Taking place at Eridge Park near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the oldest deer park in Britain provides the perfect natural landscape for the multi-award winning 3-day festival held in June . The festival would have been 6 years old this year, but because of covid, has now taken place in 2018, 19, 22 and 23, produced and curated by Entertee Events.
As a completely independent festival, Black Deer celebrates the UK and international forms of original roots-based music; from country, folk, blues, bluegrass, gumbo rock and honky tonk and the wider elements of the festival as a whole experience.
Over the years Black Deer has taken place, festival goers witnessed amazing artist take to the many stages, including a talented pool of local musicians and incredible unsigned artists. The festival has evolved over its lifespan and has become a wonderful community that find music they love, and friendships for life.
Working to a tight budget, our talented team of carpenters and volunteers helped to build the sets from their workshop on-site. By building facades and walk ways into venues the site became more than just your standard festival of stretch tents and big tops. This attention to detail is what set the festival apart, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of Black Deer and everything it represents.
There is a carefully curated marketplace of authentic vintage wares, original workwear denim, artisan makers, locally handcrafted guitars and sign-writers leaving plenty of custom desirables to take home.
Haley’s Bar, a tribute to Gill’s brother Chris Haley, who was tragically killed aged just 19, and who was a young man who loved playing the guitar and listening to music that you hear at the festival, is a wonderful bar and stage setting with huge atmosphere.
The Roadhouse provides a counter-cultureworld where the heavier bluesy desert rock sounds compliment the incredible talents of the UK’s custom motorcycle scene.
A dedicated area for our Young Folk was carefully considered with multiple opportunities to learn new skills. Playing instruments, tree-climbing, using tools to build a wild west adventure playground complete with jail, from pieces of wood, arts, crafts and real cowboys teaching lassoing plus a dedicated stage for artists and performers kept the kids and parents equally engaged.
Reinforcing good times, with good people and building a community from the ground up, Black Deer also ran a full educational programme across a 9-month curriculum for disadvantaged young people who are part of the SupaJam school educating in Music and Media. This culminated in the kids assisting in the running of all aspects of stage 3, known as The SupaJam stage.
As with all Entertee Event projects, the on site teams were treated with respect for their individual skills and all worked incredibly hard to create an atmosphere that spread a true sense of community throughout. The attention to detail creating the Black Deer world was genuine and heart-felt, with responses beyond expectation conveyed from ticket holders and the many teams working around the site.
So much so that we are proud to say almost 1000 weekend tickets sold immediately after the inaugural festival in 2018, and Entertee was recognised at The Event Production Awards, taking home the award for “Full Event Production of the Year” for Black Deer Festival.
Whilst Black Deer Festival itself picked up two national awards for ‘Best New Festival on the Block’ at the AIF Awards, ‘Event Organiser of the Year’ at the NOEA AWARDS and nominated for ‘Best Festival for Emerging Talent’ at the UK Festival Awards and ‘New Gig on the Block’ at the ILMC Awards.
“Having spent many years as a supplier of stages and structures in the Industry it was refreshing to be part of a team who were so well versed in the mechanics of festival making on every level imaginable, in my view one of the greatest successes was the sense of family within the team, people who had not previously worked with each other were immediately empowered and fitted perfectly into the scheme of things, ideas and opinions were welcomed and everyone was treated as an equal, with respect and kindness.
The pre-production left no stone unturned and everyone arrived on site knowing what they had to do, where they were going to be working and how they were going to achieve it. The site was secure and superbly planned with differing agencies working alongside each other like clockwork, all with the same goal in mind and a can do attitude, all of this could easily be seen and experienced by the people who bought tickets to this great event, securing not only their ticket for 2019, but also work for us all in the years to come, I have said this before, but if anyone would like to see the benchmark for building and running a festival they should visit Black Deer” Spike Brookes, MD
“Loved the vibe at the festival and it was so well organised and relaxed - great music, bars and food too! Tweeted the hell out of it and happy to recommend it!” Paul Curran, Radio 4
“Black Deer picked up the reigns and drove forward into the 21st century and, yet, still managed to keep a friendly, well organised and exciting festival bang at the forefront of how any festival should be run…” Critical Popcorn
WAITROSE SUPPLIER GALA DINNER
Entertee Events has been running this annual extravaganza for Waitrose and the food charity Grocery Aid for eight years. It’s our job to dazzle 1500 Waitrose suppliers from around the UK, and help raise funds for Grocery Aid. Every year we mix over two thousand cocktails and pull in top name acts to thrill our guests. Headliners have included Nile Rodgers, Kylie, Tom Jones, Ollie Murs, Madness and Gary Barlow with support from Craig David, Michael McKintyre and Jack Whitehall.
