Festival season; it's not all about Glastonbury

 Every year when Glastonbury weekend comes around my social media feeds are full of people talking about it - some watching it on TV, some reminiscing about the time they went, some lucky folks actually there. And, always one to not miss out on something, I think maybe I should try and go one year - after all I may be old but not as old as some of the performers.

Then I look at the crowds, think about standing for hours, walking between tent and stages, queuing for toilets, and acknowledge that it's not really for me (unless, you know, I could go along as a VIP or maybe a headliner's guest)

I've come to festivalling late in life, so maybe it's age, maybe it's just that I like things a little quieter but I prefer something smaller, more intimate, less hectic, more relaxing, with a mix of music, activities, and ideas.

One of my favourites is Timber Festival, almost on my doorstep in the National Forest, to which I've been several times as one of their 'pioneer' bloggers. Held this year on the 7-9th July, talks will be headlined by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path and Landlines, music by The Go! Team, Keston Cobblers Club, and Sister Wives. At the heart of the programming lies the forging and maintaining of our relationship with nature in general, and trees in particular.  Workshops range from guerrilla gardening to writing, foraging walks to yoga, printing with leaves to learning how to decoratively fix holes in clothes. I find there's always something new to discover.

A logical sort of progression from Timber is The Green Gathering, at Piercefield Park, near Chepstow, 3-6th August. It maybe has a 'hippie' sort of vibe but I think there's a lot that all of us could learn from it. As the 'original off-grid festival', the whole event is powered by renewable energy, and there are folks around to show you how it's done, and how you could do it too. At the speakers Forum you'll find experts discussing green issues such as climate change, building a greener Britain and Wales' Net Zero initiative. In the craft area you can learn the skills necessary for a more sustainable life - mending tools, making things from wood or willow, even having a go at making a trinket at the Nowhere Forge  - or in the Campaigns Field you can learn about social and environmental issues. It's not a totally serious weekend though. There's an eclectic array of musical artists from folk to psychedelic sounds via politically-conscious singer songwriters.  Anyone who follows me on either Twitter or Instagram will know I grow my own veg and fruit, turn it into meals, jam and pickles, knit, sew, and am generally looking out for ways to live a greener life, so in many ways this is an obvious choice for me.

If that's a bit too 'out there' for you, I'd suggest a gentle relaxing weekend in Capability Brown parkland at ALSO festival on Park Farm Estate, Compton Verney, in Warwickshire. The setting is wonderful, with the original landscaping making level areas by the lake just right for camping pitches, food marquees, and stages. 

This year -14th-16th July - is ALSO's tenth anniversary and there'll be as wide a range of speakers as ever, including Jess Philips MP, Sara Pascoe, Robin Ince, and Jeffrey Boakye, music to dance the night away to, an organised run or dance workshops for the energetic, paddle-boarding and swimming at the lake, or just chill out in the beautiful parkscape. A new addition is the food festival within the festival, with a wider range of bookable lunches, masterclasses and tastings. 

This is an event that I was invited along to last year but just because I went for free doesn't mean it wasn't any less special.

photo credit: The Big Feastival

For food lovers there's a treat at The Big Feastival 25-27th August in the Cotswolds. I stumbled across this festival last year, when Kathy Slack (whose cookery demonstration I'd seen at ALSO), announced she was appearing. The emphasis, perhaps obviously, is on food with over 20 chefs cooking and inspiring festival-goers,and Feast on the Farm with Pasture offers a three course sit down lunch or dinner for anyone who thinks fine-dining belongs only in a restaurant. The offerings from street food traders looks wonderful too.

photo credit: The Big Feastival

This is also, of my chosen list, the festival with biggest music headliners - Sigrid, Tom Brennan, Blossoms, and Rick Astley,  I think it was rightly described as 'Glastonbury but with lots more delicious food'.*  There's also a vintage funfair, a fire pit with cookery demos (you'll never look at your backgarden bbq the same way again), a craft corner, children's entertainment in the Big Top, a chance for both adults and children to get hands on with M&S cookdery classes, and a hot dog eating competition (most? quickest? with least tomato ketchup on your top? I know which one I'd win)

photo credit: Department Two

 Now if you still thought these festivals sounded too large and busy, then there's one, or a series, designed specially for you. For several years The Good Life Experience festival was held in early September at Hawarden Castle in North Wales, but now the organisers have decided to change to a series of Summer Camps held on four weekends throughout July. 

photo credit:
Department Two

In form they're much like the festival was - celebrating the good things in life with food, music, workshops, talks, lake swimming, and paddle-boarding - but with far less participants so you can actually get to know your fellow festivallers/campers. There'll be evening feasts prepared by chefs like Romy Gill or Valentine Warner, a secluded castle garden to explore, new activities to try, new skills to learn. As co-founder Charlie Gladstone puts it "Summer Camp will be a retreat, a place to recharge and to explore new places and ideas". 

It sounds idyllic to me.

There's one event left which I'd recommend for anyone interested in a different slant on the news -  Byline Festival, which has been running in Sussex for several years but is now moving to the Dartington Trust near Totnes in Devon. It's mission, in the words of sister orgainsation the Byline Times,  is to shed light on 'what the papers don't say' and is packed with speakers such as Jonathan Pie, Bonnie Greer OBE, Joanna Scanlan, George Monbiot, and Carole Cadwalladr, with the serious talks interspersed with good food and dancing. There's one regrettable snag though - it's so popular that it's sold out! There is a 'wait list' though in case of any ticket returns.

Another snag prevents me personally from packing up my tent and spending all summer under the festival skies - after a series of unfortunate mishaps with twisted ankles and pulled leg muscles walking on grass is too hazardous for me, and the thought of putting up the tent makes me shudder. Hopefully I'll be back to full fitness for next summer. Fingers crossed.

*by Zahra Surya Darma Conde Nast Traveler

Curious Arts Festival - 23rd - 26th August

It's nearly time for Curious Arts Festival, that blend of music, literature and comedy which introduced me to the fun of festivals. For five years it's been held at Pylewell Park in the New Forest; I went along for two of them - in 2016 and 2017-  and loved it! 

Now it's on the move to Pippingford Park, Sussex, where it will join forces with Byline Festival.

While Byline is all about serious hard-headed journalism, looking at contemporary culture and politics, Curious Arts will provide the arty, literary complement to it. I've covered the literary line-up over at OurBookReviewsOnline, but my picks would be Candice Carty-Williams talking about her novel Queenie, described as a politicised Bridget Jones' Diary, about a 25 year old black woman trying to straddle two cultures, and Dan Richards talking about his search for isolation and silence, which led to his book Outpost - A Journey to the Wild Ends of the Earth.

Blow Monkeys

The musical line up, meanwhile, ranges from open mic and DJ sets, to performances from  Blow Monkeys, Suggs (from Madness), The Feeling, The Priscillas, and Pussy Riot. Curious Arts is certainly living up to its eclectic reputation!

The Feeling

A huge part of the Curious Arts experience for me was the food on offer. Again 'eclectic' covers it well, with choices from pizza to Iraqi street food to a three course meal at the Naturally Curious pop-up restaurant, with beer and ciders from Curious Brewing, or Chapel Down English wines to drink. You could even take part in an oyster tasting workshop. Somehow that just sums up the vibe of Curious Arts!



My weekends at Curious Arts have always been very special times and I'm a little disappointed that our plans don't allow me to go this year (I'm heading north, though, to Edinburgh for a different sort of festival fun). Maybe I'll be back another year.