Music festivals are big business. While they were once the preserve of hedonists, hippies, bikers and anarchists they have grown into major commercial concerns with multiple events taking place every weekend of the summer.

But while bigger events charge upwards of £200 for a ticket, there are still a handful of gatherings that cling to the original festival spirit and do it all for free.

The best known, and loved, of these is Charlbury’s Riverside Festival, which returns this weekend for its 23rd year.

This family-friendly party takes place in idyllic surroundings at, as its name suggests, the side of a river. In fact it is surrounded by a river, being staged on a small island in the Evenlode on the edge of the pretty Cotswold town.

“It’s just as much a party as a festival,” says the man who brings it all together, Andy Pickard, who lives in Charlbury.

“It’s a festival on an island – which is something not many other festivals can say, other than the Isle of Wight. It’s even more unusual in such a landlocked part of the country.

“It’s also free, which people like. After all, if you can’t have a big old free party on common land in the summer, what can you do?”

But while it is free, there is nothing amateur in its set-up.

Music remains at the heart of the festival, and this year sees an array of local, national and international talent, with more than 40 acts playing across four stages, banging out a mixture of rock, indie, jazz, ska and folk on the main two stages with fun, weird and equally wonderful stuff occurring on Riverside Fringe and buskers stages.

The festival is headlined by west Oxfordshire pop-covers band The Standard on Saturday and ska act 2 Tone All Skas on Sunday.

Saturday also sees sets by indie-rockers and Riverside regulars Zurich, art-rockers Candy Says, Rainbow Reservoir, Factory Lights, Catgod and Devon band Starlings.

Sunday’s main stage antics, meanwhile, features The August List, Speedbuggy USA, Wonderland, Mighty Redox, Knights of Mentis and Von Braun.

The second Stage – supported by Oxford’s Truck Store and Witney’s Rapture record shop, will see music-lovers getting down to shows by Tiger Mendoza, Ghosts In The Photographs, Modern Comforts, Kid Kin and Daisy on Saturday, and Lucy Leave, Mother, Self Help, Cooling Pearls and a takeover by Oxford’s independent recording and production team Upcycled Sounds on Sunday.

“We may not have big names, but the music is every bit as good,” says Andy. “And people don’t have to pay through the nose to have a good time.”

While the event has grown a little over the past two decades, now attracting up to 5,000 music lovers of all ages a day, it remains friendly and relaxed. There is great local food and drink, with money from stall holders funding the festival and keeping it free.

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Real ale fans can take a tipple from one of Hook Norton’s beers, while those wanting to cool off can sample something from the Pimm’s and Tins tent or Riverside Gin and Fizz lounge. More hearty fare is served up in the Charlbury Pre-School Tea and Cakes tent.

Riverside has outlived any number of other festivals, many of them with big commercial backing. So what is the secret of its success?

“People like it,” says Andy.

“That’s it really. People just enjoy it and always come back. People go to other festivals but say they are not as homely and friendly as ours. It’s like a country fete.

“And while there have been suggestions of charging people £1 to get in, we have stuck to our guns.”

Andy admits he is still shaking off the dust of the nearby Cornbury Festival, where he ran the third stage – cunningly named Riverside, in honour of his own event, to the bemusement of out-of-towners wondering where the river was on Great Tew Park.

One of that festival’s surprise hits was the show by legendary Oxford band Wonderland, who reformed especially for the event. The band play Riverside on Sunday.

“I am particularly looking forward to seeing Wonderland,” he says. “They started about 20 years ago, supported Ride and other bands at that level and reformed for Cornbury. They are a great band who bring to mind amazing female-fronted Brit-pop bands from that time when so much new music was really good.”

Visitors to this year’s event will find a peculiarly carnival-like atmosphere as it celebrates the 250th anniversary of circus.

“This year we are bigging up the Big Top!” says Andy. “Along with events across the country, we are marking the anniversary of the world’s first circus. Back in 1768, in a bid to attract a larger audience to his daring riding displays, equestrian impresario Philip Astley drew a ring on a patch of waste ground in London’s Waterloo, and filled it with a series of quirky acts. In addition to his bareback riders, there were clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and other novelties.

“We aren’t promising bareback riders, trapeze artists, strongmen or, indeed, strong women, but, as always there will be a cornucopia of wonderful musical acts and family fun.

“We’re also hoping to attract a host of folk with circus skills, so if you’re a dab hand at juggling, know a magic trick or two, excel at stilt walking, have acrobatic tendencies or just enjoy clowning around, we’d like to hear from you.

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Speedbuggy USA

“Alternatively, for those with a musical talent, take a turn on the Buskers’ Stage in the Tea and Cakes Tent. Just roll up and have a go.”

Andy says the festival was proud of its family-friendly credentials. “Riverside is very much a community-run family event,” he says. “It’s great for kids. As well as having a dedicated Kids’ Zone where youngsters can try their hand at a range of circus-inspired activities, they can find out more about traditional crafts and meet local artists in the Green Field site.

“They come along, have fun, watch a few bands and try things out. It’s more than just going to a gig; it’s a learning experience.

With trains not running to Charlbury this weekend, punters are advised to take the bus. Andy also advised guests to bring an umbrella to protect from the sun.

Alex Castle performs with eight-piece The Standard. He said he couldn’t wait to return to Riverside, the scene of many former triumphant shows. “It’s a privilege to be playing Riverside again,” he said. “It’s a big highlight for us as a band and we can’t get enough of the atmosphere at this fun, free and perfectly put together festival right on our doorstep.”

  • Riverside Festival takes place this weekend in Charlbury. Sat: Noon-10pm, Sun: 11am-8pm. riversidefestival.charlbury.com
  • To volunteer your circus skills to Riverside, email: admin@riversidefestival.charlbury.com