USEFUL INFO

how to find us

directions

The closest landmark to the festival site is the Square and Compass pub in North Rigton, postcode LS17 0DJ for your Sat Nav.

Most people will approach North Rigton from the A61 Leeds to Harrogate road. Heading north up the A61, after crossing the River Wharfe you will soon pass Wharefdale Grange on your left. Continue for another mile and take the second proper left hand turn signposted “North Rigton”. Continue for a mile and you will pass through a level crossing and very soon after that you will go straight on over the A658. **Continue uphill for around half a mile and you come into the village of North Rigton. You will reach a mini roundabout with Square and Compass on your right which will be as far as your Sat Nav will go.

Turn right at the roundabout onto Rigton Hill, heading uphill. As the houses run out the road goes downhill through some trees. After a national speed limit sign the road bends round to the left. Continue 150 yards further and the site entrance is on your left just before a ‘priority over oncoming vehicles’ road sign.

**If you come via the A1 your Sat Nav may bring you off at Wetherby in which case you will come down the A658 towards North Rigton. There is a sign for the Square and Compass before you turn right and then pick up the above directions at the **.

///what3words site entrance location:      ///shelters.natural.sideboard

Google Maps / Apple Maps site entrance location: 53.942950, -1.579923 
Type that into the search in either app on your phone and it will centre on the site entrance.

by taxi

If you are being picked up by a taxi we recommend you ask to be collected from the Square and Compass pub which is a ten minute walk from the site.

If you’re being dropped off by taxi we suggest you ask them to go to the Square and Compass and then guide them to the site using the directions above.

site map

the important stuff

Frequently Asked Questions

You can sign up any time between now and the 31st May 2023. We need to know final numbers by then to allow us to finalise logistics and start buying booze!

At the point of sign up you’re welcome to pay in full or a 25% deposit will secure your place. The balance payment is due by the 1st June 2023 please!

Check the ‘What’s On?’ page where performance and kids activity times will be announced nearer the time.

FRIDAY 28th JULY

10am – 3pm Arrival / pitch tents. 
12pm Bar opens
12pm DJ
1:30pm – 7:30pm Live music 
12pm onwards Kids activities 
7:45pm – 12am ‘Rave In A Field’ DJs playing dance classics, old school house, drum n bass & rave anthems
12:30am Bar closes
12:30am After hours acoustic session around the fire pit. Bring an instrument!

SATURDAY 29th July

9am onwards Kids activities
10am DJs
11am Bar opens
12pm – 8pm Live Music
8pm – 12am ‘Leeds DJ legends party’ DJs playing party classics: funk, soul, 80s, reggae, rock, hip hop, disco etc.
12:30am Bar closes
12:30am After hours acoustic session around the fire pit. Bring an instrument!

SUNDAY 30th July

10am – 3pm Event team break down and clean up
12pm Campers to have vacated the site by this time please (from midday onwards suppliers will be onsite breaking down fencing, staging etc. so we need everyone to be out of the way for then please)

As the date approaches we will update the ‘What’s on?’ page with a full time line of activities and performances. There will also be signage at the event detailing timings. 

Arrival is any time between 10am and 3pm on Friday. Campers can drop off kit in the camping field before proceeding to park in the parking field. Glampers please parking the parking field and then locate your bell tent. Please observe a dead slow max speed limit of 10mph at all times when driving within the site for the safety of children. No vehicles permitted at any time (including Sunday) in the camping and glamping areas.

For safety of children playing we politely ask everyone to be on site by 3pm Friday. If you are only able to arrive later, please let us know in advance and drive with extreme caution. 

Saturday only campers, please arrive on site by 10am Saturday morning if at all possible and drive dead slow, being mindful of children playing.

