Doncaster's Fake Festival reaches sweet 16 - and celebrates with Coldplay, just like Glastonbury

And that’s because both will feature Coldplay (or in the terms of Doncaster, the next best thing) – delighting music fans with exactly the same set of anthems.

So what’s the hype about Doncaster Fake Festival and why should you go?

Have you always wanted to go to music festival, like Glastonbury and found that you couldn’t due to the prices?

Maybe you were too late to book or maybe it’s just too far?

But don’t worry.

As part of a 17-stop tour around the country, Fake Festival is returning to Doncaster for its 16th year.

Bringing the festival to you on May 4 at Sandall Park, the opening date of this year’s schedule, the line-up includes tributes to The Killers, Green Day, Oasis, Kasabian and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as the aformentioned Coldplay.

So for those of you who are huge Coldplay fans but missed out or even if you just want the festival experience, this is the perfect place to be.

Here, you can be a part of an all immersive festival experience, right on your doorstep, with six tribute bands across the day with names like Coldplace, The Fillers, Oasish, Kazabian, Ultimate Green Day and The Really Hot Chilli Peppers.

Jez Lee, who has organised Doncaster’s Fake Festival since day one and will see 1,500 in attendance again this year, said: “The lineup for 2024 is the best of the six bands on the entire tour, as in every single slot is a quality band.

"I don’t think anyone can look at that line-up and think it’s a four out of six. It’s a six out of six. Top draw line-up that is.

"The best of the best, that’s why I did it, because I’ve been going to Doncaster for so long.

"I’ve saved the greatest hits of all time specially for Doncaster.”

Tribute bands are a growing industry, says Jez, serving as a memory of the musicians who are in some cases, such as Queen or David Bowie, no longer here to play themselves – and people love it.

Jez elaborates: “It can cost a family a lot of money to see the real Coldplay perform. You’re paying a fraction of the cost to see six amazing bands play in one day.

"£40 is next to nothing compared to the £400 you’d be paying for a Glastonbury type festival.”

From working for Fake Faces, a lookalike agency hiring out David Beckham and Marilyn Monroe lookalikes to starting his Fake Festivals business, Jez has been delivering the show since 2008, entertaining 600,000 people over the last 16 years.

And he says he has worked very hard to make his dreams a reality.

He added: “When I stand up and watch the crowd going crazy for Mr Brightside and the Fillers, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand up at the end of the night. It’s worth the work it takes to put this together and create a fantastic night for everyone to enjoy.”

His motivation for introducing Fake Festivals was to “give local people an event in their local park, that they can walk to and enjoy with their friends and family and walk back home.”

And there’s no camping or long journeys involved.

Jez continued: “A fun family day out for music lovers, and a chance for parents to introduce their kids to live music in a safe environment.

"It’s great for parents who don’t want to send their kids to a real festival because they are expensive and they might be worried about the big crowds, this is the perfect start to introduce your children to the festival experience.”

Fake Festivals is an inclusive experience for all age groups, with entertainment in the marquee such as a Bucking Bronco, which is always a hit, football darts, a kids play area, a Total Wipeout course, inflatables, Hang Tough – and prizes to be won throughout.

The fun is accompanied by a range of excellent food stands serving up burgers, pizzas, Indian and Greek food, crepes, noodles – festival food for a festival vibe.

And inside the marquee is where it all goes down, with a huge stage, a fully-licensed bar and of course the live music everyone is dying to see.

What Jez thinks makes these tribute bands so great is that they are “so accurate to the real deal, it’s not like going to see a band that plays Coldplay music, the artist looks like Chris Martin, acts like Chris Martin, walks like Chris Martin, even his shoe laces are the same colour as Chris Martin.”

A great deal of precision and accuracy has gone into creating the perfect lookalikes for the perfect experience.

He said: “They recreate the real deal and put on a show and the key thing is they play all the hits. With these guys it is just hit after hit, the public is getting the greatest hits of all

six tribute bands playing that day, not just five of your favourite songs from the 90s. A unique experience, you don’t want to miss out on.”

Shane Crofts, the lead singer of Coldplace enjoys performing for Doncaster just as much as Doncaster loves seeing him perform.

He is “really looking forward" to headlining on May 4.

He played at the very first Fake Festival and has been a regular on the tour since.

“I live locally so this will be my closest festival so I am looking forward to playing to a home crowd and seeing some familiar faces,” he said. “We mainly play outside the UK these days so to play locally is a real treat.

"We love Fake Festivals and they are fantastic events for all the family. The other bands on the line up are amazing too so we can’t wait to watch them before we hit the stage.”

Doncaster has often been described as a great crowd to perform for.

According to Jez: “They’re always in high volume, singing-wise, the loudest in the country, and generally a good atmosphere in Donny, they like a party, they like getting into it, they like showing up early and getting their money’s worth.

"They stay from opening time to closing time. So you can bet you’ll have the full festival experience here.”

“The audience is always just going for it, embracing the day and embracing it for what it is.”

Although an exciting performance awaits, safety is a main concern for Jez and his team and he stresses that many safety precautions are in place for everyone during the event.

He said: “We have made sure we have enough security for the number of people that come through the door, it’s a very safe and friendly atmosphere, everybody is checked

and searched going in, just like any festival.”

Jez concluded: “It’s like the circus coming to town, they come every year and it’s always an event for people to look forward to.”

Click HERE to purchase your tickets