Once upon a time this was a small local festival taking place every now and again out back at a…read morepub. Now it's one of the largest folk music festivals in the United Kingdom. It takes place during summer every year, at the beginning of the summer holidays, and is a very family friendly event. This is the ideal festival for those with young children and an aversion to massive crowds, the like you find at Glastonbury. There are many regulars who return year after year, and the festival is becoming ever more popular year after year too. This was the festival that I was taken to as a child. I could probably draw you a map of it down to the last blade of grass. With live music, dancing and a wonderful variety of stalls, this festival can be a little bit of an unforgettable experience. This year the festival takes place from the 22nd-25th of July, and includes acts such as Show of Hands, Bellowhead and many, many others. Quickly, book now!

So August Bank Holiday folks is the date for this lovely little festival. This was my first time…read morehere, but actually it's only been running for 2 years. Tickets cost £40 for adults, and children are £1. Get them quick as it does sell out. This is a family festival, and my friends kids absolutely loved it, and why wouldn't they...... face painting, and arts and crafts...and even a bouncy castle for them...and best of all this was all free. The site itself was clean and had plenty of space for the tents and to sit outside, but then we are talking about around 1500 people. And there was plenty of entertainment for adults and party goers too...from the 5 stages - with acoustic sounds from the Otters Pocket, chill out at the Lotus Flower,or hit the brilliant Dub tent which had some great Reggae, and Drum n Bass blasting out. When the sound systems shut down at midnight, you then get a chance to head to silent disco...where you can party til 3.30am...and potentially back to the lotus flower after that if you're hoping to catch the sunrise. The vibe was fun and friendly...and they have big ideas for the future so this is definitely one to watch. My only criticism would be that there were too many covers bands...but then this is a learning curve...and I have no doubt this will change in future years. A brilliant little festival, and well worth checking out.

I literally can't wait for this years' Harbour Festival, I only managed to catch bits and pieces of…read moreit last year as I had only just moved to Bristol. This year, 2010, it'll be going down 30th July - 01st August, and do you want to know the best thing about it? It's freeeeeeeee! Amazingly, it's been going for 39 years, and while I wouldn't want to bore you with trivial statistics and facts, what it means is, this weekend has been running for enough years for them to have worked out what works and what doesn't! There will be not one, not two, not three, but eight, yes eight stages with a variety of music for all tastes. It's generally a great weekend, don't miss it!

This much-loved summer festival sees literally hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Bristol…read morefor a weekend of eating, drinking and wishing we owned a boat. Many of my friends come down specifically for this weekend, usually around the end of July, beginning of August. All the boats in the harbour tart themselves up with bunting and the like and there are plenty of food stalls where you can buy everything from candy floss to wheels of cheese! There are plenty of market type stalls if shopping is your thing and all the bars and pubs around the waterfront are jam-packed with people making the most of drinks promotions and the outside seating. A fantastic weekend of entertainment, and it's all for free! Last year I spent it drinking cider and watching VV Brown play on the main stage in a packed Lloyds Amphitheatre and can't wait to do the same this year.

A boutique-ish three-dayer that began life in summer 2010 in countryside near the perimeter of…read moreCardiff International Airport, Watusi is an interesting additional to Wales's undersubscribed festival season, from a collective of the region's promoters. Small in scale but big on ideas, the musical policy is on the laidback side, DJs spinning sounds spanning Brazilian, funk, reggae and Afrobeat music, plus live performers dealing in whimsical folk, indie-rock and audio-visual sets. The atmosphere is similarly tranquil - midway between hippy jam and refined middle-class relaxation - albeit sporadically interrupted by its location directly under the flightpath of the nearby airport. It proves weirdly hypnotic, however, as everything from light planes to international commercial aircraft approach to land at regular interviews. You may not be so impressed should your mornings involve sleeping off the previous night's excesses, of course; compensation is a stunning sea view beyond the festival's fences. The drinks are heavy on local brewers, commendably reasonably priced for a festival (ordinarily carte blanche to charge extortionate money for generic drainwater), and the food, while not such fantastic value for money, is hearty with good vegetarian options. If you don't drive, the trip is only a minor inconvenience, less than 30 minutes walk from bus and rail links. Here's hoping Watusi becomes an annual fixture.

Truly fantastic lineup and interesting, exciting and innovative. Can't wait for the 2026 festival…read morewhich is about to start .

All kinds of everything. You won't have heard of most of what they have on, but you will like it…read more Good for Street Theatre and for their lovely Spiegeltent, unique atmosphere, eclectic programming - plus imaginative Visual Arts festival in empty shops etc. Fine contrast to a weekend in a damp field

Really good festival for all the family, except for one thing. The cost. It's a total and utter rip…read moreoff. If it wasn't so expensive it would be amazing but I leave here every year feeling like I've been totally fleeced.