•  Picnic blankets, camping chairs etc. for sitting around outside.
•  Baby wipes / festival wipes!
•  Toilet rolls
•  Warm clothing for the evening – we’re on higher ground and there’s no indoor space so it’s likely to be chilly in the evening!
•  Cash to pay for purchases from food vendors.
•  Sun cream / hats.
•  Campers: a torch is a must and also some sort of battery powered lighting for your tent.
•  Power banks for charging phones.
•  Baby wipes / make up remover for kids getting their faces painted.
•  We’re in a field so suitable footwear – walking shoes etc.
•  Wellies and changes of clothes for kids in case they get wet in the stream.
•  Dancing shoes :o)

There is one tap on site that provides safe drinking water and is located in the festival area next to the bar. Please help yourself to water at any time and consider bringing suitable containers to fill for your requirements.

Please try not to let the tap run onto the ground to avoid making the area around it boggy.

Yes of course. There will be good quality male and female event toilets. There will be a supply of toilet rolls but it may run out so we’re advising everyone to bring a couple.

So it turns out that portashowers are bloody expensive so no, there will be no showers. A couple of people have asked about the scope for using solar / camping showers that they might bring themselves. If more than one family shows a genuine interest in this we will create a private area where such showers can be hung up.

As a festival style alternative we very much recommend the bath towel size ‘festival wipes’ available from Home Bargains and also from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2jfcunk.

In a word, no. There is no electric hook up for any form of camping and there’s nowhere within the festival site to plug into. Therefore please bring power banks for phones and make sure any lights etc. are battery powered.

Hopestock is an invite-only, friends event with no public ticketing which means we are able to keep it as private event. This means we are able to avoid the need for the likes of security, event licence, insurance and a whole host other things which would otherwise be required and helps us keep our pricing affordable.

There are a few key things to be aware of:

i) Everyone in attendance is at most once removed, from me (John) the organiser and it’s a friends event so we don’t feel the need for security.

ii) There is no medical tent. We’d recommend bringing along first aid basics like plasters, alcohol wipes etc. In the event of a more serious injury the nearest A&E is at Harrogate District Hospital, HG2 7SX.

iii) We don’t have liability insurance. In terms of risk / liability we’d suggest you see the event in the same way as a big gathering round your friends’ house. You accept the risks around personal injury and loss in attending. As a friends event I’d hope that is a given but just to cover ourselves we ask that you tick a box on the sign-up form to show that you formally agree to waive the organisers of liability in the event personal injury, damage to property etc. should that arise at the event.

iv) We don’t sell tickets. We ask you to ‘sign up’ to attend and the cost of your attendance is your contribution to the running cost of the event. I will not hold my friends to ransom so if you want to cancel any time up till the 1st June 2023 you are free to do so and will get a full refund. If you cancel after the 1st June you will get refunded most of what you paid. After that date we start buying things for the event (drinks etc.) that are specific to the number of people coming so we will retain a modest amount to cover this. If the event can’t go ahead for whatever reason, the likelihood is that we will look to reschedule in which case you can transfer forward to the new date or get a refund.

The event finances are formally handled by a partnership made up by John & Helen Hope. We take on the financial risk of running the event and when you pay us to attend, please consider your money safe. There are no legal terms and conditions to cover this – we consider the holding of funds and the issue of any refunds where required to be done in good faith in the spirit of this as a friends get together.

The site is set 200m down a track off a fairly quiet country road so we’re well away from cars. 

The event is private and invite-only  so all attendees will be friends or friends-of-friends. We are not near any public footpaths so it should only really be attendees on site.

In terms of potential hazards there is a stream running along the northern fenceline of the site. It’s very small and in summer won’t have much water in it. There’s a drop down to it of around a foot or so at the points it’s accessible.  These are indicated on the site map above. In the north-east corner of the site there is a very small bridge that crosses the stream and it runs a little deeper here. 

There is also a pond in the glamping area. Much of the edge of the pond will be thick with reeds in July though the water is directly accessible at plenty of points and the water is deep enough to be hazardous for small children and would certainly be difficult to get out of because of silt and weed.

Whilst we are keeping vehicles on-site to an absolute minimum there will inavoidably be some as follows:

  • Bands coming and going both days (via the access track along the northern boundary – see site map)
  • Saturday AM: Friday single-night campers leaving and Saturday single-night campers arriving
  • Saturday AM: Toilet company on-site early to service portaloos  

There is also potential for injury around the bouncy castle and inflatable slide  which we would stress are unsupervised. There were a couple of bumps last time! Children use these at their own risk!

