General manager Owain Llwyd Jones tells of The Fishes festival in the making 

Several years ago, when I was still at uni and propping up a different bar, one of the leading lights Nat – now working at The Fishes– was charged with the task of organising the pub’s summer opening party.

She had the idea of making it a fabulous bash with the garden filled with happy revellers having a great time, outdoor food stalls rustling up delicious things to eat, music and dancing that went on until late and the sun shining.

Naturally it hammered with rain for much of the day but the village had the most fun eating, drinking, dancing and getting soaked. Now, almost ten years later, people still talk about it.

I’ve worked at the North Hinksey pub on and off for eight years now and always look forward to the summer when our garden really comes into its own. So when it was time to start planning something big for this year, I really wanted to do something that would be a thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years. And it occurred to me that I’d never done a festival and that it was high time I did one – something for people to remember me by in years to come perhaps, just as they had Nat and the first one.

We put a few feelers out with some of our suppliers to see if they would like to get involved and make it a really great event with all the elements of a food and drink festival. It only took a few phone calls and I was inundated with offers of help. The date was set – Saturday, July 18 – and we started planning how to transform the garden to give it a real festival feel. We’d decorate the place with big flowers, have lots of marquees in case the weather did the unthinkable again and make it fun for all the family with garden games like croquet, giant Jenga and a shooting alley.

All the suppliers would have their own stalls so we could make it a real showcase of what they do and we’d have an outdoor bar, a massive barbecue and our head chef Mathias Rouvray doing butchery demos. When we did a list of who was going to be there on the day, it really started to sound exciting. We’d have The Cheese Seller coming together with Tanners to do a cheese and wine bar, with lots of tastings, a mojito bar from Pernod Ricard, a Champagne and seafood bar and a Jude’s ice cream stand, as well as picnics with a new menu of Aspall’s Cyders chosen to match what’s inside the basket.

As with any good festival we’d need music so we’ve booked a line-up who will be playing all day from the Fishes “main stage”. Confirmed acts so far include the Lewis Brothers – a three piece covering everything from Bob Marley, Whitney Houston and Sting to Rihanna, Bastille and Oasis – and the April Maze, whose musical roamings have taken them to more than 50 other festivals.

As the day gets nearer, we’ve got marquees and fences to put up, tickets to print and extra car parking spaces to be negotiated with the local cricket club. But it’s all starting to take shape and we’re getting excited.

We’re giving everyone who buys a ticket two free drinks and two free samples from the stalls. Kids get in for nothing. Buy your ticket in advance for a tenner (it will be £15 on the day) and come and see our garden at its best.

The Fishes Festival is on Saturday from noon until late in North Hinksey, OX2 0NA.

Tel: 01865 249796 fishesoxford.co.uk