Happy holler days
FESTIVAL season is warming up. And the music sounds better when you are in a magical location.
Party starty Great Escape Brighton, May 17-19
Brilliant Brighton hosts this early-season event, which looks for the next big thing. Described as the festival for musos, it is the musical equivalent of the Edinburgh Fringe, with 450 artists at more than 30 venues across the city.
There are spotlight shows, secret gigs, plus a music convention with debates. A two-day ticket is £55. See greatescapefestival.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Brighton, with its creative spirit and seaside setting, is the ideal venue for a cutting-edge event. No doubt there will be some sleeping, and even dancing, on the beach.
Heardy wordy Wychwood Cheltenham, June 1-3
The three-day Wychwood Festival is a celebration of music but it also has a dedicated kids’ literature festival. There is comedy, speakers, workshops, food and crafts.
Leading the lineup are the Gipsy Kings, Baxter Dury, Feeder and The Beat. Three-day tickets cost from £103. See wychwoodfestival.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: The venue is Cheltenham racecourse, overlooking the rolling Prestbury Hills. With pretty villages of the Cotswolds to the southeast and the Malvern Hills to the northwest, you are in for a sweet treat.
Singy thingy Festival of Voice Cardiff, June 7-17
In its second year, Cardiff’s international arts festival brings together some powerful voices.
It will swing between an intimate evening with Patti Smith in beautiful St John’s Church to Elvis Costello, banging out his best-known tunes in the Millennium Centre. Passenger will be there, as will Billy Bragg. Tickets are per event, from £17.50. See festivalofvoice.wales. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Sandwiched between the Welsh heritage coastline and the Brecon Beacons national park, Cardiff is the perfect location for pre and post-festival jaunts.
Hoity toity BST, Hyde Park July 6-8 and 13-15
This is a big one, running over two weekends. Its location limits its late-night licence, so it is popular with well-heeled rockers who don’t party till the small hours.
Expect a roll-call of big stars, from Eric Clapton and Paul Simon to The Cure and Bruno Mars. Between the two weekends, Hyde Park also hosts Open House (July 9-12), a free festival of world food, live music and theatre. Tickets are per event, from around £75. See bst-hydepark.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: No excuses, you’ve got the whole of London at your fingertips.
Maybe baby Deer Shed Festival North Yorks, July 20-22
This festival, set within Baldersby Park outside Thirsk, suits families down to the ground. Sure, there is lots of music – Goldfrapp, Drenge – across four stages. But there is also comedy, shows, outdoor adventure, spoken word, cinema and science. Plus glamping and hot tubs – new this year.
It costs £145 for the weekend, camping included. See deershedfestival.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Baldersby Park is midway between the stone-walled Yorkshire Dales and the bleaker, more romantic, North York Moors. The popular seaside resorts of Whitby and Scarborough are not far away either.
Screamy dreamy Leopallooza Cornwall, July 27-29
Described as a house party in a field, Leopallooza is a grass roots music festival that celebrates new, up-and-coming and established bands, artists and DJs.
The setting is a dingly dell which is nestled in a hidden tree-filled Cornish valley between Tintagel and Bude just a few miles from the sea.
It is good value, with a three-day ticket with
camping costing £100. See leopallooza.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: This is the hippy end of Cornwall’s north coast, with more druids than surfer dudes. The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is just up the road in Boscastle.
Fuzzy buzzy Bestival, Dorset, August 2-5
The extravaganza that got too big for the Isle of Wight is now well established on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. It’s a gorgeous chunk of coastline, known for rolling hills and dinosaur fossils.
The festival lineup includes old favourites such as Chaka Khan and Grace Jones alongside MIA and London Grammar. This is one of the biggest festivals on the circuit, with loads of creative pizzazz, lighting effects and fancy dress, a Bollywood Tent and a landlocked port. Four days from £172, camping included. See bestival.net. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Lulworth Cove is just down the road, as is the seaside resort of Swanage and Corfe Castle. Lulworth firing range, with its abandoned village of Tyneham, is also close.
Holy moly Lindisfarne, Northumberland August 30-September 2
Billed as the ultimate end-of-summer party, it hosts 150 acts on nine stages in coastal fields overlooking Holy Island. It includes every style of music from indie, rock, soul and funk to blues, folk, reggae, jazz, hip-hop and dance.
Big names include the Happy Mondays and the Levellers, and there’s some comedy and fire dancing too. It is particularly good value at just £95 for four days, including camping. See lindisfarnefestival.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: The Northumberland coast is a misty and mystical place. There’s a mix of pristine beaches, castles – Alnwick and Bamburgh – and the causeway out to mysterious Holy Island, only accessible with the right tides.
Feetie heatie Festival No6 North Wales, September 6-9
This eclectic, boutiquey, upmarket festival is at the equally eclectic and upmarket village of Portmeirion, setting of cult TV show The Prisoner. The village and woodlands are transformed into a series of surreal venues. Franz Ferdinand and The The are headlining, with Will Self and Reginald D Hunter leading the wordy bits. Dress bizarrely and enter a fantasy world. Four-day ticket with camping is £205. See festivalnumber6.com. WHILE YOU’RE HERE: You are within easy reach of Mount Snowdon, Wales’s highest point, and Anglesey and the seafood rich Menai Straits.