Looking for the latest lineup, date, ticket information or latest news about your favourite festivals, look no further. Summer Festival Guide’s Festival News section covers all your needs!
One of the most charmingly beautiful and eclectic festivals of the summer, End of the Road, is officially in eight weeks time, and with that in mind, the final lineup of workshops and activities has been announced.
For the creatives among you, there’s everything from Clay Creations,Origami,Screen Printing, Enamelling and even Comic Book Creating, whereas those who have an extroverted streak can enjoy a wide array of performing arts workshops, where you can be a part of a choir with Singing Loudly for All to Hear, or being part of a spontaneous theatre piece in conjunction with The One Line Theatre Company.
If that’s not your scene and you’d rather relax, wind down, and give your chakras some good loving in between acts, there's also a load of yoga, mindfulness and meditation workshops that you can enjoy.
But the workshops are only a small segment of what End of the Road is all about, with headliners such as The Shins, Joanna Newsom and Animal Collective, as well as incredible artists such as Bat for Lashes, Savages, Ezra Furman, Devendra Banhart, Omar Souleyman and many more, you can’t miss this enchanting folk gathering at the end of the summer.
Want to know the weather forecast for any up and coming festivals, then have a look at the Met Office Festival Checker page to what you should prepare for!
Busting out from the houses of joy, our mighty main stage is going to take a spanking as we turn up the levels on a Future soundclash that will bring Bestival 2016 to a jubilant close. Announcing not one but two Sunday night headliners, hip-hop will meet dancehall for a mind-blowingly triumphant booty shaking party in the ultimate Sunday night head to head on the Isle of Wight.
Rob da Bank says: “We love a big finale at Bestival, we also love hip-hop and dancehall and a massive soundsystem superclash between Wiz Khalifa and Sean Paul seems like a solid plan to close off another big weekend of music of raving, partying and expanding your minds at Bestival. Pull up!”
Commenting on his Sunday night headline performance Wiz Khalifa said: “Can’t wait to be back in the UK and perform at Bestival. The fans here have such good energy, it’s going to be lit.”
Looking forward to his headline appearance, Sean Paul said: “I can't wait to play at Bestival… I’ve heard the grand finale on the Sunday night is the best festival spot in the UK and I'm gonna bring the fyyyaahhh”
Yes! In a UK festival exclusive, we have not just one but two Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers – hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa and dancehall legend Sean Paul – who will be the twin big things at the greatest party the Future has ever seen. Kicking off with Sean Paul, who will be taking it uptown with sweet beats and all the bass, you can expect to be dutty wining all the time as we transcend the normal and head into the unknown. Famed for getting the dance bouncing with tracks like Get Busy, Temperature and Entertainment, you know this is going to go Full Frequency… but that’s just part one.
Once the dancehall behaviour has lit the blue touch paper on our most epic of finales, we get the hip-hop as Wiz Khalifa takes to the stage to drop the dopest flow. Pittsburgh’s finest rhymer, Wiz came to worldwide attention for his track Black and Yellow, and keeps on smashing them out of the park, with Work Hard Play Hard (something the Bestival crew are well versed in), See You Again and We Dem Boyz cementing his place as one of hip-hop’s MVPs and one of our favourite ever MCs. Guaranteed to take the party into the stratosphere, if that’s not a sure fire knock out one-two, we don’t know what is.
But you know us, we don’t know when to stop! Capping what will be one of our most incredible Sunday nights ever, the man like da Bank, Tayo and more will take to the stage for Purple Rave a truly spellbinding audio-visual tribute to Prince. A huge and enduring influence on everyone in the Bestival family, Prince was unquestionably up there with the greatest musicians in history. So, don’t you dare miss our eye-popping pyrotechnic paean showcasing hits, rarities, the odd cheeky bootleg and more, all accompanied by a coruscating firework spectacular that will be our heartfelt tribute to the one that got away.
And keeping the good news flowing we have got even more future sailors joining the Bestival bill, who we predict will be making jubilant appearances across the weekend, including Oxford quartet Glass Animals, and fast, mesmeric masters Crystal Fighters.
