A community festival with a difference - why you should join us at Future Fest 2024

This June, a community festival with a difference is coming to Harper Adams.

Future Fest will combine family fun, great food, live entertainment, the Harper Adams Future Farm and more - and promises to be a great day out.

In this piece, Chief Global Impact Officer at Harper Adams University Ian Rowley explains a little more about what Future Fest is, how it came about - and why you should come along!

Introducing... Future Fest! ??????

We're delighted to announce our upcoming festival, a FREE event at Harper Adams University jam-packed with food, fun and a glimpse into the future! ??

We hope to see you on 22nd June! ?? Register here ?? https://t.co/fenbPx5Gzr pic.twitter.com/93QkXk9iJX

— Harper Adams University (@HarperAdamsUni) May 22, 2024

You would think the blistering heat and sultry climates of Dubai would share little in common with our Shropshire campus at Harper Adams University — however, come noon on June 22, that will all change.

Although we’re hoping for a similar level of sunshine, our shared commonality actually comes in the form of Michael Pinsky’s Pollution Pods, which have graced both Dubai’s COP 28 and - soon - our cricket pitch.

If the weather and daylight hold, they should transform our Harper Adams landscape for a period of two-weeks — five interconnecting domes, each one a gateway to another polluted, or perhaps not so polluted, part of our planet. You can see the smog, smell the scents and – in some instances – taste the level of pollution on the tip of your tongue. These pods are one of a kind, and we’re incredibly fortunate to have them at our campus come June.

We are even more fortunate to be able to share them with you, alongside other incredible opportunities, at Future Fest 2024.

It has been over half a decade since Harper Adams opened its gates so widely to the local community, and our campus has missed the buzz and thrill of larger-scale events and the meaningful connections they bring.

Future Fest 2024 is our first opportunity since the pandemic to bring our neighbours and surrounding areas back for a festival of this size. With street food, live cookery demonstrations, tours, music, talks, family activities and our Pollution Pods; the campus will be alive with chatter, education and creativity.

In tandem with Future Fest is the LEAF Open Farm event, which allows us to open our Future Farm to the public. By visiting the farm, our guests will be able to experience some of the cutting-edge technology we have at the University, including those that support the wellbeing of our livestock, crops and agricultural industries. Our self-guided tour is a must, alongside machinery exhibits, tractor photo-ops, live animal demonstrations, grow-your-own-produce activities and Play Paddock for younger festivalgoers.

 Like our previous festivals, the event is free of charge and shuttle buses will run from both Telford and Newport to support access to our campus. Thank you to Oscar Mayer, our Headline sponsor, for allowing us to do so. This event is being built entirely for our community, by our community and we’re thrilled to host some of the best and brightest in Shropshire talent on June 22.

Future Fest is so much more than just a festival. Harper Adams University has stood at the edge of Edgmond for nearly 125 years (a quasquicentennial celebration is coming soon), and from as far back as our opening ceremony — with food prepared by the Royal Victoria Hotel in Newport and more than 700 local guests — we have always been astounded by the support of our surrounding area. There is no doubt that our next 125 years, and beyond, will be made better by our community’s encouragement.

We hope, through events such as Future Fest 2024, we can continue to nurture the relationship that was founded all those years ago and strive to make the difference to our local and global communities, together.

Join us on campus on June 22 from noon for Future Fest 2024.