Sites through the ages
We’ve put together this time-capsule showcasing the ever-evolving site locations that have shaped the legendary festival. From its inaugural show Winchester to its current home in Daresbury, each location has played a crucial role in the festival’s growth and success. Scroll down and rewind time through one of the worlds biggest electronic music festival in history.
1998: The first site in Winchester
The festival’s journey began in 1998 on the Matterley Bowl in Winchester. This inaugural location which attracted a capacity crowd of 25,000 people, provided a stunning backdrop for the festival’s debut, combining the charm of the English countryside with the beats of the world’s best electronic acts. As dance music’s original multi stage festival the blueprint was set. Performances included Daft Punk, Ian Brown, The Chemical Brothers, Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Dave Clarke, Roni Size, James Lavelle, Gilles Peterson, Fatboy Slim, DH Harvey, Norman Jay and more.
1999 – 2005: Expansion, Liverpool Airfield
Due to the festivals inaugural success a bigger capacity was needed for the 2nd edition, and a new home was found in its spiritual home in Liverpool, where their legendary club Cream had captured the hearts of the dance music generation. The Old Liverpool Airfield became its home and an opportunity to accommodate Cream HQ’s expanding ambitions.
2006: Move to Daresbury, Cheshire
The success of Creamfields showed no signs of slowing and having outgrown its Liverpool home, in 2006 a new site was found in Daresbury, Cheshire. Set in between Liverpool and Manchester in the heart of the Cheshire countryside and birthplace of ‘Alice in Wonderlands’ Lewis Carroll, offers a stunning backdrop and has allowed the festival to expand into a multi day, camping behemoth, becoming a rite of passage for electronic music fans and attracting dance music lovers and DJ’s from around across the globe
As of 2008, a second day was added to the festival in celebration of the 10th anniversary.
From 2011, a third day was added to the festival.
2016 onwards
Steel Yard Superstructure: Renowned for pushing the boundaries 2016 saw the unveiling of their most ambitious stage concept to date – the Steel Yard Superstructure. Designed by Cream, and standing at a colossal 20 meters high and with a capacity of 20,000, it redefined festival production. This iconic structure became a symbol of innovation for music festivals around the world.
In addition to the new stage, another day was added to the festival making it a 4-day event for the first time.
2022 onwards
2022 onwards, to mark the festivals 25 year anniversary, Cream HQ joined forces with stage and visual art supremos Lucid Creates whose challenge was to create a mind-blowing structure and 360 immersive experience for fans – Runway was born, creating a new 20,000 capacity open air main stage.
As part of the 25 year celebrations, the festival launched a sister UK-based festival – Creamfields South, taking place at Hylands Park, Chelmsford across June’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.