Okay, so the weather’s not brilliant in Great Britain right now, but that’s typical of our summertime right? Despite the grey skies and gloomy forecasts, there’s one thing keeping everyone going. Festivals are a feature on thousands of peoples’ calendars and are the single ray of sunshine in what is predicted to be a sunless summer.
Whatever your music taste, there is a festival for you. Pop princesses can dance the night away at V Festival, if dance music is more your thing there’s Creamfields, and for the rock lovers amongst you there is Reading and Leeds. But what about the UKs hidden gems in the festival crown? In this post we look at 5 of the best, lesser-known festivals you could attend this summer:
Moseley Folk Festival
Set in the heart of Birmingham, the Moseley Folk Festival brings together some of the biggest and best names in the world of folk music. Towards the end of the festival season, the Moseley Folk Festival is often held at the beginning of September and is the perfect event for festival first-timers. The mudless-weekend has a really hippy feel to it, and has a great ambiance.
GlastonBudget
Held the first weekend in June, GlastonBudget is a cheap and cheerful weekend. The biggest tribute festival in Europe, you can see some of your favourite tribute artists in all their glory at the Leicestershire based festival. As it is a little cheaper than some of the main UK festivals, this is the perfect choice for students, and people on a budget.
Retro Festival
Berkshire based, Retro Festival showcases the best of UK vintage from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Over three stages and three days, you can dance along to some of the best rock ‘n’ roll acts and purchase some genuine vintage clothes. Headliners for the 2012 Retro Festival include Jim Jones Revue and Big Boy Bloater.
Volume Festival
Held in Crewe over the Jubilee weekend, the Volume Festival is back for its 4th year. Pulled Apart By Horses, Ash, and Hadouken! are headlining this festival with a difference. Bands are crammed into local pubs , clubs, and bars for a real intimate feel, giving you the chance to see big names and up-and-coming stars. Volume is a bar crawl with a difference, and is certainly a great choice for festival fans who want to give the mud a miss.
One Love Festival
One Love is the UKs biggest Reggae festival and is held in mid August. Situated in Kent’s countryside, the party atmosphere at this festival is like nothing else. With some of the biggest names in reggae, ska and dub music to play the three day event, it’s bound to be its biggest year yet. One Love has been growing and growing since its humble beginnings and is attracting more visitors, and bigger artists.
If you’re looking to attend a festival in the UK this summer but you wanted something out of the ordinary, there are hundreds of niche festivals to choose from. Whether you’re after a chilled or party atmosphere, music or comedy, there’s certainly something for everyone.
Bring the festival atmosphere to the comfort of your own home, by learning to play the djembe drum. The author of this lovely guest post told us that this drum is great for creating a carnival atmosphere, visit www.djembedrumshop.com for more information.
Tips to help learn how to play are found here on the blog
