Camp Bestival is truly the UK’s ultimate family festival – for kids of all ages.

Combining world-class music, endless activities, wellbeing experiences and seaside holiday vibes, the event delivers every year on its promise of being far more than a music festival.

With 30,000 festival-goers arriving at the beautiful Lulworth Castle in Dorset on Thursday, the annual event celebrated the biggest opening day in the festival’s history in the glorious sunshine.

Camp Bestival continues to prove that no one does family entertainment quite like Rob and Josie da Bank.

A huge shout out must go to the couple who work tirelessly to ensure that thousands of families enjoy and create treasured memories they’ll never forget.

The moto of the festival is ‘We Are Family‘ and that’s a key part of the reason this reviewer heads back every year – the friendliness, passion and love which goes into this festival each year is tangible.

It truly does feel magical returning every year.

Regardless of whether you’re young or old, or whether you have a disability, there was something for everyone – without the overwhelming feeling often associated with larger music festivals we cover here at Summer Festival Guide.

Friday

Friday began in energetic style with a ‘Wake Up & Workout‘ session from lock-down favourite Joe Wicks and his wife.

Traitors star Joe Marler appeared in the ‘Library’ later in the afternoon, but due to the size of the crowd, we headed back to the main stage. Indie favourites Toploader also ensured the sunshine soundtrack continued throughout the afternoon – playing their big hit ‘Dancing In The Moonlight.’

Later in the evening, Billy Ocean delivered yet another masterclass, with crowd-pleasing hits, proving why he remains such a beloved performer. We’ve seen him three times in the past month and Billy continues to look and sound as sharp as ever.

The day belonged to Summer Festival Guide favourites Self Esteem however – from singer Rebecca Lucy Taylor reading a bedtime story in the CBeebies tent in the afternoon, through to their headline set on the Castle Stage, the performers mixed empowering pop anthems with moments of vulnerability – it was clear they’ll be headlining many more events in the future.

Having starred in the West-End hit Cabaret, it was a powerful performance from Self Esteem, with theatrical flair (and at times some risqué moments which may have taught the younger fans in the audience a thing or two, with their song ‘69‘ – say no more!)

Saturday

The young crowds came out early to welcome their hero and Camp Bestival regular Mr Tumble – confetti flew and the crowds never seem to tire of this timeless entertainer.

Dick and Dom, won over many new fans who probably weren’t even born when the duo were on the BBC in ‘da bungalow’, but some things remain funny to kids, such as their classic ‘bogies‘ rivalry games.

Summer Festival Guide favourite The Cuban Brothers took to the stage in the late afternoon, with singer Miguelito supported ably by DJ Kenny ‘the Pasta’, and John Travolta lookalike Domenico – this trio are a must-see and are always a highlight of the festival, even if some of their language and adult humour was toned down due to all the children present.

Finishing their set in only a bird-shaped thong, Miguelito attempted to lead the crowd in the world’s largest conga, but unfortunately the stage went silent as he began his snake-charmer motions towards Lulworth Castle.

Later in the evening, Example kickstarted the Castle Stage into a giant outdoor party, closing his set with his huge hit and Youtube smash ‘Changed The Way You Kissed Me.’

Saturday provided two of the defining moments of the weekend.

Notably the fancy-dress theme this year was ‘At The Seaside‘ – the crowd certainly impressed, with a range of lifeguard costumes, blue and pink sharks, killer whales, as well as many in Baywatch outfits (and possibly some regretting their warm costumes in the beautiful sun.)

Returning to the stage after a two-year hiatus, Bastille closed the evening with a triumphant headline performance packed with singalong classics. The appearance of Bluey during the set encapsulated everything Camp Bestival does so well – creating magical moments that delight both children and adults at the same time.

Sunday

Sunday’s finale was equally memorable.

From Fat Tony demonstrating why he’s a worldwide DJ for the likes of Madonna, Jay-Z and even Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding, to De La Soul bringing their daisy-age hip-hop and skits to the Castle Stage, today’s line up all supported another superstar, Mr Norman Cook.

Better known as Fatboy Slim, there was a suitably eclectic and joyful close to proceedings.

Mixing songs from Stevie Wonder’s incredible ‘As‘, The Killers ‘Mr Brightside‘ and even Radiohead making an appearance with ‘Everything In It’s Right Place‘, it was a masterful display, with lasers lighting up the sky.

