So it's time to start thinking about festivals!
As the weather starts to improve, the festivals start to beckon. There are so many to choose from, so how do you go about choosing? Here’s a handy guide.
Where to Start?
Each festival caters for specific tastes, although some of the larger ones, like Glastonbury cater for everybody. To help you start narrowing it down, consider these pointers:
- What sort of music do you like? If you’re particular, aim for a specialist festival. If not, go for a more mainstream one.
- Do you want to discover new music , or relax in front of old favourites? Smaller festivals won’t have big names, but you’ll meet lots of up and coming artists.
- Do you like camping? If not look for upmarket festivals with glamping or accommodation. Or go for a day festival.
- Hate getting wet? Consider a festival not in the UK! Lots to choose from.
- Single, married, kids? There are festivals that are really child friendly ( generally smaller or upmarket ones) , and there are ones that are not. Look at the typical age of the festival goers to get an idea.
If all else fails
Go to Glastonbury! This mother of all festivals offers something for everybody, but it’s an epic to get tickets. Every year, 200,000 tickets sell out in about 30 minutes in October. But if you’re very lucky, you might be able to get in on the April re-sale…
Fantastic beats and where to find them
I really wish I’d thought of that strapline! But it belongs to BBC 6 music’s discovery show. Still it’s a great heading for our list of web resources. Here goes:
- Festicket - an online festival ticket resource - good magazine content.
- Festival Calender - a nice month by month list of UK festivals.
- Music Festival Wizard - good country/genre sort so you can find your groove.
- Conde Nast guide - coffee table glossy, but interesting.
- Town & Country House Mag - UK Boutique festivals.
- NME - best dance festivals.
- European Festivals Association - Classical music festivals in Europe, strangely enough.
- Folk Festivals in UK - Bet you can't guess what they offer? Comprehensively.
- Europe Jazz Network - Nice!
Wherever you go, have fun, and remember to bring your SoundBucket with you to chill in the tent! ( Other speakers are available, apparantly)