Jeremy Clarkson's Farm-Fest traders leave early as some brand it a 'shambles'

The three-day festival is taking place across 300 acres at Stoneleigh Park, in Warwickshire, and has been billed as a celebration of the skills and produce of British farmers

Some traders have opted to pack up and leave Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm-Fest ahead of schedule, claiming they were failing to make any money.

The three-day festival is taking place over the bank holiday weekend across 300 acres at Stoneleigh Park, in Warwickshire, where adult tickets cost £35 for a half-day or £60 for an all-day admission, reports the Mirror.

The event celebrates the skills and produce of Britain’s farmers, combining “the traditional joy of a large country fair with the excitement and energy of a modern music festival”, according to the venue.

Reports suggest that the music festival and country fair drew 20,000 visitors on Saturday alone, with 55,000 attendees expected across the entire weekend.

There are 12 arenas spread across the site, ranging from talks and displays featuring Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper to live music from Alex James from Blur, 10cc, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and a DJ set by Groove Armada.

It is estimated that more than 400 stalls were confirmed for the bank holiday event, yet a number of stallholders have voiced their dismay at being forced to depart early. Business owners have posted tearful videos on social media, with one trader titling hers ‘what a shambles’.

Korrine Pallas, who owns pet product firm Phoenix Equestrian and Pet Supplies, was amongst those who departed the festival prematurely. She described Friday as ‘the worst day’s trading we have ever had’. In a video uploaded to the company’s TikTok account, she said: ‘It has been darn right awful at Farm-Fest.’ “When I say it’s not worth getting out of bed for, it’s an understatement. It has been horrific, and I know everyone else is feeling the same and is in the same boat as us.”

Korrine updated her followers yesterday in a tearful message in which she announced she was departing a day early — something the company had never previously done at a trade show. Fighting back tears, she said: “It has been catastrophic for us, and when you are already a small family business in hard times it is heart-wrenching.”

She revealed they were a ‘few grand down’ and that it would cost her £400 to attend on Sunday ‘and I haven’t even come near that in the last couple of days’.

Emma, who co-founded pet brand Pops and Coco, described the event as a shambles in a TikTok video today. She said: “There have been a lot of traders who have gone home – lots of traders left last night, particularly dog traders.

“I would say 90 per cent of traders across the whole showground, whatever they are selling, have either made a loss and they haven’t made their costs back or they are only just making some money now.”

A spokesman for Jeremy Clarkson’s Great British Farm-Fest said: “We have been working closely with traders at The Great British Farm-Fest to provide support during our inaugural weekend. We are surprised that a handful of exhibitors, out of the 400 who attended, left the show within a few hours of the first day without experiencing an event that has attracted over 50,000 visitors.” The Mirror has reached out for comment.