Festivals: Strawberries & Creem and The Cambridge Club acquired by SENBLA

06 October 2020 - Press release

• Sony-backed promoter SENBLA moves into festival market, acquiring two of UK's fastest-growing events
• Both festivals now to become full weekend events with expanded capacities to 20,000 in 2021
• Previous line-ups include Skepta, Nelly, AJ Tracey, Sean Paul, Kano, Stefflon Don, Mahalia, J Hus, Sister Sledge
  
  

Two of the fastest-growing UK festivals, Strawberries & Creem and The Cambridge Club, have been acquired by leading live events promoter SENBLA.

The deal signals the ambition of the festivals' founders to expand their offering, with both events now running over two days with enhanced production, expanded line-ups, and capacities of up to 20,000 in 2021.

Following on from SENBLA's majority stake sale to SONY Music last year, it also marks their first venture into the green field festival market, having become one of the country's foremost concert promoters since being founded in 2011.

Strawberries & Creem was founded in 2014 as a response to the University of Cambridge's famous Garden Parties, and has since grown rapidly from a small club event to a 10,000-capacity festival – hosting memorable performances from the likes of Skepta, Nelly, Kano, AJ Tracey, J Hus, Mahalia, Octavian, T-Pain, Shaggy, Stefflon Don, Ms Dynamite, Sean Kingston and Shy FX.

The Cambridge Club came later in 2017, but has quickly established itself as one of the most loved boutique festivals for feel-good music – with unique line-ups ranging from Disco, Funk and Soul to Rock & Roll (previous performers included Sister Sledge, Gabrielle and Craig Charles); a quality selection of local food, artisan beer and gin; and activities for all ages, with a range of experiences that celebrate innovation, technology, and the rich history and culture of Cambridge and the surrounding area.

In addition to promoting concerts by world-leading musical artists such as Burt Bacharach, Diana Ross, Marc Almond, Michael Bublé, Ennio Morricone and Quincy Jones, SENBLA has pioneered film screenings accompanied by a live orchestra – recreating our experience of classicssuch as Love Actually, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Beauty and The Beast and Joker.

 

SENBLA CEO Ollie Rosenblatt said:

"We've been looking to move into the festival space for some time now, and this young team, full of positive energy, have created two unique events that have the potential to have a seismic impact on the UK scene. Strawberries & Creem should be the biggest multi-genre festival in the country, celebrating an array of brilliant and ground-breaking artists alongside legendary acts across Hip Hop, Rap, Dancehall, Afro Beats and Electronic Dance Music; whilst The Cambridge Club will have a totally unique entertainment offering across music, comedy, theatre, technology, food and drink for all ages – taking its inspiration from the heritage of the great City in which it is located. I truly believe these are two of the most exciting properties in the marketplace, and both will be major events in the festival calendar."

The founding and operational team for the festivals comprises: William Young as Managing Director; Chris Jammer, responsible for brand and partnerships; Preye Crooks, heading up music and talent; Sam Mellor managing marketing and communications; Frazer Robinson taking care of event promotions; and Louise Young, looking after all aspects of finance and operations.

 

The festivals' MD William Young said:

"We've been growing our festivals year-on-year since we started and, after laying the foundations and building two strong brands, we have reached the point where they deserve to be standalone, weekend events – with expanded capacities, upgraded production, and improved experiential offerings. With the backing of SENBLA and SONY, we're confident that we can take all of these key elements to the next level, as well as enhancing our ability to compete for world-class artist bookings. We want both Strawberries & Creem and The Cambridge Club to be the leading festivals of their kind in the UK, and this is the best possible next step to achieving that vision."