About

“Championing Shropshire’s musical talent and shining a spotlight on our vibrant music scene, we foster a nurturing environment that supports artistic growth through events and other community engagement initiatives.”

Our vision is to provide a safe, enjoyable space for everyone of all ages, gender and ability. We create events, opportunities and experiences that nurture creativity, boost mental well-being and drive economic growth.

Working Alongside:

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 2024)

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.

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.

Create

Creativity forms a large part of what brings the LOOPFEST team together, many of whom are artists, musicians and writers with many years of experience.

LOOPFEST isn’t passive, and we encourage participation, including:

Workshops before, during and after the event
Sing-alongs, jams and sensory gardens during LOOPFEST
Using tech to help people explore the town and discover hidden art, stories, and more.

We use funds to support AV projects in Shropshire at all age levels, helping foster a love of culture from an early age by encouraging inclusion and making it possible for adults to get involved too. We also support under-represented groups in Shropshire and are making a crucial contribution to the correction of gender imbalances in the cultural sector.

Through creativity, we’ll help deliver health and well-being programmes to create a healthy and happier place to live.

Connect

LOOPFEST is a vibrant event that offers a unique platform for nurturing local talent in Shrewsbury. The festival is engaged with Shrewsbury College, allowing students to gain practical experience in sound engineering, event management, photography, videography, marketing, and more.

Moreover, the festival is making connections with students from the Events and Festival course at Shrewsbury University Centre. This experience will help them develop a range of transferable skills that they can use in their future careers, such as project management, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

Volunteers of almost all ages can be involved too, from festival planning to the connection of ‘friends groups’ and fostering cultural partnerships.

Explore

The very nature of LOOPFEST is about exploring creativity. There is a strong cultural tourism market in Shropshire, but original music is underrepresented. 90% of the artists performing at LOOPFEST are original artists. They write and perform their own music yet many local acts are overlooked at significant local events.

LOOPFEST is also working to showcase local cultural diversity by engaging with minority groups.

LOOPFEST AR is designed to change the way people experience Shrewsbury by gamifying their experience in the town, allowing for an interactive outdoor adventure, while also promoting local artists and artisan producers. It also is a low-cost way for people to explore and repurpose heritage buildings making cultural attractions and activities accessible to more people. This advanced technology could help present culture in an exciting way for new audiences and foster a climate for creative tech in Shrewsbury and Shropshire.

Nurture

We love where we live and we want to keep it that way.

We understand the importance of having zero impact environmentally. While we are a long way from Net Zero, we feel that an inner-town festival experience is a more sustainable way to provide a rich cultural experience but with a lower environmental impact.

The theme for LOOPFEST24 is ‘Aye, Robots’ which will explore the intersection of technology, AI, robotics, and how they shape our culture and interact with our environment. This theme is a perfect opportunity to bring awareness to sustainability efforts and educate festival-goers on the role technology can play in environmental preservation.