Humans of Hitchin: Edition 7... Rowan Patel
Hello, I’m Rowan, creator of local music festival Goatfest and owner of Café 77 in Hitchin. I grew up in local village Codicote, where my parents own a hair salon and I used to go to Hitchin Boys School. Now I’ve been living here in Hitchin for around 7 years with my wife, Hannah - so I’d count myself as a proper local!
My music festival Goatfest has been running for around 16 years now – it has been growing every year, which is so lovely to see. The first one we put on, back in 2008 was held in the car park of The Goat Pub, Codicote. Then in 2016, we made the big jump moving from the pub to local farmland. It was a risky move changing it up, as people liked how it was, but I knew we were quickly outgrowing the pub space and it was a good time to move. We were lucky enough to know a local landowner who said if we cleaned up after ourselves, we could do what we liked. Thankfully the first year in the field went well and all the initial doubters really enjoyed themselves - we’ve not looked back since!
Of course, the events industry is very unpredictable and sometimes extremely risky, especially in this country where the weather is not very favourable! It’s hard work, long hours but super fun and so rewarding when you have a successful event. I remember in 2017 it hammered with rain the entire festival weekend and it was so cold! An August that felt like a November. The weather got so bad we had to unfortunately close the main stage, meaning that the event headliner Grandmaster Flash had to cancel his show and we had to send him on his merry way. I remember so vividly going up on stage and having to announce this to an expectant crowd - it was awful!
Goatfest 2024 is going to be bigger & better! We are very excited as we have got some fantastic acts including Lighthouse Family, The South (aka The Beautiful South), Fuse ODG and the wonderful Keala Settle (most people will know her as the bearded lady in The Greatest Showman) – so very much looking forward to that. Every year you can discover new artists, global stars, local music heroes as well as lots of family activities, camping / glamping, crafts & creators and a delicious selection of local street food! This year we are also excited to introduce a new Friday night comedy line- up and a spiritual wellness area – so it will definately be a weekend to remember!
I’d say I’m an events geek – I always look forward to pulling a festival together and working out the best way to make it successful. I like the organisation of making sure everything is set out and when people turn up it all flows well, runs nicely and is enjoyable for everyone. I will sit during the colder, wet Winter months at my desk, drawing site maps and thinking of every little detail. Then when it comes to festival weekend and all my planning is pulled together, I love walking around the festival site and seeing people enjoy themselves or having a beer in a new element I had envisaged in my head – it’s those moment where I get the small little wins. From a young age I’ve always loved hospitality and building things for people to visit and enjoy. I have early memories of turning my bedroom into a shop, with a toy cash register for my brother to visit. I suppose that it’s like that with the festival, trying to build and create something for people so that they have the best experience!
As you can imagine over the years there have been lots of surreal festival moments! One that sticks out is the year Kim Wilde headlined. She only lives a few fields away from the site, so mid BBQ with her family they all drove around to the backstage area and she jumped on stage. She played a fantastic set to a very excited crowd and then after, all of them bundled back into their cars to finish with their dinner! I’ve got to say Kim Wilde was one of my favourite performances, along with Lemar last year, who was just brilliant.
My main aim is to continue growing Goatfest! We have such an amazing core following who have been coming since year one, so to have that backing from such a loyal following - I feel like it’s my job to keep it going.
I love Hitchin – what a place! It’s quirky, has great charm and there is always something going on. The guys at the BID and the different businesses in the town are always organising some type of event for the people of Hitchin to enjoy. Especially when the sun shines and everyone is out – it’s great!
Small business shout outs: When we're not working, we love to keep up with the local pub and music scene, so are regulars at The Half Moon & The Victoria and can often be found eating burritos at Cantina Carnitas!