Really good for the family and often has a good line up. However, I don't recommend bringing 12…read moreyear olds. I myself went as a twelve year old and there is almost nothing to do. There is a really cool music thing for 13+, and most of the things to do are for up to about 11. Also, the festival is really expensive so look out for people selling them dirt cheap on gumtree because they can't make the dates. When you've finished the festival, there is many places to go for free around, such as durdle door. Lulworth cove is my personal favourite for bodyboarding. Finally, my last bit of advice is KNOW WHERE YOU TICKETS ARE AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE LEAVING. Once, ,e and my mum were about to leave and couldn't find the tickets. We wasted a whole day of the fest trying to find them. Eventually, we realised I had accidentally scooped them up with other bits of paper and put them in a drawer. Please don't let that happen to you, and enjoy!

The Big weekend is an annual 3 day music festival in the city that encompasses a range of different…read moremusic types and aspects for families as well as the adults. Last year The Zutons and The Lightening Seeds were headlining and this year you can see Chaka Demus and Pliers (I'm excited about that!) as well as Welsh rockers The Blackout and Feeder. There's also a funfair, fireworks and the whole town comes to life.

The summer counterpart to the annual Winter Wonderland, Cardiff's Big Weekend is an event that…read morebrings the whole city to life. Sponsored by Admiral, the Weekend is an annual three day festival based in the heart of the city, completely swallowing up the civic centre and the museum area with its fairground rides, games stalls and massive stage. Every year, the festival puts on three nights of gigs from a selection of local talent, old stalwarts (such as this year's fantastic Chaka Demus and The Pliers) and major contemporary bands such as The Zutons or Athelete, all for free. The atmosphere is always loud, lairy and happy with most people being there just to have a good time. There are the occasional problems amongst the teenage crowd, loaded up on adrenaline and this can put a damper on small pockets of the area, but nothing that isn't resolved quickly. Everyone's too busy thinking of what to do next to stay mad for long.

This is truly one of the best folk festivals that you can go so anywhere in the UK. Small, without…read morebeing cramped, and busy without being at all overpowering, year after year this festival has been a highlight of my year. Here you'll find everything you could possibly want in a weekend festival. Ceilidh tents, beer tents, children's activities, camping and caravan grounds, dodgy festival showers, stalls, and stalls and more stalls. The festival takes place on the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August every year, and never disappoints, no matter what the weather (or, indeed, he economic climate too). There is such an air of community here that there is, for me at least, a real sense of homecoming every time I arrive and set up camp. Acts such as Show of Hands, Seth Lakeman, Oysterband, Eliza McCarthy, Kate Rusby and many more are regular patrons ad performers at this event. But there are others from all around the world set to entertain. The highlight of the festival is the final night, when there is a parade of lanterns (made by festival-goers during the weekend) through the grounds and camping to arrive at the outdoor arena to be met with live music and fireworks. For a magical weekend you'll never forget, try Towersey!

Well! I'm getting really bloody excited! We are only a couple of weekends away from the pretty…read morespecial Fair Play Festival! This is a three day Music and Art festival that takes place at two great venues in Cardiff, and features a dizzying list of performers and artists. The most stunning thing about it is that it is only a tenner! Yes, you heard me right! A tenner! I shit you not! That's three days of live music and art for a tenner! Honest! Here's a few highlights: The Boiler House is hosting one of the stages throughout the festival, and has had a recent makeover by the SIN Cru, a graffiti collective that is comprised of street artists from all over the UK. (Canvas and prints will also be available at one of the stalls during the festival.) Rachel Taylor Beales will be performing on Saturday afternoon... if you haven't seen this musical alchemist with the hauntingly beautiful voice, you had better not miss this opportunity to understand why I think she is so utterly special! Dirty Revolution will be raising the rafters on Saturday night and Cakehole Presley will be putting in an illustrious performance. The very wonderful Whistling Buiscuits will have you dancing out of your skin with a big fat grin on your silly little faces and VJ Skulpt will be driving whacked out onlookers straight to rehab with his mind-bending visuals... There's early bird tickets on sale at the moment, but I reckon you're going to have to get clicking on that link pretty darned quick if you want to be one of the lucky ones to get one!

Fantastic event, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is by far the best day out of the year in…read moreBristol (One of my top 5 events in the world) They have night glows on the Thursday and Saturday witch is superb. I highly recommend that this be on your to do list.

The Bristol Balloon Fiesta is one the major world events in the ballooning calendar. Each summer…read morethe skies of Bristol are dotted with balloons as people come to celebrate being able to float around without any motor propelling you. A little commercialised, this event is not quite as quaint as one would imagine. It is magical to watch the ballons getting heated up (I'm sure that's not the technical term) and into the air, though. Go there in the evening when the 'Night Glows' will be taking place for the best experience. It's a pretty big event and this year the roads were jammed around Ashton Court, where it's held. I recommend trying to park in nearby Clifton and walking over the Suspension bridge if you must drive at all (check that the bridge is open). Don't worry too much if you can't make at all, the sight of balloons sailing through the sky can be seen from all over Bristol and is an event enough itself.