The UK’s first official hobbit festival will arrive in Shropshire later this year – bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional ‘Shire’ to life in the very land that is said to have inspired it.
Weston Park confirmed it is set to play host to the five-day Brandywine Festival this September using its rolling estate of Capability Brown parkland to welcome hobbit-fans from across the country.
The award-winning venue is located a stone's throw from Tolkien’s childhood Birmingham home as well as The Wrekin hill and its sweeping countryside views, believed by many to have influenced the writer’s inspiration for Middle-earth - the fictional setting for both his best-selling books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Rebecca Alexander, Head of Estate Operations at Weston Park, said: “We’re so excited to have been chosen as the home of such a unique and imaginative event as it makes its UK debut.
“The festival itself encourages people to leave behind the modern world in exchange for a simple, slow-paced hobbit-existence.
“The event includes workshops on hobbit dancing, cooking, weaving and fibre arts, music and dance, and at the centre of it all The Four Farthing Games, a series of traditional hobbit folk games.
“Our 1,000 acres of rolling parkland provides the perfect backdrop for bringing the author’s fictional Middle-earth and his land of the small people - The Shire - to life, and we cannot wait to welcome hobbit fans from across the county and beyond to experience something truly special here at Weston Park."
Middle-earth superfan Kyle Pedley from Stourbridge, who was previously chosen as part of a global fan competition to visit New Zealand to meet Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and tour the sets of the films, welcomed the announcement.
"For any Tolkien fan, this is the stuff of dreams. Weston Park is a stunning setting and the idea of spending five days fully immersed in hobbit life in a landscape that Tolkien himself is said to have drawn inspiration from is magical.
“Birmingham and the surrounding areas are so rich with Tolkien history and heritage, it feels very right to be welcoming this wonderful celebration here - one that looks set to rival even Bilbo and Frodo’s famous birthday bash!”
The Brandywine Festival was first launched in Harrodsburg Kentucky last year by organisers Burgschneider in collaboration with Middle-earth Enterprises, which holds exclusive worldwide rights to film, stage and merchandising for Tolkien's literary works.
The event drew fans from across the United States and the festival’s arrival in the UK is expected to attract crowds from up and down the country but particularly from across Birmingham – Tolkien's childhood home – and the surrounding areas.
Markus Böhm, CEO of Burgschneider, said: “We are incredibly honoured to bring The Brandywine Festival back to the land where the story took flight.
“After the success in Kentucky, it felt only right to bring this experience home. At Weston Park, we are stepping into a landscape that echoes the very soul of Tolkien’s work.”
Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are highly regarded as two of the greatest works of fiction of modern time. It’s estimated that since its publication in 1937 the Hobbit has sold more than one million copies worldwide whilst Lord of the Rings is considered one of the best novels ever written with more than 150 million copies sold globally.
The Brandywine Festival runs from September 9 to 13. For more information visit https://weston-park.com/the-brandywine-festival/
