Grantham man’s failed bid to get Oasis tickets leads to launch of Lincs Big Bash music festival at Scholey Park near Woodhall Spa

A man’s failed bid to get tickets for the reunion of the decade spurred him on to create a new music festival.

Back in August, Grantham-born Dave Charles started up his laptop at 2.30am to queue up to try and secure tickets for the biggest musical reunion of this generation, Oasis.

He left his laptop for several hours until 7.30am to check he was still in the queue. At 8.50am, when everyone else in the world jumped onto Ticketmaster, he was still in the queue.

However, just like thousands of others, he was booted out and Dave was left “gutted”.

He tried again, but got to the stage where he “wasn’t going to pay £400 for a ticket,” said Dave, owner of Grantham Computer Centre.

A few months went by and he went to a cricket game where he saw an Oasis tribute band perform.

“I thought they were great, so I got their contact details as I wanted to try and set up a gig for just me and my friends on July 4, the first day Oasis are performing in Cardiff,” added Dave.

After a few weeks, Dave visited a few venues where he could set up the gig.

He visited Scholey Park, near Woodhall Spa, and thought it was a perfect venue, but too big for his friends’ gig.

So, after a chat with his wife and one idea led to another, he decided to launch the Lincs Big Bash, a new festival with tribute bands, local musicians and fun for all the family.

He said: “I have been to many festivals and knew what I wanted it to be like.

“I wanted to make it for families. It was also very important to include local bands.

“We have 22 bands from in and around Lincolnshire performing.

“Everything else involved is also from Lincolnshire, including the bands, staging, security and much more.

“If you come to the Lincs Big Bash, then you are also supporting the county.”

The event, which will run from July 4 until July 6, will feature performances celebrating iconic artists such as Oasis, Coldplay, The Killers, and Robbie Williams.

The festival is designed to be a family-friendly event, offering not only live music but also a funfair, a kids' zone, fireworks, and plenty of parking.

Dave also says that sunny weather is predicted for the festival weekend.

He added: “I have enjoyed the whole process of creating it.

“I have never done anything like this before. It has been a learning curve.

“No one understands what goes on behind the scenes for an event like this. However, I have enjoyed the whole thing and look forward to seeing all the smiley faces on a beautiful sunny weekend.”

Dave also hopes the festival will be the first of many.

Tickets are available to be booked at https://lincsbigbash.gigantic.com/lincs-big-bash-tickets/lincolnshire-scholey-park/2025-07-04-11-30.

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