Two of the biggest names in motorsport - Brands Hatch and Ferrari Maserati - asked Entertee Events to help them bring together the glamorous worlds of music and racing with a spectacular party. The 30,000 capacity event at Brands Hatch had crowds dancing to global rock legend Eric Clapton, and Jools Holland and his band.
“We couldn’t have asked for more from a production company; professional, creative and great fun”
John Newman, Ferrari
Entertee Events founder Gill Tee directed the first ever Party in the Park when she was head of entertainment at Capital Radio. Her brief was to create Europe’s biggest ever radio-led music event. Working together with the Prince's Trust, Gill and the Capital Radio team brought over 100,000 fans and a host of world-class artists to London’s Hyde Park for this trailblazing outdoor party - now widely regarded as the progenitor of the UK’s thriving city-park festival circuit.
Her extraordinary success with Party in the Park led Gill to realise a lifetime ambition and launch Entertee Events - she went on to deliver PITP events in London for a further three years.
“In our experience, Entertee Events are unique in their ability to plan and execute such large scale events under extreme pressure. We trust them to understand our needs completely.”
David Mansfield
DesertFest is Europe's biggest stoner-rock festival. Set in London's Camden, it's a hedonistic weekend that sees leading artists from this niche rock sub-genre appearing across multiple venues. It’s dark and sweaty and loud - and we love it. Entertee Events handles production and artist liaison for promoter DesertScene.
"DesertFest continues to gain momentum with the heaviest bands travelling from all over the world to party hard with the DesertFest tribe. Entertee Events are a solid production team and we trust them 100% to run our band schedule and venues."
Jake Farey - Desertscene
The Royal Parks Foundation and the Tiffany Foundation asked Entertee Events to stage launch parties for two newly restored water fountains in St James' Park and the Italian Gardens in Kensington. VIP guests included Joel Cadbury, Ben and Marina Fogle, Caroline Spencer, the Lord Mayor of Westminster and Giorgio Locatelli.
“Entertee are our knights in shining armour! As a charity we have very limited budgets but that doesn’t stop them being ambitious for us and the events we stage. The Entertee team are fun, practical, down to earth and always have an eye on our bottom line.”
Sally Barney, The Royal Parks Foundation
Working with our friends at Phil McIntyre Entertainment, Entertee Events co-produced the Mighty Boosh Festival to launch the 2012 show tour. The brief was to bring Noel and Julian’s world to life in an event that reflected the kooky Mighty Boosh spirit. The 30,000 capacity gig at the Hop Farm in Kent, showcased some of the UK’s leading comic and music talent, in what felt like the biggest fancy dress party on earth.
"In a weekend of comedy, chaos and crazy characters, Entertee were able to keep their heads and deliver our event with pin-point precision and focus."
Claire Nightingale - Phil McIntyre
Fashion Rocks was a fundraising event for the Prince’s Trust, which aimed to celebrate icons in fashion and music. Guests at this exclusive bash in Monaco included Vivienne Westwood, Donatella Versace, Mariah Carey, Kasabian and Prince Ranier of Monaco. It was Entertee’s job to present the gala dinner and aftershow party, which featured a performance by Jamie Cullum.
"Putting on an after party for some of the world's biggest party-people is no small ask. As always, Entertee rose to the occassion with a night of savvy style that was absolutely perfect for our guests."
Rona Martin - Prince's Trust
Entertee co-founder Gill Tee was the festival director for the Hop Farm Festival on behalf of promoter Vince Power for five years. The aim of this 35,000 capacity event was simple: bring legendary, global acts to a family-friendly festival environment. Acts included the Eagles, Morrissey, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, Supergrass, Primal Scream, Suede, Florence and the Machine and Prince, who played his first UK festival dates at the Hop Farm. The Entertee Events team, led by Gill, produced and staged this sponsor-free festival.
“Entertee are a trustworthy and reliable team, who I know I can rely on for an excellent event.”
Vince Power, Promoter
Entertee Events was tasked with making this two-day celebration of Irish music happen in London’s Finsbury Park. 30,000 people came together for the Feis (the traditional Gaelic term for a cultural gathering) to witness the cream of Irish talent including The Cranberries, Van Morrison, Christy Moore and Bob Dylan.
"Efficient and professional, they are always ready to deal with any task. I highly recommend Entertee Events and continue to work with them on my festivals.”
