Top Music Festivals

Britain's top music festivals

British musical talent dominated the recent Grammy Awards in New York – so what better time to plan a trip to one of this summer’s music festivals?  See both new and established bands and solo artists playing live - and perhaps be able to brag that “I was there” at their first gig or festival, when they make the big time!

And although the major festivals like Reading and Glastonbury can sell out within minutes, there are many smaller and more intimate festivals which have sprung up in recent years to cater for festival lovers:  most of these festivals have already announced their dates, with the full line-up of artists coming soon, if not already posted on their websites. 

Loch Ness now has its very own music festival

Later in the month, and a bit further south, the Outsider Festival (www.outsiderfestival.co.uk/front09.html) (27-28 June) offers much more than music: there is a 12k run round a loch and a mountain bike event, as well as indie bands, movies, comedy and cabaret.   Part of Homecoming Scotland 2009, the Outsider Festival is a celebration of the great outdoors, and aims to be a “greener” festival, and held on the Rothiemurchus estate in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park. 

At Wakestock (www.wakestock.co.uk/) (10-12 July) you get watersports alongside your music, specifically wakeboarding.   Held this year at Abersoch, Cardigan Bay, in Wales, bands so far announced include Moby, The Zutons, Chase and Status, and Red Light Company. So what exactly is wakeboarding?  Basically a cross between snowboarding and waterskiing, with the rider towed behind a high speed boat, at around 25mph, and using the boat's wake to launch into the air, “pulling technical inverts and spins of up to 1080 degrees.” Tickets go on sale 2nd March

A weekend of live entertainment at Guilfest

The Larmer Tree Festival (www.larmertreefestival.co.uk/index.html) (15-19 July) held in Victorian gardens near Salisbury, Wiltshire, won the title of Best Family Festival in the UK Festival Awards of 2008, following its accolade two years earlier of having the Best Loos (toilets).  Headline acts for the first two nights are Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, and guitar legend Richard Thompson.   And no chance of feeling swamped here, the crowd is limited to 4,000 – so you should book soon!  

Bands appearing at the Latitude Festival (www.latitudefestival.co.uk/home/) (16-19 July) have still to be announced, but at last year’s event in Southwold  on the Suffolk Coast, the line-up included Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, Martha Wainwright, Beth Orton and Julian Cope.  As well as live music, Latitude offers poetry, literary events, cabaret/comedy and theatre performances.

The Secret Garden Party (www.secretgardenparty.com/2009/) (23-26 July) is a hidden gem in Cambridgeshire and labels itself “a 4 day party like no other”. Unlike many music festivals it has no corporate sponsors and is very small, with a capacity of just 6500. The weekend combines art, music and japery and is hotly-tipped to be this year’s ‘must-do’ festival.

If you love the sound of a festival, but aren’t so sure about camping, think again!  As the name implies, CampBestival (www.campbestival.co.uk/) (24-26 July) really puts the emphasis on this, with not just one but two separate camping fields, each with its own car park nearby, so you don’t have to carry your kit too far, and each with its own set of showers – with tea and toast while you wait;  food stalls etc.  The boutique camping site has luxury tipis, yurts, podpads and bellpads, all of which can be hired for the weekend.  Described as a three day festival “by a castle by the sea” it won the Best New Festival award in 2008’s UK Festival Awards, and takes place by Lulworth Castle in Dorset.   The line-up includes the legendary P.J.Harvey, New York rock band Mercury Rev, London’s Roots Manuva and The Cuban Brothers. 

The biodomes of the famous Eden Project (www.edenproject.com/sessions/) in Cornwall are the backdrop for a series of one day summer festivals in July – this year’s line up features Kasabian,  Oasis – who had to cancel their performance last year – and The Kooks. 

The Big Chill music festival, Eastnor Castle

Taking place the same weekend is Endorse-it in-Dorset (www.lgofestivals.com/information.php), near the village of Sixpenny Handley in the heart of the beautiful Cranborne Chase, in the county of Dorset.   This year’s acts have yet to be announced, but the line up last year included the Beat, the Buzzcocks and Dreadzone.

The Green Man Festival (www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/features/The+Festival+Site) (21-23 August) has been described as “the UK’s hippest festival, the definitive boutique festival” by the Guardian, and “an indie-folk fairyland where antler-wearing Druids lead processions of children past wishing trees” by The Observer newspaper.  Held in a park near Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons, Wales, tickets go on sale on Tuesday 3 March, when headline acts will also be announced, but 2008 acts included the reunited British folk/jazz super group with Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. 

Taking place the same weekend as The Green Man Festival is Beautiful Days (www.beautifuldays.org/), created in 2003 by folk-punk band The Levellers, who wanted an old-fashioned festival with a strong sense of community spirit.  This 10,000 capacity mini-Glastonbury, at Ottery St Mary in Devon,  will announce its acts for 2009 “soon”,  but last year it featured Squeeze, Supergrass, Nouvelle Vague and of course The Levellers 

Creamfields (www.creamfields.com/) (29-30 August) is the UK’s biggest dance and electronic event, and was voted the UK’s best dance festival two years running.  The festival, near Liverpool,  attracts the biggest names in the DJ world as well as a great line up of major live acts.

Bestival (www.bestival.co.uk/html/news/975) (11-13 September) is a three day jamboree on the Isle of Wight, based on the island’s larger and more famous music festival.   The line-up is yet to be announced, but the organizers have already chosen the very important fancy dress theme for which it is to be renowned - this year, the 40th anniversary of man landing on the moon, the theme it is to be Space.