WOW!!!! Just got back from our first visit to the Secret Garden Party. Better than Glasto probably…read morebecause the emphasis is on art AND music so there is lots to do. This time loads of good music plus circus skills, sock wrestling, hula hooping, explorers camp, dance, camera obscura, samba lessons, yoga, ferris wheel etc etc etc. Lots of eccentric costumes, very kid friendly. Fantastic atmosphere - very friendly and good natured. No flights, no trouble. Even the toilets were reasonable - much better than other festivals :-) In 2005, The Secret Garden Party won the Best Small Festival prize at the UK Festival Awards. It won the Best Small Festival prize for the second time in 2008. In 2007, it was named 'best British music festival' by Radio 1. We're booking for next year without a doubt :-)

"I was dreamin' when I wrote this, so sue me if I go to fast…read moreBut life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last" Wow, just Wow!! Had an amazing time at the Hop Farm festival this weekend, with Prince being the icing on the cake. What a showman, he really knows how to rock a festival!! Hop Farm Festival is now in its 4th year and for the first time was extended to three days. Organised by the legendary Vince Power this festival looks set to grow and grow. The acts range from new bands to old legends, including The Eagles, Morrissey, Carl Barat, Newton Faulkner, Aloe Black, Ocean Colour Scene, Tim Booth, Imelda May, Frankie and The Heartstrings and many more. The festival has three stages, and and comedy night once the music has finished. The facilities were fantastic - the toilets were clean and 9 times out of 10 had loo roll and hand sanitiser (i know, at a festival!). The bars were numerous and well staffed meaning that you never had to queue for longer than a couple of minutes for a drink. For beer or cider you had to pay a £3 deposit for a plastic cup which was then refundable at the end of the night - a great idea to keep waste levels down. On this note, the area was cleaned on a regular basis which was fantastic. The food stands were numerous and a little hit and miss. Great hog roast, burritos and churros but the paella and Jimmy's Farm burger were a little disappointing. Camping facilities were good and not to far away from the arena. Could have done with a few more showers but at least they were hot. This is a fairly civilised festival which seems to appeal to people of all ages. A great starter if you don't feel quite ready for the madness of the likes of Glastonbury or Reading!!

Not advertising but this is tomorrow. Strawberry fair is a…read morefree festival in the center of Cambridge, UK. This years fair is on Saturday June 7th, 2008. It has music on several stages, stalls, food, art, crafts, kids entertainment, performers, participation and of course a beer tent. I went for the day last year and it was a hot day (rain tomorrow). If you can't get to this one put it in your diary for next year because it is good and it is free! After the event. A crowd of us went. Kings Cross to Cambridge and we got on enroute..like a rolling snowball..it had picked up other friends enroute. The trains were packed and the queueing and police presence at Cambridge station seemed a bit OTT. The festival itself was packed but the music, beer and food were good as were the selection of stalls. I got a rainstick for £1. As this is free one wonders how much longer it can run but if it is on next year then go!

Red Rooster was my first music festival experience, and one that'll stay with me forever. The…read morelegendary C.W Stoneking closing the event with his jungle blues was the perfect finish to a weekend that was just bursting with Americana, showcasing the best of Britain but also featuring several acts who'd travelled from much further. Americana leaves room for real variety, meaning there was an eclectic mix of sounds at the festival; blues, bluegrass, country, soul. We arrived on the Thursday evening and pitched our tent. At this point Suffolk's Euston Estate was at it's quietest, so we were able to find just the spot for us. We went for out of the way and just under a tree. - Home for the next few days! And what a lovely location. The festival was just in it's second year when I visited and still feels very much small and homegrown. The festival's family friendly and there were lots of dogs and young children. As a result, it felt very, very safe. Due to its size, there were also several little quirks to be discovered on site: hammocks, a poker zone, camp fires...It made for quite the wander, and certainly gave the festival a unique feel. These sort of things encouraged a ramble and mixing with other campers, and, consequently, we had many a friendly chat with other campers by the fire. The low points were few and far between, but worth mentioning. The on-site loo situation could have been better. There really needed to be more facilities for the number of people there. - That's all I'll say. The street food vendors were awesome, although some had sold out as early as the end of the first night. By the last night, choices were limited. It was expensive, as expected, but the quality was high. All in all, I'm a big fan of Red Rooster and look forward to seeing how the festival will grow in years to come. It was most definitely worth our journey from Stirling to Suffolk!

Love box Festival isn't just a music festival, It's much more than that…read more It's an escape with all it's beery, sweaty glory. In the midsummer Victoria Park played host to a crowd of beery, sweaty, joyous, feeling the love group of people, coming to take in hours upon hours of great music performed live by some of the greatest artists and DJ''s around. A sweltering dustbowl of Victoria park was full of vivid colours, four stage, fun fair, food Stalls, merchandise. As we groove to the first tent heavy dancing and beats session was to tantalising to miss. Once that was finished, we tucked into a delicious Ostrich burger. Then stroll toward the fairground rides and after recovering from the rides and my organs had settled down from the ordeal we dancing our way into another tent where we bump into random people and started up a dancing frenzy and left.... hehehe....! Bopped over to the Main Stage in between, were Alunageogre D,anglo and Plan. B performed. Overall magnificent.

