It feels like years since I last went to a music festival. I remember counting down the days ’til Reading ticket sales and the nerves as I battled to get tickets but that was all years ago now. In recent years my festival experiences have been Hackney Weekend and Singapore F1 – fun but nothing like the ‘real’ festivals I know and love. This year being in the UK again I decided I needed to get back in to the festival scene but not having £200 to spend on a huge festival (and missing out on free Radio 1 Big Weekend Glasgow 2014 tickets) I was after small and quirky. Thanks to the June edition of Lonely Planet and their sounds of summer countdown I had the perfect guide for planning. The top 10 European festivals they suggested certainly got me excited and I was impressed with the selection for the UK.
My top choices from their list are:
In The Woods
Secret Garden Party
Eden Festival
And the one I purchased tickets for is:
In The Woods
The festival is exactly what I was looking for; something different with a bit of magic. As soon as I saw the pictures it reminded me of the hippie festival we attended at Camp during summer 2011 – Blissfest In Northern Michigan which I would highly recommend. Although you know the location is Kent they keep the exact forest a secret until just before the event, same goes for the line up too. It has two stages set among the forest, where trees are strung with fairy lights and art installations dotted around. They boast local beers and home-made food around the site, as well as relaxed camping rules. Although the festival is only a day, celebrations carry on until dawn the next morning with a silent disco and midnight bonfire. The music will mostly be new and unheard of bands who have be scouted out by the organisers who happen to be band mates themselves. To me it sounds fabulous and I cannot wait for the fun to begin.
Tickets went on sale on May 18th – so hurry if you want to go
Dates: Arrival on 29th August, Festival on 30th August, Leave by the afternoon of 31st August
Price:£95 each for a camping ticket