All things weird and wonderful was the order of the day at this year’s Labfest – Labman went 100% to the movies. At this year’s summer festival, the Labman staff, plus their nearest and dearest, encountered everything from a ghost detector to a tequila shot machine, and even a mind-controlled game! The film star costumes donned by the happy revellers were second-to-none, whilst some certainly kept some of us guessing.
Despite the tropical conditions, the festival-goers spent the afternoon enjoying various activities including inflatable gladiator duelling, mental tug-o-war and even a spot of cycling. To the average passer-by it may have looked like the riders were somewhat under the influence, but in typical Labman style, these were not your average bicycles. Innocently disguised in friendly and welcoming colours, these cycles had undergone various modifications (the Buckaroo Bronko with offset wheel hubs, The Drift Bike with dual steering and the Backwards Bike featuring reverse steering) to be discovered, and never-quite-mastered, by their rider!
With upwards of 120 hungry mouths to feed, one may have been inclined to hire a professional caterer; but not at Labman. A giant smoker-come-barbecue was cleverly created by some of our staff to cook all the meat and delicious vegan options. After 3 hard weeks of lunch time and after-work sessions, the smoker was created, featuring a ‘reverse flow’ system which aided distribution of the heat. A special thank you to those who stayed awake in shifts overnight to get it up to temperature in aid of the epic feast. Not to mention the popcorn maker, powered by no less than a small bonfire.
The evening was welcomed in with the annual Scrapheap Challenge. Provided with the usual array of highly technical items, including polystyrene spheres, corks and marshmallows, the teams huddled to create all manner of moving devices. After much eating, drinking, gluing and sticking the creations were ready to compete in the one-chance-only showdown. The crowd looked on with bated breath as the adjudicators deliberated over the cut-throat battles to decide the winning team.
The eagerly awaited return of Labman’s own band Robbie and the Near Misses rocked the peaceful countryside into the night, where scenes of wild abandonment were witnessed on the dancefloor.
Labfest is just a snippet of what Labman is all about – having great fun with great people, and this annual celebration was again, a great success. Thank you to all those involved in making it what it was this year, and what there is to come in future.