Heineken Music Festival began in the early to mid-1990s when the Heineken Brewery sponsored free-admission four-day live music events in the United Kingdom in and around large capacity big top tents in Heineken green.
Taking place in city parks up and down the UK, the first event was held in Wollaton Park, Nottingham in 1990 headlined by John Martyn and Tom Robinson. It was co-promoted by Nottingham City Council. It attracted just 10,000 music fans in its first year in Wollaton Park. Other regular venues included Swansea, Brighton, Portsmouth and Leeds.
Heineken Music Festivals featured old school r&b, pub rock, punk, folk-rock, world music and rock. From 1993 leading "Britpop" indie bands featured on Saturday evenings including Oasis, The Verve, Pulp, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sleeper, Manic Street Preachers, Blur, and Catatonia.
The Heineken events also featured long-established bands and singers including The Stranglers, Jools Holland, The Pogues, Saw Doctors, Tom Robinson Band, Bonnie Tyler, Richard Thompson, Labi Siffre, Siouxsie + The Banshees, Squeeze, Carmel, The Levellers, Martin Stephenson and the Daintees, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Wilko Johnson, Tony Joe White, Aswad, Bhundu Boys, Jamiroquai, Kirsty MacColl, Boy George, Mike + The Mechanics. In total there were thirty free-admission festivals over six years as well as several pilot events, and six indoor venue gigs in London
There were also spin-off events and college tours sponsored by Murphy's and Boddingtons bitter. Respective city councils co-promoted the events. Granada Television broadcast a Greater Manchester event and many other festivals achieved TV coverage.
Regular house-bands included Dr Feelgood, Alias Ron Kavana, The Tansads (now Merry Hell), Oysterband and Chumbawamba.
Event director was Mike Eddowes. Bookers included Fiona Glynn-Jones (later Bella Union record label) and in season one Stuart Griffiths and Carrie Wagner. Event managers were Linda Harley, Adam Ali, Gabby Taranowski, Charlie Connelly and Tim Haines. PA was by ESS throughout the history of the events. The events were promoted and produced by Square One Events.
The last event under Heineken's sponsorship was held in Roundhay Park Leeds in July 1995, which attracted 110,000 fans on the Saturday and more than 320,000 fans over four days and was headlined by Pulp, who also headlined at Glastonbury that year. More than one million cans of Heineken lager were sold at the farewell event. It claims to be the largest-ever dedicated free music event in the UK.
At the end of 1995 Heineken did not renew their ground-breaking sponsorship, in favour of sport.
Various events continue in England and continental Europe under different names but are now paid-admission shows and festivals.
1994
In 1994 there were six free festivals taking place at various locations in the United Kingdom featuring the following artists:
Preston (9–12 June)
Inspiral Carpets The Boo Radleys Pulp Shed Seven The Christians Sister Sledge Back to the Planet Baby Chaos
Gateshead (23–26 June) The Pogues The Stranglers Tom Robinson Jools Holland Toyah Nine Below Zero
Leeds (7–10 July) The Saw Doctors The Stranglers The Wedding Present Chumbawamba Kingmaker Shed Seven (replaced the billed Elastica) Back to the Planet Siouxsie and the Banshees Buzzcocks Mike + The Mechanics The Pogues
Nottingham (21–24 July) Blur
Plymouth (4–7 August) Chumbawamba The Stranglers Toyah Tom Robinson
Portsmouth (18–21 August) The Pogues