Fatboy Slim’s appearance dressed as ‘fish and chips’ perfectly captured the playful spirit that runs through every aspect of the festival. 

The weekend culminated in a spectacular fireworks and light display over Lulworth Castle – each year, the lighting is spectacular, and this year the theme mixed classic tunes from Moana, Baby Shark, and appropriately finished with ‘Right Here, Right Now’.

There is no other place we’d rather be.

Camp Bestival remains unique and holds a special place in our hearts.

It’s a genuinely special event that mixes outstanding entertainment with warmth, creativity and a strong sense of community.

It isn’t possible to see everything in one weekend and we’ve not mentioned the allotment sessions, bread-making workshops, beekeeping classes and heritage craft activities.

We haven’t even covered many of the other incredible stages – such as the steam-punk looking Caravanserai area, the beautiful Bollywood tent, or Pig’s Big Ballroom.

Festival curator Rob da Bank sums it up better than we can: “What a ridiculously fun and sun kissed weekend we’ve had, bringing families together in proper Camp Bestival style. It’s always blows us away to see 30,000 revellers get stuck in to so many activities, dancing to the beats and bands, getting arty and active with their families across our amazing site.”

To see everything, you’ll have to come back again and get tickets for next year’s event – you really do not want to miss out.

Camp Bestival by Debenhams will take place from Thursday 29th July – Sunday 1st August 2027. 

Early Bird Weekend Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 7th August. 

For more information and to buy tickets visit campbestival.net.  

Words and photos: Graham Tarrant

End of the Road festival this year was one for the ages.

This year, End of the Road offered exceptional headline performances over the four nights, with many stand-outs destined to be remembered for a long time.

From the remarkable Sharon Van Etten on Thursday night with her first headline performance to Father John Misty closing the show on Sunday night with his eccentric style, there were many truly outstanding moments this year.

Thursday was previously a day for pitching tents and exploring the enchanting Effing Forest, but End of the Road now has a full four day programme at Larmer Tree Gardens.

We began our weekend in The Folly, watching La Sécurité, a French-Canadian dance-punk outfit. It was impossible to stand still to the melodic hooks during their energetic set.

Over at the beautiful Woods Stage, Trevor Powers, better known as Youth Lagoon played a charming set. In advance of attending this year’s EOTR, we had explored many of the artists on Spotify playlists and this was one which particularly stood out.

The beauty of End of the Road festival is discovering exciting music for the first time and falling in love with new artists – and we weren’t disappointed this year.

Incorporating snippets of old home videos into the songs, Youth Lagoon was truly one of the highlights of the weekend.

It was hard to believe Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory have not topped the bill at a festival before, but this will certainly not be the last time we see the collective headline after this stunning performance on Thursday night.

While the group aesthetic sounds different than much of her solo material, performed live it is satisfyingly haunting and visceral. Not since St Vincent has EOTR seen such a strong female front the main stage.

Damn right women can headline festivals.

Friday sees the impressive Florist take to the Garden stage – another great discovery for us prior to the festival. With a new band line up, they are a gentle start to the day with their finger-picking folk and psychedelic pop – it’s incredible how much beautiful music there is out there to be heard.

Later, Bombino plays a delightful set, having travelled across from Geneva the previous day and only arriving at the festival with a couple of hours to spare before his set.

It’s always a delight to hear world music at the festival, intertwined with the DJs and indie-guitar rock. Described as the ‘world’s best guitarist’ by Noisey, we could hardly disagree when he plays licks even the late great Prince may have been proud to perform.

We head over to The Boat to catch Jackie O Mother-f*cker but can’t get anywhere near the smaller stage, as it seems to be afloat on a bed of mud.

Talking of world music, returning to the festival this year are GOAT, who must be seen to be believed. Dressed in masks and outlandish costumes, all of the band remain shrouded in mystery. It’s claimed they are just one of many incarnations over the last 30 years of a group from a small, voodoo-worshiping northern town named ‘Korpilombolo‘. Personally, we’ve heard they originate from Gothenburg in Sweden, so possibly, voodoo gives way to Volvo saloons when they’re not performing.

When they sound this good, who cares.