Vince Power - Promoter
The Royal Parks Foundation and Halcyon Gallery asked Entertee to help showcase the unveiling of Isis, the first sculpture to be commissioned in Hyde Park for over 50 years. We managed the build of a floating party-pontoon, which was towed across the Serpentine to its resting point next to Isis. The unveiling was resolutely contemporary with live DJs, canapés and Champagne, as guests toasted the sculpture against the backdrop of Hyde Park.
“We were delighted with the outcome and would not hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend Entertee for any high-end special event or occasion.”
Eran Akerman - Halcyon Gallery
We’ve been the event and production consultants at Eridge Park - a 3,500 acre country estate and deer park near Tunbridge Wells - since 2011. Entertee liaises with promoters and incoming production companies looking to stage their events on the estate. We also work with local authorities to ensure event licensing conditions are met, and with the estate on new business. Entertee consulted across key Eridge Park events, including High Definition, Forgotten Fields and Playgroup.
“Entertee are so experienced and well-respected within the entertainment industry; they play an integral part in the development of Eridge Park as the number one festival site in the south east of England.”
Marquess of Abergavenny, Eridge Park Estate
“Entertee were an essential part of High Definition’s successful move to Eridge Park Estate in 2014. Their professionalism, in particular the relationships they built with the local authority, meant the event was able to go ahead without a hitch.”
Danny May, Promoter
Marks and Spencer asked us to stage this fundraiser for MacMillan Cancer Care Research at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. We created an elegant setting where more than 1000 guests enjoyed a lavish dinner with performances by Billy Ocean and Alison Moyet. The evening was hosted by Sarah Cox and Anton Du Beke.
"Entertee helped us put on an incredible event that ran seamlessly from start to finish. Their re-assuring confidence and professionalism let us enjoy the night with our suppliers, and concentrate on raising money for some incredible causes."
Our brief was to create an outdoor festival celebrating our client’s son and his Bar Mitzvah. Striking the right tone between an intimate family gathering and an all-out spectacular, from a family garden in north London, was the challenge. We built a large stage for the main acts and created smaller, covered areas for guests to gather and party through the night. Steve Winwood and the SAS band, kosher catering and smaller entertainment such as Komball and street dance demos, helped mark this very important moment.
“Debs, this was amazing! Thank you for everything. Working with your team was pure joy. You have helped our family mark a very important moment in our lives with a party that was truly unforgettable.”
Working with promoter Vince Power we bought the historic Berkeley Square Ball in Mayfair back to life, to raise funds for the Prince’s Trust. The idea was to unite celebrity chefs and musicians for an evening of fine dining and live entertainment, in the heart of London’s most exclusive neighbourhood. BSquareB parties were attended each year by more than 750 high-profile guests. Chefs and artists included Jamie Oliver, Mark Hix and Tom Aitken, Amy Winehouse, James Brown and Damian Lewis. Entertee built and produced this series for five consecutive years.
"With Gill there is never a sense of panic, she is a very good communicator."
Vince Power
The SupaJam Foundation helps vulnerable young people, including victims of abuse and those battling addictions and dependencies, find their way in the music and media industry. This important charity offers financial and emotional support, ensuring a smooth transition to work and a successful career start for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Entertee Events founder Gill Tee is a trustee of the SupaJam Foundation and we regularly offer work experience opportunities and guidance to SupaJam students.
“Working with Gill Tee, Christina Shannon and all of the Entertee Events team has been an inspiration for our young students, who have learnt so much about the realities of running a successful business within the music industry. Entertee has also given some of our students invaluable work experience at some great festivals and events this year.
We’re really looking forward to developing our relationship with Entertee and discovering the next generation of music entrepreneurs.”
David Court, Co-Founder – Joint CEO, Supajam | Productions
Our sister company, Entertee Hire, is the Uk's leading event-fencing and barrier supplier. From small family festivals like Elderflower Fields and niche events like the Chinese Food Festival on the South Bank, to huge music gatherings like V Festival, Download, Boomtown, Hyde Parks' British Summertime and central London's New Years Eve celebrations. Entertee Hire is the fencing and barrier supplier of choice for live events giants AEG and Live Nation. Customers tell us time and again that our crew members are some of the friendliest and most pro-active guys they've worked with.
"Entertee just get the job done! The crew are easy to work with and will always go the extra mile to achieve what's needed. The kit is good, clean and in my opinion the best on the market. Working with Entertee Hire has given me nothing but confidence in their capability."
Mike Johnson - Site manager
