The popularity of music festivals have sky rocketed in the last decade. Partly because of people being able to purchase tickets so easily online and partly because of the growing social media buzz before and after the biggest festivals. Social media showcases cool, happy smiley friends having the time of their lives. This drives interest and encourages more people to go when they see how much fun their friends have had on Facebook.
When it comes to festivals, social media sites definitely give people FOMO (fear of missing out). Millennials are mad about festivals and it’s easy to see why. Trends are set at festivals, people spend a lot of time planning the perfect festival outfit and hairstyle, with a stylish pair of wellies usually being a necessity. The music is amazing and of course, the atmosphere and vibe is second to none.
With the UK festival scene rapidly expanding and diversifying there is a festival for everyone. Whether you prefer chart music or heavy metal, you will find a festival that ticks all the boxes. The UK has some of the greatest, world renowned festivals, but we cannot overlook the small local festivals. These festivals have a more community, chilled out vibe and are great to beat the huge crowds.
Popular UK festivals
The UK’s biggest festival and the most famous Glastonbury, it’s the festival that everyone wants to attend. It takes place towards the end of June at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Tickets are very difficult to get hold of because there is so much demand and they cost around £190. Glastonbury or ‘Glasto’ attracts people from all walks of life, the huge variety of music, food and activities means there is something for everyone.
House music lovers will enjoy Wireless Festival which takes place in Hyde Park, London. It’s a mixture of house music (Avicii, David Guetta) and R&B (Mary J Blige and Nicki Minaj). Wireless Weekend is held on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July, day tickets cost around £80 and weekend tickets cost just over £200.
Reading Festival is another popular UK festival. The main stage at Reading is predominantly Indie music with acts such as Mumford and Sons, Alt J, Bataille, The Libertines, The Maccabees and The Cribs. It features some old favourites and some new up and coming acts. On the other stages they have a mixture of dance, R&B and hip hop. A weekend ticket costs £213.
Party animals will enjoy a weekend of hard core raving at Creamfields. Creamfields offers a mixture of trance, house and dance with all the top DJ’s such as Hardwell, Hall Van Dyk, Eric Prydz, Fatboy Slim and Tiesto. Three day tickets cost over £200.
V Festival is a good starter festival as it caters to all tastes. For example this year Tom Jones is performing as well Paloma Faith, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith. It also has a comedy tent featuring Frankie Boyle and Seann Walsh. V Festival features an impressive line-up of chart toppers and mainstream music.
Another mainstream festival that’s extremely popular is the Radio 1 Big Weekend. Foo Fighters are headlining on the Sunday and other artists that will be performing this year include The Vaccines, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith and Rita Ora. There’s also the ‘in new music we trust’ stage which is known for launching exciting up and coming artists and bands.
For the dedicated metal heads and lovers of more hard-core rock music there’s Download Festival. This year’s line-up includes Kiss, Slipknot, Muse, Slash and Faith No More. Weekend tickets cost £190.
Lesser known festivals
Don’t want to go to the same festivals as everyone else? Fancy something a little more low key? Then why not consider some of the lesser known festivals. For example, Gottwood is a secluded festival that is held in a forest in Anglesey. It’s a unique electronic music and arts festival that takes place between the 11th to the 14th of June. Day tickets are about £55 and weekend tickets range between £80 and £135 depending on when you buy them.
Another less well known festival is Leefest, described by The Guardian as having ‘A fantastic, unpretentious, party vibe’. It’s a festival that has become renowned for breaking new music and it is named after a bearded man called ‘Lee’.
Small and local festivals
There are thousands of small local festivals in the UK that are held throughout the country. These quaint festivals may not have the big artists or huge budgets but they are guaranteed to be a good laugh. From beer and cider festivals to dance shows and big barbecues, local festivals offer fun for all the family. They often have a distinctive community vibe and are much better for people who struggle in big crowds.
If you are a festival newbie then a low key local festival is a good place to start. There are also quite a few one day festivals that are ideal if you are testing out the festival scene. They take place over an evening or one day which means you don’t have to go all out and camp for two or three days.
