Exploring the UK Festival scene


What makes a festival? Or more specifi- cally, what makes a British festival? Across fields, seafronts and the paved streets of London, summer brings people of all in- terests and backgrounds together as one. In 1971, a year after its debut, a film


crew captured the atmosphere of Glastonbury festival (see Nicolas Roeg’s documentary Glastonbury Fayre). Hair flowed, tan coloured flares danced, tassels waved and light-weight, loose garments seemingly floated with the bodies of their wearers moving in swirling hypnotic mo- tions to the banging of drums. Nakedness was popularly opted for too, body parts swishing as males and females pranced across the field, attempted to swim in pools of mud and zoomed around on the back of a motorbike. It invoked the hippy, nature-embraced style flourishing across the muddy grassy plains in a way that’s be- come symbolic of festive attire today. Tings may have changed since the early years –- for instance ticket prices. In the 1980s it was less than £20 and it was easy to get in for free by jumping over the fence; in 2017, it cost nearly £250 and there was no chance of entering without a registered ticket. Tere are substantially bigger line-ups, and less consumption of LSD, but the sense of escapism, together- ness and utopian ideals are still intrinsic


24 FOCUS The Magazine July/August 2018


and ingrained in the festival spirit. While Glastonbury is largely recognised


now as being the pinnacle of the festival scene, the Isle of Wight was at the fore- front. Beginning as a counterculture event between 1968 and 1970, it was recognised as the British equivalent of Woodstock. Its 1970 line-up consisted of Joni Mitchell standing harmoniously in a yellow maxi dress under the afternoon sun and Leonard Cohen gripping the audience with his tuneful poetry. Te Who and Te Doors supplied the rock and roll while Jimi Hendrix closed the weekend with his thrilling guitar riffs. All the while, free- spirited teenagers and wide-eyed music fans gathered by the peaceful waters of Freshwater Bay. Te festival was re- launched in 2002 at the new location of Seaclose Park, Newport, where it has since hosted artists such as: David Bowie, Te Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen and Jay Z. Held 21–24 June, this year marked its 50th anniversary with headliners: Kasabian, Depeche Mode and Te Killers. Te success of festivals nowadays is that


they cater for all genres and regions, en- compassing what the UK has to offer whether that be creativity, scenery, home talent or an appreciation for international artists. Tis year sees the absence of a few known big ones: Glastonbury is taking its


traditional ‘fallow year’, while the whimsi- cally eclectic Secret Garden Party, a won- derland of neon and glitter in the Cambridge village of Abbots Ripton, per- manently came to an end last year and Scotland’s T in the Park has announced a hiatus. Tese aside, though, leaves no shortage especially as T in the Park has been replaced by TRNSMT, a city festival in the centre of Glasgow which happens over the last weekend of June and first weekend of July. While most festivals are a temporary


weekend escape from daily realities, there are some that stretch over the space of a month or so. Edinburgh Fringe Festival (3–27 August) is a plethora of comedy per- formances, creating a platform for those striving to make it and those recognisably accomplished; while Te Proms (13 July–8 September) is a season presented by the BBC featuring daily orchestral perform- ances in London’s opulent Royal Albert Hall. Whatever it is you’re drawn to and whether you prefer to engage through media coverage or to experience the festivi- ties in person, both the hippy history and diversity of today add value to the British culture behind the festival season.


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