word, workshops & sing-a-longs.
The event was promoted at a regional level, with a campaign targeted across mid-Wales (as far as Aberystwyth), up and down the Welsh Marches (from Chester to Hereford) and the West Midlands (to Birmingham). This approach encourage more people to use alternative methods of transport other than car, helping reduce the environmental impact of the festival and gridlocking the town. The plan worked increasing gate admissions at Shrewsbury Railway Station by 100%.
Holding the event over three days encouraged visitors to stay for longer and discover more than just the vibrant live music scene Shropshire has to offer. This had a massive impact on non-LOOPFEST venues who saw bumper sales.
LOOPFEST 2025 (Fri 2nd to Sun 4th May)
2025 will be the biggest LOOPFEST to date. We’ll be taking on more of our own venues across Shrewsbury. These unique spaces will provide extra capacity allowing us to bring some of the most exciting emerging artists to Shrewsbury, featuring alongside the incredible talent we have to offer locally. There’ll be more activities for kids and adults alike, plus music appearing in venues across the town and beyond.
Watch this space!