Caribou also return to the festival, this year on the main stage as Friday night headliners. It’s a joyous uplifting set from start to finish. Their live performance of ‘SUN’ does little to change the damp weather, but they try their best to part the clouds.

Saturday begins with a treacherous trip down to the Talking Heads stage to hear Adam Buxton (aka Dr Buckles) record an episode of his popular podcast. The festival has luckily had 8 years of fine weather, but the gods seem to have turned on this festival on the Saturday. Luckily it didn’t dampen spirits or good humour.

Indie royalty Kristin Hersh followed for an Uncut Q&A interview, prior to her set with Throwing Muses later. She is one of the most influential figures on the scene and talked about how she discovered Pixies, who headlined EOTR a couple of years prior. She also reminisced about lost friends including the incredible Vic Chesnutt, and another collaborator, Michael Stipe.

Kristin did not disappoint later in the day when she played the majority of songs from the new Throwing Muses album ‘Moonlight Concessions‘.

As with all great festivals, there was an almighty clash on Saturday night (…well ok Friday night also between Caribou and The National frontman Matt Berninger.)

We opted for Self Esteem on the main Woods stage, although it was tough to leave behind Viagra Boys on The Garden Stage.

Singer Rebecca Lucy Taylor presented a unique theatrical performance of her album ‘A Complicated Woman‘. initially dressed in nun’s outfit, (think The Handmaid’s Tale), she switched into a more provocative sports outfit, for her song ‘69‘, while calling out other favoured sexual positions. It was another incredibly powerful performance and although more choreographed and mainstream than your usual EOTR set, it was an emotional and inspired booking.

While it was a difficult decision to miss those Viagra Boys, Self Esteem offered us enough stimulants.

Sunday was possibly the most eclectic day and a true reflection of the magic and variety on offer at End of the Road.

It began with comedy from the unmistakeable Stewart Lee. There was quirky, if slightly irksome folk from Shovel Dance Collective, followed by incredible soulful Malian music from Vieux Farka Toure (son of legendary Ali Farka Toure) – one of the most acclaimed international musicians.

Blawan was another highlight, offering some good techno beats for the hardcore few who had any energy left to dance, while Squid celebrated singer Ollie Judge’s birthday, by beginning their set with the menacing ‘Crispy Skin‘, howling ‘Am I The Bad One, Yes, Yes I Am.’

In true crooner style and a fitting end to our festival season, Father John Misty came onstage with a red curtain backdrop. With passion, fire, and strength in his voice, Josh Tillman played his set as though it was a charismatic sermon, prowling the stage in his own inimitable style.

It was a fitting end to another incredible weekend for End of the Road at Larmer Tree Gardens.

Next year, the festival celebrates its 20 year anniversary. It will surely be another magical mix of musical discoveries…so don’t miss out on early-bird tickets when they go on sale shortly.

Use the following official link to get your tickets for 2026: https://endoftheroadfestival.com/tickets/

PHOTOS: GRAHAM TARRANT

WORDS: GRAHAM TARRANT & SAMANTHA MIDDLETON

Victorious Festival remains an impressive inclusive music festival by the beautiful south coast.

The Southsea event offered the strongest headliners of the summer, with Queens of the Stone Age on the main stage on Friday, with the nutty boys, Madness, on the Castle Stage at the same time. Saturday offered man-eater Nelly Furtado and Vampire Weekend, while Sunday was a spicy choice between Melanie C and Kings of Leon.

It’s such a shame we can’t be in two places at once, as each of those artists deserves to be seen.

The beauty of Victorious Festival is that they always book an impressive headline-worthy artist to begin proceedings each day and this year was no exception.

On Friday, The Charlatans kicked off the main stage. Singer and frontman Tim Burgess does not appear to have aged a day since they first arrived on the indie scene in 1990 with ‘The Only One I Know‘. Playing a crowd-pleasing greatest hits set at 1pm definitely got everyone in the mood for the entertainment ahead.

In a positive change this year, the comedy performers took to the main stage, rather than a small big-top. This was a relief for many who in previous years have struggled to get into the crowded performance tent.