Giving you the Future of festivals now, don’t miss out on our Robin Hill adventures. Keep an eye out for the omens: www.Bestival.net, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram / Tumblr
There’s just 48 days until your wait is over for BLOODSTOCK – the biggest heavy metal party weekender of the year! BLOODSTOCK HQ is a hive of activity; the sunshine is on pre-order and there are still more bands being confirmed!
Added for an early afternoon main stage slot on Sunday are rising, home-grown Century Media metalheads, HEART OF A COWARD (https://www.facebook.com/heartofacoward). Check out the video for ‘Hollow’ from last album ‘Deliverance’ at: https://youtu.be/C-h3c2VnA7A.
Joining Friday’s Sophie Stage bill are German symphonic metal outfit BEYOND THE BLACK (https://www.facebook.com/beyondtheblackofficial), Wigan’s own progressive sludgelords BOSS KELOID (https://www.facebook.com/bosskeloidband), and self-described ‘epic fantasycore’ group FURY from Worcester (https://www.facebook.com/furyofficial).
Meanwhile, snagging a Sophie Stage slot on Saturday are heavy psych merchants VODUN (https://www.facebook.com/VODUNBAND) fresh from Stone Free festival last weekend and fast-rising London melodic metallers, THE RAVEN AGE (https://www.facebook.com/TheRavenAge).
BLOODSTOCK is very pleased to welcome back TEENAGE CANCER TRUST as their official charity partner once again. After shattering all previous fundraising records in 2015 with a colossal total in excess of £13.5K, BLOODSTOCK hopes you’ll join them to raise even more cash in 2016 to help TEENAGE CANCER TRUST support young people with cancer all over the UK.
Meantime, the ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals continue around the UK through to 10th July (remaining dates below). BLOODSTOCK’s ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ judging squad have been searching hard for hot new talent and these lucky bands have won slots on the Hobgoblin New Blood stage!
Friday welcomes Mansfield stoner/groove rock trio WITCHTRIPPER (https://www.facebook.com/witchtripperuk) and Leicester’s melodic doomsters GARGANJUA (https://www.facebook.com/Garganjua). On Saturday, Leicester M2TM winners CONJURER (https://www.facebook.com/conjureruk) bring their blend of progressive post-metal sludge/groove, plus Norwich M2TM finalists VENDETTA (https://www.facebook.com/VendettaUKHC) offer up a slice of pure British hardcore aggression. Joining Sunday’s New Blood mayhem are Luton’s FAR FROM HISTORY (https://www.facebook.com/farfromhistoryuk), mixing chugging groove and hardcore riffs to round out your weekend.
There’s also a chance for punters at each M2TM event to win weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK, a case of Hobgoblin Ale to take home, or various other BLOODSTOCK related prizes. You can even shake hands with BLOODSTOCK’s ‘M2TM’ mainman, Simon Hall. Remaining finals run as follows so get out, support, and win those festival tickets for yourself!
24th Jun – SWINDON – The Victoria
24th Jun – DEWSBURY – The Old Turk
25th Jun – MERSEYSIDE / LIVERPOOL – Bumper
1st Jul – LINCOLNSHIRE / LINCOLN – The Lincoln Imp
2nd Jul – READING – Facebar
9th Jul – BURNLEY – Sanctuary
9th Jul – BOURNEMOUTH – The Anvil
9th Jul – POLAND / BIELSKO-BIALA – The Rude Boy Club
10th Jul – BIRMINGHAM – The Roadhouse
Already announced for 2016 are our three headliners, TWISTED SISTER (in their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX. Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, AKERCOCKE, GHOST BATH, VENOM, UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more. Additional bands are still to be announced.
One of the biggest artists of the past 12 months, Grammy award winner and Brit nominated pop sensation Jess Glynne is to headline Splendour on 23 July 2016.
The booking comes on the back of an amazing year for the artist after her debut album – ‘I Cry When I Laugh’ – made her the biggest selling debut artist of the year. The album features her five number one singles including smash hit ‘Hold My Hand’ and its equally successful follow up ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself’, along with the recent single ‘Take Me Home’, the official song for Children in Need.
Jess is the first solo female artist to headline Splendour since Kate Nash took to the main stage in the first year of thefestival in 2008.
The singer, 26, has already equalled the record for the most number one singles by a British female solo artist — five — and has now announced a brand new single from the album, ‘Ain’t Got Far To Go’, due for release on 26 February via Atlantic.
