MOST OF US WILL NEVER DO GREAT THINGS, BUT WE CAN ALL DO SMALL THINGS IN A GREAT WAY.
This is what we’re all about…
Off The Tracks is many things and all of them good – independent, friendly, relaxing, memorable, exciting, a place to escape and a place to meet new friends. Once you've been, we bet you’ll want to come back.
Our family-friendly festivals are the perfect chance for you to flee to the countryside, let your hair down, chill out and escape the humdrum of everyday life.
Thirty years in the making and still run by Andy and Boz with their dedicated team, Off The Tracks proves that small is beautiful and can still dish up top music and entertainment without being corporate.
An amazing 30 plus years ago, Andy and Boz (who would like to deny they’re old enough) were promoting local gigs in and around Derby and wanted to expand. When Andy stayed at the Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel he found the perfect place to start a festival. Less than a year later, Off The Tracks was up and running.
On a gorgeously sunny Saturday in July 1988, the first Off The Tracks was staged. Local heroes No Right Turn topped the bill with great support from just a handful of other local bands.
Boz and Andy say: “Because we’re independent and sponsor-free we’ve never lost the original ethos of Off The Tracks – chilled, family-friendly, with as much relaxation or excitement as you could wish for – you choose!
"We have been helped in our quest to create the perfect small festival by many friends and volunteers over the years, and we’d like to thank them for their generous and continuing support. But don’t just take our word for it. We’ve been named a top 'Small is Beautiful Festival' by the Sunday Times.”
Andy Cooper and Boz Borys
Co-Directors
The wonderful people at beautiful and historic Donington Park Farm are our gracious hosts. When they're not helping put on the loveliest small festival imaginable, they cater for weddings, run a comfortable hotel and campsite, and serve the tastiest food year-round.
Andy has the coolest shades on this planet and is best known for his work as a bass player and songwriter with No Right Turn.
He can also be seen providing bass lines for Neverland, Simon Friend's Seismic Survey, Swamptrash, Dance Cupola, Jayne’s Red House, Prego, and Straight Bends. He tours extensively throughout the United Kingdom and Europe and, when he's not travelling for business he relaxes by, er, even more travelling.
So, you can see that Andy is a busy man who can handle the big stuff - and he’s clearly a bit of a musical tart.
This is Boz. When he's not chasing the sun (the shiny object in the sky, not the daily rag) he can be seen playing percussion with Neverland, No Right Turn, and The Rattlers. And, of course, jointly organising the OTT festivals.
A well-known figure in his native Derby, he cuts a dash with his debonair look and addiction to fine headgear – which makes it all the more surprising when this urbane gentleman pounds the life out of a set of drums.
He also throws legendary fancy dress parties. Don't expect to recognise him.
This is Graham, photographer extraordinaire. We are grateful that he has been our resident festival photographer over the past years and allows us to use his photos on our website. You can see his work by clicking here.
This is Lynwen, wordsmith for our website. Proud pedant and grammar geek, this former newspaper journalist turned PR person has nightmares about typos. So, if you spot any, make sure she's had a drink when you point it out. Then step back.
Meet Haluk, the creative brains behind our website – keeping it looking fabulous and making sure all the technical bits and bobs behind the scenes work too. This is quite a relief to the rest of the team who are easily puzzled by technology. Also known to frequent gigs and take snaps.
These lovely dedicated engineers from Loud and Clear are behind our festivals' sound & lighting. They work relentlessly around the clock to treat you with the best audio visual experience. We are lucky to have them on board.