| Britons are well used to unpredictable weather during the summer months (in winter it tends to be predictably bad), but they don’t let a bit of rain spoil a good party. The summer festival season has grown considerably over the last decade, and there are now enough live outdoor events to satisfy the most eclectic of musical tastes. Glastonbury remains the ‘Big Kahuna’ of the festival season, and this year over 150,000 revelers made the pilgrimage to this sleepy corner of Somerset to enjoy acts as diverse as Roy Ayers and Coldplay. The heavens opened but couldn’t dampen the atmosphere, indeed the event’s organizer and host, Michael Eavis, observed that the ground conditions didn’t make any difference if you had wellies on, and put a positive spin on the conditions by stating that sunshine tended to make people lethargic - at Glastonbury the cup is always half full! The next Glastonbury festival will be in 2007 as Mr. Eavis reckons both he and his farm need a year off to rejuvenate, but it is sure to be as popular as ever, with tickets selling out immediately on release. The second biggest event of the summer is the dual-location Carling Weekend (August 26-28 2005), which alternates the same line-up over three days in Reading and Leeds. The event has a much more ‘rocky’ feel and this year’s headliners include the Pixies, Foo Fighters and Iron Maiden. Those in search of loud guitar anthems are also well-served by T In The Park (July 9-10 2005), which takes place in Balado By Kinross in Scotland, and the V Festival (August 20-21 2005), another twin-site concert held simultaneously in Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park in the Heart of England. Fans of dance music should head for Global Gathering at Long Martson Airfield, Stratford-Upon-Avon (July 29-30, 2005), to enjoy some of the biggest names from the clubbing scene in one massive weekender bender. The Big Chill (August 5-7, 2005) offers a more relaxing facet of club culture. Held in the leafy arboretum at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, it’s both serene and suitable for children, boasting a mother and baby pampering area with qualified helpers. Other family friendly events include the five-day Larmer Tree Festival (July 13-17, 2005), featuring a variety of pop, country and World music acts amid the splendour of historic Salisbury’s finest Victorian gardens, and the wonderful underground folk celebration Green Man (August 19-21, 2005), which takes place in the 19th century grounds of Baskerville Hall, in the capital of secondhand books, Hay-on-Wye, Mid Wales. Stilt walkers, puppet shows and a storytelling procession are among the distractions for visitors. Cambridge Folk Festival (July 28-31, 2005) in the university city, covers all strands of roots music - star attractions in 2005 include soul legend Mavis Staples and country-rocker Lucinda Williams. The Eden Project near St Austell, Cornwall is an ecological ‘theme park’ and home to world’s biggest conservatories: futuristic bio-domes which provide a stunning backdrop to the Eden Sessions concert series, starring Keane (August 1), Embrace (August 18), Basement Jaxx (August 26) and Ian Brown (August 27). For something entirely different, check out Shakespeare County Raceway’s annual biker festival Bulldog Bash (August 11-14, 2005), featuring punk/metal bands and motorcycles galore. Recent years have seen the rise of small, independent events which offer an alternative to those who can’t afford or just feel alienated by the big, corporate-sponsored festivals. The 3,500-capacity Truck festival in Steventon, Oxfordshire (July 23-24) takes place on a family-run farm and boasts an eclectic range of music on the back of a flatbed truck and in a converted barn. In a similar spirit are Tapestry Goes West (July 29-30, 2005), which relocates the cowboy rockin’ vibe of London’s Tapestry Club to the Spirit Of The West Theme Park in the Cornish surfing resort, Newquay. A number of English stately homes and rural heritage locations have also entered the festival spirit. Harewood House near Leeds (July 1-3, 2005) plays host to Jools Holland, Ronan Keating and Meatloaf, while the Kenwood Picnic Concerts in Hampstead, London include Ibrahim Ferrer (July 30, 2005) and the Bootleg Beatles (August 27, 2005), among others. In London, the courtyard of Somerset House hosts such alternative luminaries as Queens Of The Stone, Super Furry Animals and The Mars Volta (July 5-12, 2005). Clapham Common has the Latin/funk weekender B-Live (July 1-3, 2005), house music party South West Four (August 27, 2005) and the indie-dance bash Get Loaded In The Park (August 28, 2005). London also has some excellent free events organized by local authorities, including the month-long, jazz and blues-oriented Ealing Summer Festival (July 16-August 14, 2005), Croydon’s weekend World Party (July 9-10,2005) and the Mayor’s annual anti-racism party Rise (July 16, 2005). Finally, the Notting Hill Carnival (August 28-29, 2005) remains Europe’s biggest street party, and a vivid showcase for Afro-Caribbean and British urban culture. In addition to the traditional parade of floats, there are sound systems spinning everything from soca and reggae to hip hop and UK garage, and it won’t cost you a penny to dance. If you don’t know which of the sound systems you should check out, head straight to Norman Jay’s Good Times Sound System for a afternoon of fantastic music. |
Liverpool was awarded the European Capital of Culture 2008. The vibrant city is renowned for its arts & culture and is home to numerous museums & galleries including a branch of the Tate Gallery. Read more ...
