Below is a selection of some of the best-established summer festivals that happen annually and are still to come this summer, from indie to dance, folk to pop, orchestral to soca, as well as non-musical offerings of literature, poetry and comedy.


THE GREAT ESCAPE 17-19 May, Brighton


The go-to live source for new music, The Great Escape festival has been giving exposure to emerging artists since 2006. Shows are spread around Brighton across more than 30 locations such as pubs, churches, club nights and the pier, but this year also sees the addition of a temporary 2,000 capacity site built on the town’s beach. Alongside the music is The Great Escape Convention with conferences and discussions for professionals, thus giving a deeper insight into the future of the music industry. If you missed it this year make sure to book for next.


DOWNLOAD 8-10 June, Leicester


Dedicated to rock and metal, Download is noisy, high energy and has been whirling fiercely with mosh pits since its arrival in 2003. Taking place in Leicestershire’s Donington Park, it’s considered a successor to Monsters of Rock – an event that hosted heavy rock icons throughout the 80s and early 90s before dispersing to different locations around the world. Download this year featured Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson.


BST HYDE PARK 6 -15 July, London


British Summer Time is like a friendly picnic on a family day out in the centre of London. Spread across two weekends with each date a mini festival in itself, performers vary between the stereotypical ‘dad bands’, the understatedly cool and the scream-inducing chart toppers. Last year’s menu featured Justin Bieber and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, while this year you can find Eric Clapton and Bruno Mars.


LOVEBOX 13-14 July, London


This year Lovebox has moved from its original location of Victoria Park to further west in Gunnersbury but the chances are that wherever it’s held is going to feel appropriate given the high voltage party atmosphere emitted from the two-day event. It’s been staging the freshest electronic, dance and hip-hop sounds since 2005, but was founded a few years prior to that by DJs Groove Armada and a series of parties accompanying their album entitled Lovebox.


PORT ELIOT FESTIVAL 26- 29 July, Cornwall


A literary haven situated in the vibrantly neat greenery of St Germans, the Port Eliot festival began fifteen years ago as an embracing of books and storytelling. It has since developed to also feature comedy, music, food and fashion but a concentration on words and imagination remains at its core.


BESTIVAL 2-5 August, Dorset


A boutique festival nestled in the secluded picturesque surrounds of the Lulworth Estate, Bestival is an explosion of colour, fun and a wide selection of music. This year one can dream away to the folky sounds of First Aid Kit, dance along with Grace Jones and spend afternoons crafting by tie-dyeing, jewellery making and dream catcher constructing.


NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL 26 -27 August, London


It was started as a coming together of the Caribbean community, a closing of the cultural gap following the tension of the 1968 race riots, and it has since become Europe’s largest street festival while encapsulating Britain’s multiculturalism. The neat town houses and pastel coloured brickwork become a backdrop for the multitude of rainbow feathers and exuberant costumes with Latin and Caribbean fuelled sound systems that pack the West London streets during the bank holiday weekend.


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Francesca Rose is a MA Critical Theory & Cultural Studies student and freelance writer. Her research and musings on fashion can be viewed at www.knotjournal.com


FOCUS The Magazine 25


The National Gallery during the War


Pollock Museum Lilian Browse in the 1950s London Wartime Nightlife


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