Summer festival season is on the horizon at last! Here’s our annual fabulous festival guide to see you through from mid May to the end of September. The festival landscape has been changing rapidly over the past few years as events struggle to keep afloat; we’ve said goodbye to a number of much-loved ones. On…
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It’s our favourite time of year… we’re dreaming of fresh green fields, flags waving in the gentle breeze, bands starting up on stage and a cosy tent to snuggle into at night. Here’s our UK festivals calendar with an emphasis on independents – and many of them come with personal recommendations. On a sad note,…
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I’ve always had a soft spot for Field Day festival: its curators have form in enticing lesser-seen artists onto their festival stages, such as Mazzy Star’s memorable set in 2012. Field Day’s move this year from Victoria Park to the considerably smaller Brockwell Park has not been without its issues – from pre-event concerns from…
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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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I was tempted to call this review of Field Day, in its 10th celebratory year, “A Tale of Two Festivals”. Saturday was primarily populated with a youthful crowd, offering plenty of dance music and DJs. The centre of the site featured the festival’s delightful Village Mentality area where games and general silliness were in full flow on the ‘village green’,…
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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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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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I’ve been to a number of Wireless and assorted day festivals in Hyde Park but generally not been won over. Prefer to wander around the arena knowing my tent, a cup of tea and a snooze on a musty sleeping bag are only a stroll away. But Field Day in east London’s Victoria Park was…
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The elusive Mazzy Star have a new album release mid 2012, so the band are now out on the road, yay! The band played at Field Day festival, at the same time as headliners Franz Ferdinand on the Eat Your Own Ears main stage. Mazzy played at the Village Mentality tent, and the awaiting crowd…
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