2022

ION festival…it finally arrived. After two years of COVID-related delays we feared that ION festival was doomed to fall by the wayside, but promoters LWE were patient and did a great job in ensuring that the festival eventually went ahead. For 7 days, the festival took over a beachside resort in Dhërmi, which included numerous hotels and restaurants, in addition to the brilliant stages –The Deck, The Fort, The Cove, The Yacht Club and The Main Stage – plus the additional stag

New for 2022, Boogietown hit Apps Court Farm in Walton bringing the best acts in the business from the funk, soul and disco era! With headline performances on the main stage from Gloria Gaynor, Sister Sledge, Soul II Soul and The Real Thing, it was shaping up to be a dance-filled, groovy day ahead. On arrival the queues were very short and we were through within a matter of minutes, which is always a great start to the day! Although a little muddy, the sun was shining and som

Heading out in the drizzle for one of the last few camping festivals of the season admittedly wasn’t a strong start to my weekend, but the only way was up. I’ve been looking forward to We Out Here since I left it last year, and it’s high praise that I passed up the return of Notting Hill Carnival for it! The site is in Abbots Ripton, Cambridge - the same grounds that host Secret Garden Party. I love this festival for the chilled atmosphere and the variety of music, a range of

Returning again this year to its London home at Victoria Park, All Points East came through with big hitting headliners, and a fantastic programme of free entertainment that ran over two weeks. Now cemented as one of London’s premier music festivals, it’s a collection of music lovers and the who’s who of social media world. Culminating on the August bank holiday weekend, it’s a festival we absolutely love going to. Living in London, it’s such a great buzz walking through Vict

After a 3 year wait, elrow Town returned to its new location in East London. Known for its whacky, mad and colourful decoration we were expecting more of the same - huge stages packed with confetti cannons, fireworks and everything in between. Bigger than ever, this year welcomed 25,000 festival goers. As we arrived, the size of the event certainly lived up to its name. The large festival fences seemed to go on for miles, teasing us with its beats as we made our way in. Peopl

Almost a decade since my last visit, it was a thrill to once again walk through the gates at Cornbury Park and into the decadent thrills of Wilderness festival. Having long regarded my last visit as a highlight of my teens, my expectations were high – and Wilderness truly rose to the challenge. The first thing you notice at Wilderness is that attendees undoubtedly dressed for the occasion, with almost all revellers doused in glitter at all times - flamboyance truly was the na

Stepping through the gates at the Mauritian Open Air festival, you could have been fooled to think you’d been transported to the tropical Island in the Indian Ocean. Mauritian Sega Music was blaring loud, wafts of the local cuisine could be smelt and snippets of the local language of creole could be heard, all in a North London park basking in the early throws of the UK’s July heatwave. Located a 10 minute walk from Cockfosters underground station, there was a palpable sense

After years away from camping festivals, 2000trees was a forceful reminder of the joys that live music in that setting can bring. Bands who have struggled in the return to a new normal were greeted by roaring crowds, thrashing mosh pits and crowd surfers of all ages and in some cases costumed, from an impressive Tigger costumed lad to someone dressed as an entire fridge cruising over the crowd (social distancing a far-flung memory here!). There is no doubt that, even with the

A baseball festival, yeah you heard it right. In its inaugural year, MLB Home Derby X came to Crystal Palace, London. The sun was shining, and the baseball fans were out in their thousands. Located handily right next to the station, the festival has been loved for years in the US, and this year it was our turn. The day was centred around players from the Yankees and Red Sox hitting home runs on centre stage. The grounds were filled with varieties of much loved american food,

I’ve been waiting fifty years to see The Rolling Stones live,” said the man standing next to us about thirty minutes before the band took to the stage. “I hope it’s been worth the wait.” Fortunately, as the sun was going down over Hyde Park on Saturday 25th June, The Rolling Stones put on a belter of a show that proved that nearly sixty years to the day after they first performed at the Marquee Club in London, they continue to be the iconic epitome of rock and roll. A headlin

BST Hyde Park 2022 left nothing to chance when it comes to top tier festivalling. Set over 17 days it includes nine incredible concert days featuring legendary headliners & support from today's rising stars, plus great food and drink and hospitality packages. Today though, was all about Elton John. Having a festival at the same time at Glastonbury is always a risky move. If people aren’t AT Glastonbury they want to watch it. It was very quickly clear that BST Hyde Park was no

Brainchild of Tom Kerridge, this food, music and comedy mash up offers something different. Michelin-star chefs doing live cooking demonstrations and foodie talks are complemented by music from the likes Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Rag’n’Bone Man, Kaiser Chiefs, Professor Green. Touring this summer, this festival is not one to be missed – with Chiswick, St Albans, Brighton and Tunbridge Wells all coming up. We arrived around midday and the atmosphere was really chilled – much more s

Strawberries and Cream (S&C) is a a firm fixture in the festival calendar down south, and given the name and the fact that it’s located in an orchard in Cambridge you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a very subdued and kitsch affair. The name itself evokes images of Wimbledon, Pimms, pristinely cut sandwiches and afternoon nap time. What this festival is in fact is somewhere between a garage or hip-hop brunch, crossed with Sunday at Notting Hill Carnival and will have on your

This week, Taste – London’s biggest food festival – returned to the iconic Regent’s Park. Over the five days, 55,000 Londoners descended to sample small plates from some of London’s top chefs and restaurants. Alongside the pop-up restaurants, were dozens food and drinks brands offering freebies and activities like De’Longhi’s experts teaching coffee aficianados how to make the best espresso martinis, and Juice Lab and Oddbox teaming up to run a smoothie masterclass. After vis

Another year, another GALA festival to start my summer of festival bliss. This time no need for annual leave thanks to Liz and her “PlattyJoobs”, or whatever the kids are calling it, and I was more than ready to let loose in celebration of one of my favourite festivals of years gone by. Founded in 2016, GALA is an independent, three-day South London festival that celebrates dance music’s lineage and encapsulates the bright and dazzling pizzazz that festivals are known for. Th

With Love Saves The Day being one of our favourite festivals of the previous year, we were hyped to see what 2022 would bring. In its new location in Ashton Court, Bristol, we were expecting more of the same – top quality music, huge stages and amazing people. The walk to the festival from the taxi drop-off point was very long, but it gave us a chance to chat to the fellow festival goers. All over-excited and colourful, ready and raring to go to their first festival of the ye