FrENDzy
Saturday, September 6, 2025
WHAT IT IS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2024
Taking it back to the ol’ school
FrENDzy started as a surf competition and afterparty back in 2011, as an idea for a day and night that dared to be a bit different from other events.
Andrew Gwennap and Kelvin Batt (who many of you will know from The Masked Ball) decided to focus on local talent and put on a damn good afternoon surf comp for teams, followed by a night of good music in an unusual, yet stunning, setting.
So the surf contest was set up as a team surf comp, with four to a team, to be held wherever the surf was good that day.
Then it was all back to the woods at St Buryan for a right ol’ bonkers afterparty featuring some of the best local DJs. This, naturally, was helped along by the equally bonkers set up that saw watersides, foam baths, a rave in a wooded copse and trippy decor and lightshows – in all a pretty magical night.
In 2014, FrENDzy took a year out, as the land was needed for crops. Kelvin, the mastermind behind the FrENDzy concept, has stepped away from the party to focus on The Masked Ball as it grows and sets new standards.
FrENDzy continues, with Andrew at the helm with Nigel Pengelly stepping into Kelv’s wet shoes, to keep the party alive as one of the best secret all-night parties in the south west.
2017 has challenging, to say the least. The weather turned sour and the heavens opened. It was very windy, and the rain lashed. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, some saying it was the best one yet. For the organisers, it was a bit of a nightmare.
Come 2018, Andrew left farming and so our usual home at St Buryan went to broccoli. So, family connections an’ all that, Claire Gwennap kindly allowed FrENDzy to pitch up at her farm at Trefewha, Praze-an-Beeble.
So, we had a couple of grand events at Praze-an-Beeble and our sincere thanks go out to Claire (and her mother) for letting us into their pastures. The walk through the woods to the rave paddock was pretty special, I’m sure all that went agree. However, there’s been a lot of new building developments near Trefewha Farm and the last event saw a fair few noise complaints. A great location, but the nearby settlements was ever edging closer.
So then COVID happened, and there’s no need to mention what that did to music events. The year after the lockdown ended; we just didn’t get it together in time. I guess we were just out the loop.
Last year, we moved back at St Buryan with a new layout making more use of the wooded area and with more paths and walkways to explore – and it was rather special. We didn’t think anyone would show, yet they did – and lots of them. It was an epic party, good vibes and stress free – up there with the best we’ve done (and we’ve done a fair few of these).
So here we are at 2024, and we’re keeping it the same as last year but with different promoters taking over the arenas. Go wild in the country…
A few of you may have been to festivals / dance events before, and we want you to have a good, safe and secure time at FrENDzy. Please visit www.festivalsafe.com for information on how to make the most of your event experience in a safe manner.
What happened a few years ago…
Where is FrENDzy and can I camp?
Camping / campervans / motorhomes / caravans are fine (but you might struggle with a big motorhome in the field gateway) – we’d rather you stay than risk driving back.
You can arrive any time on Saturday but you must leave at some point on Sunday as the cows will be coming into the field (so if you pick up any rubbish that would be cool).
There is no charge for staying over.
There is a catering wagon on site serving food from 6pm to 6am and breakfast from 11am.
Please bring lots of water. It’s hot and the only water supply is a cow trough. There will be bottled water at the bar.
That’s it really, have a good one and be nice to each other…
Actually, one more thing. We’ve got a 6pm to 6am license which is pretty hard to get these days. So please, no load car sound systems in the car park after 6am – if we get more than three complaints then we have to explain why to the authorities and we might not get a license next year. Also, it’s a bastard trying to sleep with someone banging out the gabba a few vans down.