Finally, we will have open log fires burning in our fire pites both nights from around 9pm.

It is generally going to be a safe environment but this is a private event and your kids are your responsibility.

This is covered in the points above but just to re-iterate for absolute clarity, Hopestock is a private event and you and those in your party attend at your own risk. When signing up you will need to tick a check box to waive the organisers of responsibility for any personal injury or property loss or damage that you may incur.

We urge particular caution with regard to your children around water hazards, vehicles, fire and on the bouncy castle / inflatable slide. 

For those signed up for alcohol we will have: self-serve, hand pull real ale from our friends at Ilkley Brewery; large self-serve ice boxes full of craft beer; bag-in-box proper cider; a manned bar serving cocktails, spirits & mixers, wine and fizz. For kids and ‘no alcohol adults’ there will be a table of self-serve soft drinks including fizzy drinks, squash, fruit juice and water.

Please try and re-use cups where possible to minimise waste and try to use the recycling facilities.

We have 3 food caterers on-site serving breakfast, lunch and dinner from Friday lunch through till Sunday breakfast. All three will have kid friendly options & veggie / vegan options.

In addition to these 3 we also have the very cool Kopi operating out of their converted horse box serving coffee, tea and pastries.

All 4 caterers will be taking card and cash payments.

As is standard at festivals you are welcome to bring your own food and snacks. No BBQs or open fires please. The field must be left as we find it!

Please use the bin bags provided to help keep the camping and festival areas nice for everyone! We also hope to offer some recycling facilities. Campers, please clean up after yourselves :o)

Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead at all times in both the festival and camping areas please.

Please ensure your children are aware that there is no footwear and no food / drink allowed on the bouncy castle and inflatable slide. Please also be aware that these ‘activities’ are unsupervised. Children use these subject to your permission and at your own risk! By the nature of the activity there is the potential for injury. You shoulder this risk if you allow your children to use them and our recommonendation is that you supervise their use of these facilities at all times. In checking the liability waiver on the sign-up form you agree to indemnify the organisers of any liability in the event of an accident.

Yes and there is no additional cost for parking. There are 2 parking areas marked on the site map. Please only park in these 2 areas.

Alongside Uber, local firms are:

Premier: 0113 288 8855
Harrogate Cars: 01423 810777
Freedom Taxis: 01423 595959

If you are being picked up by a taxi we recommend you ask to be collected from the Square and Compass pub which is a ten minute walk from the site. If you’re being dropped off by taxi we suggest you ask them to go to North Rigton and then guide them to the site using the directions on the ‘Directions & Map’ page.

Almscliffe Crag is a local scenic spot / viewpoint from where you’ll have a great view down onto the festival site. If you’d like to get away from the festival for a couple of hours, or perhaps you’re coming without kids and are looking for a Saturday morning activity, then climb the crag! It’s a bit of a scramble in places but pretty easy even for children. There is parking here, less than 5 minutes drive from the site: https://goo.gl/maps/5xzraKfm52LRYcNS9

Sorry but no – the field needs to basicially be left as we find it on arrival so no fires or BBQs are allowed. 

For those travelling from outside of Yorkshire it may be possible, on request, to arrive on Thursday afternoon / evening if you’re using your own tent and wanting to make a proper break of it. Please note that toilet facilities may not yet be in place and you may be asked to help out a bit! Please speak to John if you’re wanting to do this.

Both Friday and Saturday night we will have a curfew for amplified music of 12am as imposed by the site owners and to be fair to those camping with kids.  The bar will stop serving at 12:30am.

For those wanting to carry on you’re welcome to keep on the beers in the seating tent area or around the fire pits. We’d encourage those with guitars to bring them for an after hours acoustic session. 

As this is a private event we have no dedicated first aid provisions. For those with kids especially we’d recommend bringing along first aid basics like plasters, alcohol wipes etc.

In the event of a more serious injury the nearest A&E is at Harrogate District Hospital, HG2 7SX

Email info@hopestock.info or message me via facebook messenger or Whatsapp.