Velio cycling and music festival coming to Cheshire this September

The Velio cycling and music festival is taking place from 17th-20th September, celebrating life on two wheels for three days and three nights of cycling, music, comedy, feasting, wellness, talks, workshops and immersive activities.

Situated at the Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire, which is only 45 minutes drive from Manchester and 30 minutes from Chester, Velio provides the “ideal opportunity to escape, switch off and unwind, if only for a few days”.

“SMI Media are absolutely delighted to be involved with this extremely exciting launch,” said Sean Igoe, SMI Media founder. “With the growth in cycling, this is a brilliant opportunity for the cycling community to come together and have a really great time.

“There has never been a cycling festival of this kind ever in the UK and the guys at Mustard Media have big ambitions. For more information please get in touch as we would love to talk to you.”

By day, visitors will be able to saddle up and enjoy five cycle routes with options for beginners, experienced riders, disabled cycling, and mini kids rides. The highlight of these rides will be the headliner ‘Velutopia’. Stretching across 14km of closed roads, this event will take cyclists on an immersive tour packed with entertainment and surprises along the way.

Velio offers a multitude of options. The wellness programme, curated by Getahead, provides the resources to pamper and indulge. The indoor cycling centre will appeal to bike buffs who can test out the latest bikes and accessories and experience virtual racing. Alongside the cycling activities, you can enjoy entertainment, music and comedy in a programme of international music artists, comedians and immersive moments across five stages.

Vocal group Sister Sledge will be taking over the centre stage alongside fellow headliners Everything Everything. Also soundtracking the main stage will be a range of live acts, including Elder Island and The Futureheads and stellar DJ sets from Friendly Fires and Norman Jay MBE. Expect a host of tribute performances, including The Bootleg Beatles and Da Funk (Daft Punk Tribute), as well as Mr Motivator. La Discotheque will host their own stage with acts such as Crazy P Soundsystem and Disco Classics featuring a live orchestra. Comedian Jason Manford will be on the comedy stage presented by Altitude Comedy Festival with a stream of comedians, including Marcus Brigstocke, Shappi Khorsandi and Lou Conran.

Communal feasting will be at the heart of the festival with The Great Village Feast. Restaurant Volta will be collaborating to produce the banquets at the festival. Foodies will enjoy long table communal feasts with local produce, while speciality bars serve up a variety of tipples ranging from wine and gin to craft beers and cocktails.

Included in all tickets is standard camping for three days and three nights with access to a campsite, toilets and showers. Motorhomes and campervans are welcomed, and you can also arrive to pre-erected tents. The boutique village offers a range of Bell, Lotus or Mahal tents for two to eight people. All feature memory foam mattresses, premium bedding, bedside lights and tables as standard, with optional upgrades of electricity, toiletries, mirrors, and towels available. Boutique village campers also enjoy exclusive access to speciality food vendors and bars in the area, along with VIP toilets and showers.

The festival will also have an onsite secure and insured bike storage system, while the bike cleaning and maintenance stations will make sure your ride is looking podium ready. If you don’t have a bike or don’t want to bring your own, a bike rental service is available on site. There are also physios and coaches on hand to offer tips and advice.

Velio will also be the first ‘Flexi-Distanced’ festival. All the measures and teams are in place to run the event socially distanced or non-socially distanced, whichever the guidelines dictate.

Read the May issue of BikeBiz below: