Thousands of people, armed with wellies and one would hope some board games to play whilst sitting in the 12 hour long traffic that has amalgamated today, have begun their descent to Somerset for the start of the Glastonbury weekend. Glastonbury, the reigning champion of UK festivals and world renowned musical appreciation gathering, is so sort after that all 135,000 tickets sell out before any whisper of a headliner starts to float about the internet. This year's headliners include Adele, Coldplay and Muse, a different mix of headliners compared to previous years, one must admit.
But if, like myself, you do not have one of these sort after tickets for Glastonbury this year, fear not, as there are plenty of UK festivals that are smaller in size but still with incredible line-ups. Here is a round-up of a few of my picks. (Pre-warning: Catfish and the Bottlemen appear in 90% of the festivals I am about to list and it is not the reason I picked them, just to clarify!)
Boardmasters Festival
Where: Newquay, Cornwall
When: 10th-14th August
Headliners: Chase & Status, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Deadmau5, Kaiser Chiefs, James Bay and Primal Scream
Doubling up with the annual World League Surfing Competition held just down the beach, Boardmasters Festival is a festival for those who live a long way away from major A roads or those who want a party on one of the more luxurious coastlines of England. The headliners this year have bought the festival all kinds of attention to the once unheard of festival.
The Secret Garden Party
Where: Abbots Ripton (nr Huntingdon), Cambridgeshire
When: 21st-24th July
Headliners: Caribou, Air and Maribou State
Held in the middle of the Cambridgeshire countryside, The Secret Garden Party really is what it says on the tin. Once a small local festival attended by those who lived around Cambridgeshire (if they have even heard of it) it has now opened it's gates to visitors from up and down the country. A great festival to discover the newest music talents and see some rather peculiar sculptures.
Y Not Festival
Where: Pikehall, Derbyshire
When: 29th-31st July
Headliners: Editors, The Cribs, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Madness and The Hives
Y Not Festival is no longer that small, unknown festival in Derbyshire, it is slowly becoming one of the front runners of UK summer festivals. With a line up as mighty as Reading should have been and set in the glorious Peak District, it is set to be the highlight of this year's music festivals.
LodeStar Festival
Where: Bottisham, Cambridgeshire
When: 2nd-4th September
Headliners: Sundara Karma, Swim Deep and Pretty Vicious
A small festival with a big heart, yet another undiscovered gem hidden in the Cambridgeshire countryside. The village of Bottisham, nestled away on the outskirts of the ever-expanding city of Cambridge, comes alive in the first weekend of September to close the UK festival season with style and sophistication. By far the smallest festival in terms of capacity on this list but by no means less important than the others. It has always won a UK Festival Award for Best Toilets (no I'm not kidding) so you'll be sure of a weekend that is polished to perfection in all senses of the phrase.
For blog post requests, tweet me @hayleywhispers
LodeStar Festival
Where: Bottisham, Cambridgeshire
When: 2nd-4th September
Headliners: Sundara Karma, Swim Deep and Pretty Vicious
A small festival with a big heart, yet another undiscovered gem hidden in the Cambridgeshire countryside. The village of Bottisham, nestled away on the outskirts of the ever-expanding city of Cambridge, comes alive in the first weekend of September to close the UK festival season with style and sophistication. By far the smallest festival in terms of capacity on this list but by no means less important than the others. It has always won a UK Festival Award for Best Toilets (no I'm not kidding) so you'll be sure of a weekend that is polished to perfection in all senses of the phrase.
For blog post requests, tweet me @hayleywhispers
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