UK’s largest sex festival ‘Swingathon’ sees hundreds of couples descend on small village

It kicked off on Friday night

Swingathon — which sees more than 500 like-minded couples come together to celebrate non-monogamy — began in the tiny village of Allington near Grantham on Friday night. 

Attendees have paid £200 each in tickets for the three-day festival, where they will be treated to a wide range of adult-themed entertainment including play tents, pole dancing performances, hot tubs, foam parties, and ‘games.’

There are also opportunities to purchase various sex toys and lingerie from stalls. 

While organisers refer to the festival as an ‘adult alternative lifestyle event’ rather than a ‘sex festival’, Swingathon has this year been moved to such a remote location in response to complaints of ‘loud moaning’ by local residents at last year's event. 

Despite the size of the new host location — Allington is home to just 8,000 people — there have still been plenty of complaints about its arrival to a village that is usually described as ‘sleepy.’

One local told Lincolnshire Live: "We're becoming known as the swinger's capital of England just because of this festival and that's not a title we want. Its mostly elderly people and families here so you can imagine them spitting their tea out when they learned we were to be the home of Swingathon.

"It's usually the talk of the village, some say let consenting adults do whatever they want to do, but I know many are not pleased they have chosen here for such activities. It's just a bit seedy and sleazy isn't it? Not for me I'm afraid."

Organisers are keen to dispel rumours of the festival’s seedy reputation. 

Matthew Cole, the organiser of Swingathon, said: "Contrary to some beliefs, there are no keys in bowls, seedy music, lecherous individuals or a high level of STIs amongst this community.

"In fact, individuals within this community are respectful, conscientious, and more likely to practise safe sex or be regularly tested than the average person you might meet on a night out in a club.

"The team are passionate about normalising the sexual freedom that alternative lifestyles provide and continue to strive against prejudice and adversity to bring the community a safe and inclusive social, play and learning space."

Another spokesperson for the festival has made clear that safety is a key concern in planning: “"Every single person is checked and verified and has provided ID to ensure the safety of all festivalgoers."