FESTIVAL FEVER

ALTHOUGH Glastonbury is not taking place this year, there seems to be music festival popping up everywhere, including quite a few in Leicestershire and just beyond.

Here is a guide to some of them taking place in the coming months.

BBC Big Weekend, Coventry This weekend is sold out but if you can get tickets, it will an amazing event.

The countdown is on for the most exciting live music event of the Summer, as BBC Music, Radio 2 and Radio 3 join forces to bring two days of spectacular performances to the War Memorial Park.

Snow Patrol, Liam Gallagher, Billy Ocean, Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band, Nigel Kennedy and The BBC Concert Orchestra are just some who will be performing in the city.

The festival will be held in the War Memorial Park on Sunday May 27 and Monday May 28 - the end of the Spring Bank Holiday.

Moseley Folk Festival This is the 13th annual festival and the line-up includes The Levellers, Teenage Fanclub and Nick Mulvey, plus special guest Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. It will take place in Moseley Park near Birmingham from 1pm on Friday, August 31 to 10.30pm on Sunday, September 2, each day finishing at 10.30pm.

Lunar Festival, Tamworth in Arden

Warwickshire’s ‘ mini Glastonbury’ is back for 2018 and the organisers have promised it will be bigger and better than ever.

The Lunar Festival took a break in 2017 but returns this year with a stellar line-up of acts and attractions including headliners The Stranglers, Basement Jaxx, Goldfrapp and Amadou and Mariam.

The event, organised by the same team behind the Moseley Folk and Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festivals, again takes place at the Umberslade Estate on the edge of the Warwickshire village of Tamworth-in-Arden.

Tickets are now on sale for the 5,000 capacity festival, which will take place from Thursday July 26 to Sunday July 29 - later in the year than previously.

The organisers have promised a diverse festival of entertainment with music, culture, food and drink and activities for all the family.

For the first time in its five year history, the festival site will open up a day early exclusively to 500 weekend ticket holders on Thursday July 26.

To book tickets visit: http://lunarfestival.co.uk/tickets/festival-tickets/ .

Foxton Locks Festival The organisers of this year’s Foxton Locks Festival are excited to announce its headline acts for the festival over the weekend of June 16-17.

Headlining on the Saturday night are King King - Glasgow’s favourite sons have been nominated for Best New Band at the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour and handed back-to-back British Blues Awards. They have proved their mettle on bills with Thunder and John Mayall, triumphed as far afield as Mumbai and taken the roof off major venues from the 02 Glasgow to Wembley Arena.

And just for something different, Sunday’s headline act is The Rutles.

Appearing at Foxton Locks Festival as a part of their ‘Major Happy Tour’ the legendary Rutles will be bringing their own unique brand of musical ‘Pork Pies’ to the audience. No other tribute band distributes joy or writes their own songs or tops the charts of ‘Make Believe’ quite like these jolly foot-tapping economists of truth.

By popular demand these grandees of delusion will be taking back control of barefaced fibbing, saluting the sovereignty of silliness and ceremoniously reinstating the obvious.

More details of acts and the festival will be released in the next few weeks but in addition to the headlining music acts there will be non-stop arena attractions on both days, a children’s fun fair, more than 100 craft and associated stalls and not forgetting the ever popular real ale bar and extensive food village.

Details of overnight camping pitches will be released in the next few weeks so you can make the most of the festival without having to drive home late at night.

To find out more, visit http://www. foxtonlocksfestival.co.uk/

Bradgate Park Acoustic Folk Festival

Bradgate Park Trust has announced some of the best of British folk and acoustic music is joining the trust for a summer event which will raise funds for the charity that cares for the park and Swithland Wood.

The trust’s second Acoustic Folk Picnic in the Ruins of Bradgate House is being held on Sunday, August 19, the day after the annual Bradgate Park Proms.

The Acoustic Folk Picnic is a family friendly day in the walled ruins and this year will see seven sets across the day, which starts at noon and finishes 8pm. Visitors are invited to bring a picnic, relax and enjoy a great day out in the wonderful setting of Bradgate House in the heart of Leicestershire’s historic deer park.

The event will be opened by local band Grand Union 3, which brings together local performers Andy Griffiths, Kate Easton and Matt Kennison. Andy and Kate will be hosting the event and introducing other local performers Kodiak Shack and Paul McClure.

