it's 1989 i


Who needs a muddy field when you can get your festival fix at sea? Rebecca Barnes reports


n n true rock ’n’ roll style, pop heartthrob Tony Hadley is on stage knocking back Jack Daniels. His excitable banter indicates he’s having as good a time as the audience, who are dressed as iconic 1980s characters – anything from children’s performers to Freddie Mercury and Hi-De-Hi yellowcoats – while singing along to Spandau Ballet’s hits. This is a typical scene on Floating Festivals’


Throwback. The previous night, Nathan Moore from boy band Brother Beyond had started off singing on stage and ended up freestyling in various parts of the packed room. Royal Caribbean’s 3,400-passenger Explorer of


the Seas has been sprinkled with 1980s fairy dust for the weekend and nostalgia is definitely on the itinerary. We’re cruising round-trip from Southampton to


travelweekly.co.uk 16 JANUARY 2020


DESTINATIONS FESTIVALS | CRUISE


Le Havre, but rather untypically, the key attractions are to be found onboard and not ashore. And while all of the ship’s excellent facilities are available, the passengers are creating their own entertainment. The party atmosphere is intoxicating and you quickly get used to the unexpected becoming the norm – a nine-foot Incredible Hulk knocking back pina coladas at the bar, downing shots in the lift and being showered with glitter on a dancefloor decked out with inflatable space hoppers and Rubik’s cubes. As you might expect, this sailing is strictly for


lovers of the idiosyncratic era that bought us mullets, mixtapes and shoulder pads. The decade’s music caters for all tastes and the headline acts are proof of this – reggae-pop group UB40, disco divas Sister Sledge and Tony Hadley perform to enthusiastic crowds in the Palace Theatre each evening.


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