Comedian and Masked Singer presenter Joel Dommett followed The Charlatans on the main stage and stated he was slightly daunted at the size of the huge crowd who had come to see him in the Southsea sun. Mixing tales of his innuendo filled intros from the Masked Singer, to his own self- deprecation of playing his early rap-tape, it was an inspired decision moving the comedy so more people could enjoy it.

Following this great start to the family event, much has been written in the news about the silencing of a certain Irish band. The festival has already issued a statement and an apology for the way events transpired. At Summer Festival Guide, we are here to review events and festivals across UK and Europe and look to ensure the crowd are having a great time – they certainly were all weekend and Victorious have stated they will be making a generous donation to humanitarian efforts.

Elsewhere over on Castle Stage at the same time, many were enjoying Daniel Beddingfield who is embarking on something of a comeback, playing a mix of garage music, before finishing with his hits ‘If You’re Not The One‘ and ‘Gotta Get Through This.’

Victorious has so many stages on offer, and the Seaside Stage is one of the most beautiful locations overlooking the coastline. Following in the footsteps of Barrioke in 2024, this year was Massaoke – humurous rock legend wannabes, with leotards and gold spandex on offer. The colourful band played the music and backing tracks, while the crowd were encouraged to sing all the words displayed on the screen to classic 70s and 80s power ballads and cheesy rock classics. Modern karaoke never sounded so good (or so bad when we joined in for ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ briefly…)

Before the Friday-night headliners, party starters Kaiser Chiefs bound on stage, with arguably the biggest crowd of the day. Reminiscing how its been 20 years since their debut seminal album ‘Employment’ was released, Ricky Wilson still has bundles of energy, scaling the stage scaffolding while entertaining, with hits including ‘I Predict A Riot‘ and ‘Ruby‘.

The crowd knew and sung every word. They are about to tour the UK in the coming months and based on the audience reaction, many tickets would have been sold after this electrifying performance.

Queens of the Stone Age (QoTSA) followed and Josh Homme certainly knows how to begin in style. Some bands save their biggest songs for the end of their sets, but QoTSA went straight into ‘You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire‘, ‘No One Knows‘, ‘Burn the Witch‘, then ‘My God Is the Sun‘ – arguably four of their biggest songs.

Halfway through the set, Josh Homme stated they’d come across the Atlantic to play for their fans and asked the audience what they wanted to hear. At request they played, “Little Sister‘, before a young audience member displayed a sign asking to join the band on-stage. Ironically the singer stated they weren’t the Foo Fighters, although Dave Grohl was previously this bands drummer…

As well as the music, as stated earlier, Victorious Festival prides itself on being a family orientated festival. The kids area this year offered a number of highlights, from meet’and’greets with Sonic the Hedgehog and Peppa Pig, through to impressive old-school British Empire Wrestling, and the famous ‘World’s Biggest Bouncy Castle’ which we’ve tried at many other events across the UK – well worth a mega-bounce if you see it.

Saturday began with the impressive Rizzle Kicks – who truly kicked things off in style. The crowd (and band) were jumping and the duo certainly don’t take themselves too seriously, with huge flowers in pots on stage.

Not to be outdone, Scouting for Girls followed, with their James Bond theme. Singer Roy Stride previously played the smaller acoustic stage here a couple of years ago, but now won the crowd over on the main Common Stage. With his selfie-stick, he filmed the audience while proclaiming everybody wants to be on tv.

Victorious also offers many slots for local bands, from the impressive Southsea Alternative Choir over on the aforementioned Seaside Stage, to breakthrough opportunities on the main stage.

Crystal Tides, an energetic Portsmouth indie-band played in the afternoon before local singer songwriter Marley Blandford had the opportunity of a lifetime to play before his biggest crowd to date – in the style of Ed Sheeran, he mixed acoustic guitar with looping pedals to create an impressive collection of tracks – one to watch in the future, especially with his cover of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ to close the set.

Shed Seven returned to the festival in their usual cheeky style, with singer Rick Witter reading out many fan messages he’d received from fans young and old. Chucking his maraca to a young 9 year old in the crowd, he asked if anyone remembered the 90s, before playing their crowd pleasers ‘Going for Gold’, ‘Chasing Rainbows‘ and even a cover of The Smiths ‘There Is A Light Which Never Goes Out‘ with it’s darkly comic lyric

‘…And if a double-decker bus, crashes into us
To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die…’

Quite!

