Alumnus Graeme Merifield on founding the Wychwood Festival

At the end of May, Oxford Brookes alumnus Graeme Merifield ‘93 will be hosting his 21st Wychwood Festival. He shares his journey from university to the festival world, highlighting the importance of exploration, resilience and finding your niche.
Unexpected inspiration and embracing opportunities
Graeme's story starts during his time at Oxford Polytechnic, where his English and Publishing studies opened doors to various interests."Whilst I was studying at Oxford Polytechnic, I was dabbling in other things too. During my second year, I went on an exchange to the University of South Florida. I had an amazing year doing, as well as English, screenplay writing, advertising and French amongst various other modules. That gave me more of an insight as to things I might want to do."
“When I came back in my third year, I got involved with the Drama Society. I directed a couple of plays and then my first job was in film sales. So clearly I was already headed towards the media industry. I did lots of different jobs and then started working for Elton John. I worked in music sponsorship for his company for two tours. That was a huge eye-opener in my mid-twenties to tour Europe and America with them!”
Taking a leap: from music accountancy to launching a festival
Graeme's path took an unexpected turn when he went to his very first music festival."When I was in my thirties, my wife and I went to our first music festival and then I essentially woke up one morning and thought ‘wouldn't it be great to do this as a job?’.
“We then moved back from London to Oxford and I thought I could train as a music accountant, that would help me get one foot in the door of the music world. It lasted eight weeks and I couldn't do it! I couldn't get my head around any of it, and I was just in an attic in Oxford with a pencil and a rickety chair, a far cry from my last 10 years in London working across film sales, music sponsorship, telecoms marketing and design!”
During that time, conversations and connections with professional contacts kept the festival dream alive. A pivotal moment arrived when Graeme met Sam Shrouder, a key figure in the theatre world who had just retired from running the Apollo Leisure Group.
"From that point on, Sam didn't hear the end of me and I started building up a festival business plan, trying to get him involved. And finally he bit and we set the festival up together and then all the rest is history."
Standing out from the crowd: the Wychwood difference
Competition in the festival industry is intense, but Wychwood has managed to carve its niche over the last 21 years.
"The world of festivals is extremely competitive. You'll hear of those 70-odd festivals that all failed last year. You're basically building a shop to open for only one weekend a year and you have to hope that that weekend is sunny as well! So it's quite a big gamble. But how we try and set ourselves apart is that we rapidly developed into a family festival, which wasn't the original idea, but our family offering was so good that people latched on to that. The family festival element and diversity in the programming is what makes us special.”
Graeme (second from right) and family with artist Sam Ryder.
Challenges and proud moments
Over the years the festival has faced challenges, particularly securing big-name artists due to budget constraints."The artists are so expensive that the challenge is to get the biggest name you can for your budget. What we think we really would like to do is get [attendance] to about 15,000 people but obviously we don't have the same budget as some of the big corporate festival operators like Live Nation.”
Despite these hurdles, Wychwood has grown steadily. Graeme's greatest achievement lies in the festival's longevity.
"It really isn't a sensible business so to have kept it going for 21 years is quite an achievement, especially for as an independent promoter in a competitive industry.”
Words of wisdom for fellow alumni and future graduates
For those aiming for careers in the creative or music industry, Graeme emphasises resilience."I found it very hard to crack into it, but I'd say just have resilience. Try and think about how you are unique and about what you could bring to the table. Just get out there and talk to people. Get a feel for what it is you actually want to do. Roll up your sleeves and get in there!"
Graeme also encourages exploring unique skills, networking, and gaining experience in different areas.
"I think we all know that the main goal in life is to be happy in what you do most of the time. So, if you're thinking about doing new things, you should explore them. For many years people said to me “you can't put on a festival, it's impossible” and if I’d taken that advice, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere! So just keep your options open and knock on as many doors as possible."
The Wychwood Festival is held from 30 May to 1 June 2025 at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, UK. Information and tickets are available on the Wychwood Festival website. Oxford Brookes alumni, students and staff can get a 15% discount, terms and conditions apply. Get in touch with the Alumni team for details. Offer ends at midnight on Monday 3 February.