The charity’s fund-raiser has been lucky to gain support from musicians who will also be performing, including Grace Petrie, Vikki Clayton and Moore, Moss and Rutter (past winners of the BBC Young Folk Award). Headlining and closing the day is Lady Maisery. Tickets are £15 per person.

Children under 10 are free to attend - but a child ticket must be requested on booking.

Tickets can be purchased at the trust’s Newtown Linford Shop and the park visitor centre at the Deer Barns.

Car parking of £4 is pay and display on the day and not included in the ticket price.

Download Festival Taking place at Donington Park since 2003, Download Festival has yet to disappoint. It is the most popular rock and heavy metal festival in the UK and has attracted some of the biggest names in rock music.

This year, the headlining acts will be Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of the famous heavy metal band Black Sabbath and reality TV star of The Osbournes, Guns and Roses who are the 41st best-selling artists of all time and Avenged Sevenfold, who have sold over 8 million albums worldwide.

Other well-known rock artists that will be performing at Download are among the likes of Marilyn Manson and Rise Against the Machine.

At the festival, acts will span over seven stages throughout the weekend. Some stages will have performers doing stand up, circus acts and musical comedy skits. One stage will be constructed into a wrestling ring that WWE stars will be battling out their differences on. To give festival goers extra thrills, the fairground area will showcase stunts and more exciting entertainment.

There will be food and merchandise such as T-shirts and jumpers on sale too, however, if festival goers would like a more permanent memento of the weekend, they can always get a tattoo at the old Sarum Tattoo area.

The festival will take place from June 8 -10. For more information, visit the official site www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Glastonbudget, Wymeswold, Leicestershire

Glastonbudget is the biggest and best tribute festival in the world and they have upheld their excellent reputation of entertaining the masses since 2005, at Turnpost Farm, Wymeswold.

The festival, which will take place from May 25-27, will have the most popular artists in the tribute world performing.

The bands performing on the main stage on Friday will be ABBA revival, Letz-zep, Tragedy and Whole Lotta DC. Saturday will be Coldplace, Mused, Oasish and Kins of Leon and Sunday, Not the Rolling Stones, T*Rextast, The Cureheads and Who’s Who.

Even though not all the top tribute acts will be on the main stage, there will be five more stages where they’ll be found firing up the crowds. Artists such as The UB40 experience, Ben a tribute to Michael Jackson, The Smyths and much more will be among them.

New for this year, festivalgoers will have a chance to dance around in the silent disco area, where the headphones provided will give listeners access to two radio stations. Channel one will mainly consist of classic trance, dance and club anthems. Channel two will have indie rock, brit pop, 90s anthems and rock anthems. In between them all, there will be disco tracks, cheesy pop tunes and general crowd pleasers.

Details have not yet been released, but there are plans for the festival to have a VIP area which will be another new element to Glastonbudget.

For more information, visit the official site www.glastonbudget.org

TexFest, Market Harborough, Leicestershire

Opening for the first time at the Market Harborough showground from June 29 - July 1, TexFest does not yet have a history, though it’s likely it will create a good one for itself as it promises to showcase artists who have sung chart-topping songs. The artists that have been named so far are Example & DJ Wire, Nick Grimshaw, The Hoosiers, We Are Scientists, Tinchy Stryder, The South, Beans On Toasts, Lewis Watson and Reggie & Bollie.

Festivalgoers can expect to see different kinds of entertainment, fair rides and food stalls during the festival.

For more information, visit the official site https://www.texfest.co.uk/

Y NOT, Pikehall, Derbyshire The Y Not Festival returns for its biggest year yet with a three-day line up built for music lovers.

Back for its 13th year this summer, Y Not will take place in Pikehall, Derbyshire from July 27-29.

Y Not is a whole weekend of good music, good food and care-free fun in the middle of the beautiful Peak District. Just bring yourself, some wellies and a killer fancy dress outfit.

Kicking off the weekend are modern rock and roll legends The Libertines. The Arcadian dreamers are one of the most important bands of the 21st Century, sound-tracking long rebellious summers for the stylish kids in the riot, their songs standing tall as some of the best guitar driven party tunes of