Rejoice – festival season is just around the corner. So what’s in store for 2017? There’s definitely a trend towards offering debates, talks and workshops. And kids are well catered for with high quality and original learning activities, take Bluedot’s Planetarium and Bearded Theory’s OFSTED approved school. But hey, let’s not get too serious about it all. Festivals primarily still…
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The weather gods smiled down on Bearded Theory again this year: I can only imagine it was at the sight of so many hirsute individuals disporting themselves in the Magical Sounds dance tent, stomping along to The Levellers on the main stage, or maybe it was the giant pink puppets prancing about the festival site. Each year, Bearded…
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If you’re a festival fan, by now you’re dreaming of a green field, banners waving in the breeze, the sound of a band on the main stage… yes, festival season is nearly upon us again, and here is my Ultimate Festival Guide. Most have been personally tried and tested, some on a yearly basis – plus there’s…
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Bearded Theory Festival has got its mojo back. Not that it ever really went away, it just went through a dip last year with the new site to adjust to, coupled with relentless rain. But for 2015, the weather smiled down on Bearded Theory, the festival site was looking all new and improved and the confidence was back. Arriving at Catton…
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Sunday is unabashedly fun day at Bearded Theory. Proceedings kick off with Mr Motivator and a mass exercise session at the Woodland stage at the unearthly hour of 12 noon, and the place is packed out – Mr Motivator’s appeal is clearly undimmed. There’s so much to celebrate today. Firstly those threatening rainclouds are beating a retreat. It’s also Pirate…
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Festival planners are busy putting together their lineups for 2015 – and these are just a few of my personally tried-and-tested events. When it comes to festival size, I’m not one for marathon walks from tent to stage (nothing like a trip back to basecamp for an afternoon snooze and a cup of tea) so there’s no mention of…
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Here’s an update of some of my top festival recommends for 2014 and as of the time of posting, still have tickets available. These are all small to medium-sized gatherings (no hour-long trudges to the arena). All these festivals have plenty of well thought-out activities for children and a fairly broad age range of attendance, so whether…
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Dust down the sleeping bags and camping stove, the start of festival season is only a couple of months away. These days, music festivals are working harder to attract a following, offering debating sessions and workshops, banquets and ballooning, hoping to carve out a unique and identifiable image from a sea of formulaic events. Here…
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With such a gorgeous hot summer it’s been a good year for music festivals. Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis who finally bagged the Stones this year is calling it one of their best ever. But my interest is in smaller festivals, partly because I like being able to walk from tent to arena in under ten minutes, partly…
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Bearded Theory festival 2013: it’s the festival of Beards, Bands and DJs, and that just about sums it up. Now in its sixth year, Bearded Theory is set in picturesque Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. With something like around 8,000 revellers it’s a nice size, and manages to feel like one big party. Bearded Theory’s line-up leans towards…
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