Port Talbot family opens back garden for festival

Hosting a music festival in your back garden is every teenager’s dream, right?

For three siblings in Margam, Neath Port Talbot, that dream is a reality.

They are celebrating a third year of the In It Together festival being held on their farm.

The Williams family opened their gates to 50,000 festival fans at Old Park Farm on Friday, which is usually home to sheep and cattle.

Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Sugababes and Dizzee Rascal are the headline acts for 2024, with many more music and comedy acts arriving for the Bank Holiday weekend.

It has been dubbed a “mini Glastonbury” by the siblings.

May Williams, 22, who lives on the farm with her family said there is a real “buzz” around the Port Talbot area.

“I keep seeing people talking about it, I pop into the supermarket and everyone is really excited,” she said.

“It’s quite surreal to be honest, waking up and seeing the set up, it’s crazy.”

Phoebe who is 13, said her friends are very excited and find it “mad” that a festival takes place in her garden.

Looking back at previous years, Charlie, 19, said he “couldn’t believe it” when his parents told them about the idea of hosting a festival.

“The first year especially, I thought it was going to be a small fete, but when all those people turned up it was crazy,” he said.

With weekend tickets sold out, and day tickets at close capacity, the festival organisers want to remind people to have a “happy, healthy festival”.

The In It Together festival team at Escape Records said the safety and security of its guests was “always our number one priority” and they were working to “highlight all the safety measures we have in place”.

Posters will also be displayed around the site that give the key steps to take when someone is having an asthma attack and advise when to call 999 following last year, when a teenager died.

May, the eldest of the siblings, added the sense of community was so important.

“It’s lovely being able to walk around and seeing, honestly, everyone you know from Port Talbot, it’s incredible,” she said.

“I’m buzzing for the Sugababes,” she added – the noughties trio headline the main stage on Saturday evening.

Charlie added he sees many familiar faces at the site, including old school teachers.

His favourite tent, however, is the dance tent and he said it will feel surreal to see artists such as Scottish DJ Ewan McVicar.

Phoebe, like her older brother, enjoys dance music, and has her sights set on seeing DJ D.O.D.

Old Park Farm is a working farm, with sheep and cattle kept on the yard all year.

“All of our animals have been moved just for the time being, for a couple of days,” explained May.

“They obviously have to move for all this to happen.

“To grow up with the festival is amazing, our cousins have just had two young babies.

“It’s funny to think they will never know a time where there wasn’t a festival on the farm.”

The Williams family have given their tips for those attending:

• Wear what you feel comfortable in
• Bring a jacket, as it gets chilly in the evening
• If you see rain, bring wellies and don’t wear your best white shoes!

Rob Williams, 57, runs the farm with his brother Huw, the father of May, Charlie and Phoebe.

He explained how the festival began, saying: “We were contacted in lockdown with the idea of having a music festival at the farm.

“Port Talbot doesn’t always have the best reputation, with us being called a dirty old steel town, so we thought we could bring something vibrant and exciting to the town.”

However, he said it does not come without its challenges and can be “stressful” for the farm workers.

But he hopes people enjoy what his farm and the festival have to offer.

The work never stops, though, and with this year’s edition not even over, planning has already begun for 2025’s In It Together.