Devoted Festival 2025: Updates for Delegates

STAFFORD, UK –18  July 2025 – With the Devoted 2025 just around the corner, the Devoted Event Team has released an update for delegates to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. The festival, hosted by ChristCentral, is set to kick off on Friday, 22nd August, at the Stafford Showground (Western Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD).

"We are so looking forward to meeting you on Thursday 21st August," says the Devoted 2025 Team. While the first official meeting begins at 10 AM on Friday morning, delegates can begin to arrive from 2 PM on Thursday, 21st August, to allow ample time for setup and settling in. Departure is requested by 4 PM on Monday, 25th August, with a plea for attendees to leave their sites as clean as they found them!

Arrival, Tickets, and Payments
Attendees are advised to have their tickets ready upon arrival to facilitate traffic flow. For those with unnamed tickets, it's essential to update attendee details via the booking system BEFORE arriving. Any outstanding payments from instalment plans will need to be settled upon check-in.

On-Site Regulations and Amenities
Whilst a full list of regulations will be published in the Festival Guide, there are a few which the team feel are important for delegates to know before they arrive on site:
- Pets: Only accessibility support animals are permitted on site, and prior notification is preferred. No other pets of any variety will be allowed.
- Cars: While cars are permitted for setup and breakdown, drivers are urged to avoid queuing on the main road, move vehicles to the car park as quickly as possible, and maintain low speeds on site. Blue badge holders can apply for a site pass in advance.
- EV Charging: There are no EV charging points on site, but options are available nearby.
- Cycles: We have a lot of people on site who won’t be thinking about traffic, especially children, and therefore we are asking you to not bring cycles and scooters on site unless you are intending to go off site to cycle.
- Deliveries: Food deliveries are allowed, but vans will not be permitted beyond the main gate. Attendees are responsible for collecting their own deliveries and the festival team cannot sign for or deliver items. Attendees can inform the gate team of expected deliveries with a phone number for notifications.
- Generators, BBQs, and Campfires: For health and safety reasons, personal generators, BBQs, and campfires are strictly prohibited on site.
- Electrical Hook-ups: Churches that have booked a marquee with electricity may be able to access individual hook-ups for a charge of £25 for the weekend.

Children's Programme and Care
The children's teams will be contacting parents regarding specific details for under-19s. Our 2-4s team will be asking parents/carers to stay with their children during their morning session. (Nb. you can bring up to 3 children with you, so you may want to liaise with friends from your church). The 2-4s theme will be "The Good Shepherd," and children are welcome to bring a favourite cuddly sheep (named, please!). Parents are also requested to bring named water bottles for all children.

Eco-Friendly Initiatives & Festival Fun
In collaboration with CreationCall (a ChristCentral initiative), Devoted 2025 is emphasising environmental responsibility. Attendees can contribute by bringing reusable, named mugs, utilising the composting caddies available and ensuring their waste is managed responsibly. 

Beyond the structured sessions, the festival promises a wealth of "Festival Fun," including:
- A 5k fun run on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM.
- Afternoon creative workshops.
- An exotic pet stand on Saturday afternoon.
- A miniature railway (small cash charge) on Sunday afternoon.
- A football tournament and inter-church "Olympics."
- A colour fun run (attendees advised to wear old clothes!).
The festival will also feature an open mic area in the music venue for those wishing to entertain.

Compost Caddies
In order to reduce waste, we are asking churches to bring their own compost caddy to Devoted, for their church to use for food waste. If your church doesn't yet have one, these can be easily and cheaply bought (Currently the cheapest is £3.50 at Dunelm). You can then take them back to your church to use throughout the year to collect food waste. 

On-Site Services
For convenience, once on site both cash and card payments are accepted. Food options include an on-site shop, two cafes, and a crepe stand, with local supermarkets also nearby.

The Devoted team encourages delegates to refer to the comprehensive handbook, which will provide more detailed information upon arrival. For any further questions before the event, attendees can email info@devotedevent.org Please remember that most of our team are volunteers, and so we may not be able to respond immediately to individual requests for further information.

"As a team, we are praying you have a safe journey to and from the site, that you have lots of fun while you are with us, but most importantly, that you hear from God and that you receive all He has planned for you," the team concluded. "We’re looking forward to having a great time together!"

For more details on the programme for Devoted 2025, visit devotedevent.org