Pretty decent weekend offering in surprisingly lovely surroundings of Victoria Park, Hackney, East…read moreLondon. It pretty easy to get here (if you know the way from the station!!), just 20 minutes from Camden Road on the overground service, and only 1 pound! We had lots of fun on Saturday watching Manu Chao, Groove Armada, Lethal Bizzle, and possible Wiley! Can't give it 5 stars because of the really stupidly long bar queues, but the rest of the setup is pretty pleasant, and the atmosphere is chilled, no trouble at all.

Even before I started working on the Ealing Summer events, I loved them. You can bring your own…read morepicnic, your own drinks (no glass bottles please though - put your wine/champagne in a plastic bottle!) and most of the events are only £1, so its great for a cheap day out. Me and my friends have spent many a summer's day sprawled out on a blanket listening the music and sunbathing. Oh, and when you run out of your own food and drink, there's plenty of stalls to buy from too!

Not sure if it's sad to admit this but the Jazz Festival is one of the highlights of the year for…read moreme. Yes it's lazy, I live a 3 minute walk away, but hey I grab some folding chairs,make up copious amounts of pimms and laze in the park for 3-4 nights with friends getting squiffy and letting the music and ambience wash over me - what's not to like ? Been going for 20years or so now,and already booked in friends again for 2009..bring it on !

I went here last year, not expecting to actually be living on Waldershare estate this year which in…read moreturn has definately helped out as me and the missus would be having an argument on who was driving home this weekend, but it is actually on saturday and sunday this weekend, 26th and 27th July. I had such a great time last year and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Saturday night was without a doubt a great night with the live bands and i hope they are just as good this year! Definately worth going to! It is £6 entry but it is all for a good cause and definately a good time. The Beer tent is also huge and the prices are definately good. £3 a pint. I thought that was extremely reasonable as the pub up the road is more expensive than that. Also the guy who is running the beer tent, actually showed me and the missus around the back of the bar a few weeks ago when he did the Quexpo country fair. The cooling system is amazing and you are definately getting good beer/cider.

HANDS DOWN, Notting Hill Carnival was considered the best festival in the world. Preparation for…read moreCarnival is imminent, the award-tour going to Shaggy for his marvelous rendition of positive alchemy and alternative, until further notice. This year, like every other year, remains fast-and-furious with celebrity acts, past and present, returning to the world stage. There will be no stopping as the procession continues through West London and out into the suburbs of England. Alongside the love and support I get from family and the community, I also get a lot of love from Carnival. The black community in addition to oversea carnival goers create a homecoming atmosphere for me always. Thanks again to everyone who joined me over the years and who will continue to join me in helping make carnival that more - it is a special weekend for everyone and a special way to celebrate tradition and culture forever.

I heard a variety of things ranging from Eugh to Awesome and 'you'll get robbed/stabbed' to…read more'everyone is incredibly friendly'. So happy I went. In my opinion it's a must do at least once. It's apparently the largest street festival in Europe and it certainly feels like it. There's some sort of parade route, and every float is filled with sights and sounds (people dressed colourfully and without fail, excellent sound systems). A tonne of people kind of just wander along the parade route (I'm not even sure if there's one route or multiple) and just take it all in. Beyond that, there's a lot going on on pretty much every side street in the area. An abundance of food, people just chilling and drinking/smoking (NHC has a reputation for reefer and it's not unwarranted. There's the unmistakable scent pretty much everywhere at the festival), and a lot of areas set up with sound systems and people dancing. We bought drinks from various corner shops at prices of varying ridiculousness (one store was charging £4 for a GnT and £12 for a pack of Marlboro Ice Blast. Another was charging a more bearable £3 for the same GnTs). There were actually a fair number of porta loos set up, and the queues for them were reasonable. Phones of course don't work, and in the process of looking for a friend, I lost everyone I came with. Fortunately I managed to locate said friend and we still had a blast. Also, leaving the festival area was kind of confusing due to the crowds and road closures but there were police stationed everywhere and they were extremely helpful. As far as the you'll get robbed/stabbed bits, there's no doubt that you need to keep a close watch on your belongings as given the sheer amount of people, there's bound to be an opportunistic few. That aside, also given the sheer numbers and the tightness, there are a few idiots in a hurry who occasionally push or shove, and you can see tempers flare. I didn't actually see any fights break out but while dancing at one of the areas, heard the MC telling a group to break it up so evidently scuffles occur. Bottom line - don't be deterred and just go and have a blast! The vast majority of people there are incredibly friendly and overall it's just the sort of environment with incredible energy and positive vibes. Still felt good from it for a few days after.