Great apes, it's Zoo Thousand And Eight: Matt Dice explains

United Kingdom | by Ross Purdie | 26 March 2008

Set within the grounds of Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Hythe, the three-day lounge around promises over 100 live acts and DJs, with up to 20,000 revellers invited for a wild weekend of indie, dance, drum'n'bass and alternative entertainment, all in the vicinity of big hairy animals.

But don't worry, just like Michael Eavis' cows the animals will be kept a safe distance from the action (or rather you will) and to help towards their upkeep a donation will be made to the Aspinal Foundation, which also raises funds to aid endangered species around the world.

Live events have been held at the wildlife park before but this is the first time it has hosted a full music festival complete with camping. Zoo Thousand And Eight is a brand new concept and its tie-in with renowned Chatham venue the Tap ‘n’ Tin has helped it snare a killer line up. Let's just hope the only wild beasts escaping from their everyday shackles are you lot.

We spoke to the festival’s organiser, Matt Dice, who explains just how to put on a festival in a zoo...

Virtual Festivals: What first inspired the idea of a festival in a zoo?
Matt Dice: “We all come from a promotions background. We've done events like the dance weekenders down at Camber Sands and I used to run a drum'n'bass night called Breakology. We talked about doing something on a larger scale, outdoors, and started looking at venues. We went down to the animal park and immediately realised we'd found a beautiful venue, it’s absolutely amazing. Then we started talking about our concept and the whole Zoo Thousand thing and it rolled from there really.”

VF: It’s quite a novel idea having a festival surrounded by animals, isn't it slightly dangerous?
MD: “The actual gig is taking place in the Grassland’s Arena, which is away from the animals, but customers have just a short walk into the zoo grounds. We don’t want people worrying that animals are going to get affected or that there are going to be sound systems next to animal enclosures, because that’s not going to happen. It’s far enough away from the animals but close enough that people can go and have a look. The animals are all in really nice enclosures. It’s got the biggest gorilla enclosure in the world. It’s all open planned, there are a lot of facilities and things for them to play on. It’s brilliant what the zoo does, and all the workers seem really passionate about their jobs and the animals.”

VF: Is this the first time they have put on a live event there?
MD: “There have been concerts at the Grassland’s Arena, but not festivals with camping. There will be DJs and we’re looking at mainstream indie bands, we’ve got a drum and bass arena, a dance arena... There’s a real mixture of music, so hopefully there will be something to cater for everyone.”

VF: Have you booked Gorillaz?
MD: “No, we’d love to, but I think they’re a bit out of our league!”

VF: What about Foals?
MD: “Nothing confirmed yet, but yes hopefully.

VF: Grizzly Bear?
MD: "Ah yeah yeah. We’d like to have the Arctic Monkeys as well. Basically anything with animal names, it would be great if we could. It’s going to be an impressive line-up, especially for Kent.”

VF: Kent's becoming a bit of a festival hub this year.. 
MD: “Yeah the Electric Garden Festival and Radio 1’s Big Weekend are coming down this year. It’s all brilliant exposure for Kent, and I think there’s enough of the market down here to cater for everyone.”

VF: So will there be free access to the zoo?
MD: “It won't be completely free but there will be reduced rates for all festival goers and seeing the animals should prove a great way of chilling out from all the goings on at the festival. It really is an amazing place and the chance to have a look around shouldn't be missed."

VF: So are the zoo happy with everything that’s going on?
MD: “We’ve got a good partnership with them, they’re really happy about it. What other festival can you get up from your tent, have a walk around a wild animal park for a couple of hours, and then go into the festival?”

VF: You’ve obviously mentioned the music and the campsite, what other attractions will there be?
MD: “We’re looking at different zones. We want a chill out zone, where you can chill out and have a massage or maybe do some yoga. We’ve got a big fun fair coming in with proper white knuckle rides, and an off-road sledgeway racing track which should be cool!”

VF: You could stick some monkeys on it...
MD: “I don’t think the zoo would have that! We’ve got kids zones, a silent disco, a solar cinema and obviously the main attractions of the zoo. We’re trying to think of quirky things so that there is a lot going on, because it’s the little touches that people remember.”

VF: The festival market is getting more and more packed every year, what makes you think that you can succeed in such a packed market?
MD: “I think what we’ve got is quite unique. It’s more than just feel good music, it’s the whole concept; the name, the branding, where it is. The fact that we’re at a zoo sets us apart from other festivals, and hopefully they’ll just be a vibe about it. A festival in a zoo is not the kind of thing you hear everyday. People think it’s really different and want to see what it’s all about. We’re excited about it already.”

VF: Was having the festival in a zoo the plan from the beginning?
MD: “We were just playing around with ideas, when we went to the zoo something just clicked straight away and we realised we could come up with a concept and branding. It just really suited us. As soon as we saw the zoo, we knew it was where we wanted our festival to be.”

VF: Did you believe in it from the start?
MD: “We’ve been working on it for over 18 months to get where we are now. Once we came up with the idea, we started working on it. I’ve always believed it would happen.”

VF: Do you think you could ever turn it into a zoo tour, and stop in other places?
MD: “Who knows, never say never. Obviously it would have to suit what we were doing, and we would need the space to do it. First and foremost, we’re just making sure this one works because we’re not looking at it as just a one year thing, we are looking at it as a long term plan. We want to see how far we can make it grow and get bigger and bigger.”

VF: Has the support from the Tap ‘n’ Tin in Chatham been helpful?
MD: “Yes, they’re doing our booking for us and running our new talent arena. We’re quite excited to work with them, it’s a great little club. They’ve got a good reputation, and they have some mad bands down there. A couple of years back they had Pete Doherty alongside Chas ‘n’ Dave, which got quite a bit of interest. We’ve got Chas ‘n’ Dave at the festival as well, so that will be quite funny.”

VF: So has your cross over into the world of festivals been stressful or are you enjoying it?
MD: “I love it! It is stressful, anyone who has ever put on anything will know that, but I wake up everyday and look forward to doing it because I love what I do. All three of us have a real passion for it and a really strong belief that we can pull this off.”

Zoo Thousand And Eight will take place at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent, from 4-6 July. Check out the line up so far HERE.