Well, do excuse us if we sit down for a few months – phew! Our big vintage weekend over at the glorious Scampston Hall was a roaring success and we’d like to start off by thanking absolutely everyone who was involved over the weekend – you know who you are!
The sunshine joined us on Saturday evening as the Vintage Proms got under away. Customers were greeted with lovely retro-folk group Four Shadows as they strolled into the hall grounds. The Bespoke Bartenders were ready to mix up mojitos to sip whilst we listened to the impressive sounds of Ryedale’s School’s big band, getting us all in the mood for a good boogie! Next up, vintage vocalist Gina Rose took to the stage to serenade us with some classic 50s tunes alongside a couple of surprises – swingin’ Beyonce anyone?! With couples lounging on deck chairs and kids clambering over haybales, the atmosphere was relaxed and summery. After our yummy mojitos, we were so ready for some food! So it was a tough choice between classic fish and chips, a filled crepe or a big ol’ Aberdeen Angus burger! The burger won…
As the skies began to dim, Soul Travellers weren’t going to let us sit still for much longer! These guys delivered big Motown hits with a fabulous three-piece horn section that had parents and children dancing by the stage. At the end of their set, the sky came to life with surprise, festival worthy fireworks! A fantastic finale that left us all bedazzled and ready for a good nights’ sleep ready for the long day ahead.
The sun was shining from 6am and we just knew it was going to be the perfect day for a big vintage day out in the beautiful grounds of Scampston Hall. The (seemingly) miles of bunting were up, bands were ready to entertain, marquees were full of vintage goodies, cakes and workshops, then there was the rows of classic cars that had parked up! And that’s not even everything! The gates opened and we welcomed thousands of people throughout the day into our festival – in fact we were overwhelmed with the attendance!
So what to do first? The Last Resort set the mood perfectly with their 50s party sounds, so it was off to the vintage festival fashion stalls to find the perfect party dress – of which there were many! 20s flapper, 50s rockabilly, 60s mod – we were giddy with excitement, and if they weren’t enough, the range of jewellery for sale was exquisite! Wardrobe bursting at the seams? Well it’s a good job we had some gorgeous vintage home-ware stands there to offer up a kitchenalia, art prints and furniture too! As well as a plethora of other amazing vintage stalls, families were enjoying the retro games, Sweet Rides photobooth and we saw lots of little girls with pretty victory rolls courtesy of LeKeux Vintage Salon.
Tea and cake are a vintage fair standard! So it’s a good job we had a supply to last you all day from , who did a sterling job making sure everyone’s sweet tooth was satisfied. With a full tent throughout the day, they must have been shattered! It was over your tea and cake you should have found yourself reading your new issue of V&OAK, the very stylish vintage fashion and lifestyle mag that we just can’t get enough of. Gina Rose and The Four Shadows returned to entertain us in the sunshine and though dancing was encouraged, everyone was just a little bit too comfy in their deckchairs, mojitos and pimms in hand – and why not!
“I’m not much of a dancer anyway” I hear you cry! Well you obviously didn’t pop and see GI JIVE for a lesson in lindy hop did you? With retro dance lessons outside next to the lake, you couldn’t have wished for a better setting or more fabulously dressed tutors! And if you really do have two left feet, we’d find you making something crafty in our workshop zone with Coolcrafting and . Or tasting all the weird and wonderful flavours of Hallow-Mallow! Lemon meringue was the favourite- mmm!
Bentley’s, VW Beetles, Austin’s stood gleaming, newly polished in the sun. The temptation to pose with every single one was ridiculous, in fact, the temptation to hop inside and refuse to get out was greater! We don’t know much about cars, but we do know that these were beautiful vehicles with countless stories to tell, steeped in history. Alongside some of the wonderfully dressed customers, these were images that could have hopped straight out of 1954. So as you can imagine, judging Best Dressed and Best Car were no easy task. Lined up on the terrace we had an impressive array of outfits, Gina for one, had a serious case of dress envy! The deserving winner, Rebecca, wore a stunning monochrome suit dress with a rep lip and striking black pillbox hat. Bravo indeed! One of the more unusual vehicles in attendance, a Citron H Van received the winner’s rosette mainly for being something so different to anything else at the rally! A fine example of the variety we had at Scampston – definitely something for everyone whether you’re into cars, fashion or both!
As the day came to a close, picnics packed away, purchases stored safely, toddlers snoozing in prams, we finally had a sit down to enjoy the last of Sunday’s good weather and say farewell to everyone who had come along to Scampston Hall to enjoy our vintage festival. So if you’re reading this wishing you had been here – there’s always next year! And we can already guarantee it will be even bigger and better! In the meantime, we hope to see you at L’Eroica Britannia festival or at one of the many vintage fashion fairs we hold across the country. For more details, pop to our website to see when we’re near you!
One big last thank you to all our traders, entertainers, NECPWA-York, staff and of course, all at Scampston Hall who have been absolute stars making our second vintage festival the success it was. Also to the fabulous Todd & Moore Photography who have taken the most stunning pictures of the weekend, capturing the events perfectly!
We’ll be back soon with more pre-loved inspiration and humbling stories! Alex and Sam x
(and of course Gina)
