Heavy metal thunder at Vraicfest 2023

The event was held at L’Eree Aerodrome, with nine acts performing through the afternoon and evening on Saturday.

That included Aviation, Back in Vraic and Spectre. Coastal Fire Department had to cancel due to illness, but Sarnia stepped in to fill the gap. The event was organised by a small team of people, including Let There Be Rock Guernsey and Regency Events.

The organisers also included the team which normally runs the bar at events like the West Show.

One of the organisers, Demelza Newsom, said they were glad it stayed dry while they were setting up on Friday, and Saturday’s rain had not caused too many problems, with acts performing inside a marquee.

‘It’s been going really well,’ she said.

‘Everyone is getting stuck in and the acts have been fantastic.’

The organisers let giant inflatables into the marquee, which soon sparked a game of giant football over the heads of the crowd.

Among the people enjoying the event was Craig Nicholson, 33.

‘It’s been brilliant,’ he said.

‘It’s fairly rare to have an event like this.’

Wayne O’Regan, 47, was at the festival with his friends.

‘I’m a massive fan of rock music,’ he said.

‘There needs to be more events like this. There are so many local bands.’

There were about 500 tickets sold in advance, with some more sold on the day.

The event started at about noon and finished at 11pm.

Mrs Newsom said they now needed to take stock to decide what to do next, but they were considering holding the event every other year.