Scottish legends Travis followed, and Fran Healy sung ‘Why Does It Alway’s Rain On Me‘, although based on the dust around the site, it was clear Portsmouth and Southsea were basking in some particularly fine summer sun.

Back over on the Seaside Stage, 90s pin-up Betty Boo dazzled crowds with her old hits ‘Where Are You Baby’ and ‘Doin’ the Do‘, before concluding with ‘Pure and Simple‘ made famous by Hear’Say on the first series of Pop Idol. Utah Saints followed with an impressive DJ set, mixing classics from The Prodigy and New Order (both of whom have headlined Victorious in previous headliners.)

Talking of headliners, we chose to see Nelly Furtado over at the Castle Stage. It was surprising how many hits she’s had, from ‘I’m Like A Bird’ to ‘Promiscuous‘. She also played a couple of covers including ‘Get Ur Freak On‘ and James Morrison’s ‘Broken Strings,’ before sending the huge crowd away happy with ‘Man-eater.‘

Food-wise, a special shout out must go to Lidl and their Bubbles and Bangers stall. They offered a substantial hot-dog, and a glass of chilled lemonade for £7.50, or even better, a hot-dog with prosecco for £9.50. Considering many bars were charging the same for a can of gin’n’tonic this summer for the same price, this was the best deal of the summer. All profits went to the NSPCC charity also, so a big shout out must go to everyone’s favourite low cost supermarket for saving pennies. There was also the chance to win some merch or a bucket hat to keep cool.

Sunday, with everyone feeling slightly jaded from two days partying, there needed to be a big act to get everyone moving. Wow, and what an act to start the day.

Craig David brought his TS5 show to Southsea and had everyone singing all the words to his hits, from ‘Re-rewind (Bo-Selecta)‘, to ‘Fill Me In‘, ‘Walking Away‘, and finishing of course with ‘7-Days‘. It must be said this was a tough act to follow, and possibly based on the immense size of the crowd, Craig could have been headlining any of the nights.

Bradley Simpson, singer of The Vamps followed. Many of the audience had clearly come to see him, with banners held aloft and screams from his adoring fans. He certainly worked the stage, climbing over the speakers and strutting the stage like a true boy-band professional.

Jasper Carrott provided the comedy of the day and defied his 80 years with good humour, although some of the material regarding fax machines and prostate examinations left the younger audience members baffled. Definitely one for the older audience.

The Zutons followed, with a cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black‘, before performing their own ‘Valerie’ made famous by the late-great singer.

The Reytons followed and it was a surprise to hear they’re one of the biggest unsigned bands in the UK.

Frontman Jonny Yerrell proclaimed “This is the best festival in the UK…full of so much love and energy“. Who are we to disagree.

Bloc Party played a greatest hits set list, with singer Kele proclaiming this was a great place to perform the final night of their tour. Many of the audience may not have heard them before but recognised a couple of their songs used recently in adverts.

Headline wise, Sunday was the biggest possibly seen by Victorious and the biggest of any festival this summer. American superstars Kings of Leon took to the main stage and brought an incredible close to the weekend. Normally singer Caleb doesn’t say a word to the crowd between songs, but he stopped many times to thank the huge crowd. He even spotted a Tennessee flag in the audience from his home state and seemed in good spirits throughout.

It was an absolutely flawless performance from KoL, with songs played from their 25-year career. The biggest cheers went out for ‘Use Somebody‘ and ‘Molly’s Chambers‘, but of course, the crowd sung every word when they finished with ‘Sex On Fire’. They certainly did not disappoint.

There were so many other impressive acts we saw which we haven’t had time to cover. From Everything Everything with their indie-dance music to Public Service Broadcasting with their conceptual approach of using archival footage from old films and documentaries – there really was something for everyone at Victorious.

We can’t wait to return next year – this was a memorable year, but for all the right, positive reasons we keep coming back. The festival keeps on expanding and you can see why. Kings of Leon are going to be a difficult act for Victorious to beat next year, but we are excited to find out who they book.

Early-bird tickets for next year are already available. Please use the following official link: https://www.victoriousfestival.co.uk/buy-tickets-2/

PHOTOS: GRAHAM TARRANT

WORDS: GRAHAM TARRANT & SAMANTHA MIDDLETON.