The Human League and UB40 – two legendary bands with an outstanding back catalogue stretching back more than 40 years – join the bill on the main stage headlined by one of the hottest artists of the moment Jess Glynne, the Grammy award winner with an unbelievable 5 UK Number 1 singles from her chart topping debut album.
Another British singer with a debut number 1 album, Jamie Lawson is next on the bill with Turin Brakes, Jeremy Loops and local Nottingham artist Ady Suleiman also announced for the main stage. Suleiman has been earmarked as one to watch, his timelessly classic yet fresh sound has garnered him a broad range of influential fans from both sides of the Atlantic. The festival will once again be championing local talent by offering the opening slot of the main stage to the winner of the hotly contested Future Sound of Nottingham battle of the bands competition.
Across the park, multi-million selling megaband The Darkness will headline the Confetti stage along with The Fratellis, The Rifles, Stiff Little Fingers, Louis Berry, These Your Children and Eyre Llew.
Headlining the Acoustic Rooms stage will be British folk singer Will Varley, who has recently sold out The Bodega and supported Frank Turner at Rock City, followed by Brad Dear, Tom McCartney, Bru-C, Ellie Keegan, Josh Wheatley, Raphael Blake and Lowrie.
Over on the Funhouse Comedy stage, acts will include: John Ryan, Patrick Monahan, Ivan Brackenbury, El Baldiniho, Tom Binns, Vince Atta.
Formed in Sheffield in the late 1970s The Human League evolved into one of the seminal 80s electro pop bands. The band sold more than 20 million records and their classic pop masterpiece ‘Don’t You Want Me’ was a number one hit around the world.
Naming themselves after the unemployment benefit form, UB40 formed in 1978, before releasing their debut album ‘Signing Off’ in August 1980. It was the start of a career that has since seen the band have over forty UK Top 40 hit singles and achieve sales of over 100 million records. Led by Robin Campbell and Duncan Campbell on vocals, UB40 play Splendour for the first time following a sell-out show at Rock City in 2014.
British singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson is quickly making his mark on the music industry, as the first artist signed to Ed Sheeran’s record label, Gingerbread Man Records. In the whirlwind that followed, Jamie toured with Ed across the world and supported One Direction on their final full UK arena tour. His self-titled album reached #1 in the UK and has sold over a quarter of a million copies worldwide.
After a fantastic sell out show at Rock City in December, three-times Brit award winners The Darkness will be bringing some glam rock to the Confetti stage. Revellers can expect a high-energy set, full of remarkably catchy material, and unapologetic worship of old-school rock & roll including their classic “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”.
Scottish rockers The Fratellis will bring their turbo charged indie guitar tunes including top 10 hit singles "Chelsea Dagger" and "Whistle For The Choir".
2015 saw indie band The Rifles mark the ten year anniversary of their debut album ‘No Love Lost’ with four triumphant sold out Electric Ballroom shows in London and 2016 will see the release of their 5th album.
Punk rock stalwarts Stiff Little Fingers take to the stage before hotly tipped Liverpool-born singer-songwriter Louis Berry will take things in a soulful direction with his gritty rock 'n' roll with soul. Louis has won praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, John Kennedy at Radio X and Zane Lowe.
With a host of musical manna, futuristic stages and sublime entertainment already announced, you might think Bestival’s Future couldn’t be more dazzling, but you’d be wrong. Inflaming your future food affections, we are mouth-wateringly delighted to announce the pioneering culinary artists who will be serving up this year’s menu of appetising eats and treats at The Feast Collective.
Rob da Bank says: ““Ever since we started Bestival, making sure that all the food we offer is top notch has been really important to us, so I am really proud to be able welcome so many mouth-watering stalls to The Feast Collective. We’ve got amazing sea food, loads of amazing gluten-free choices, and flavours from right around the world, so make sure you dig in and enjoy!”
It might be The Future but you can forget all about 3D printed cheeseburgers or Major Tom’s protein pills and get stuck into a seductively scrumptious array of nutritious and delicious food from some of the finest purveyors of bonne bouche around, including this year’s Feast Collective hosts Le Rac Shack, who will be dishing out a proper melt down of a play list from cheesy classics to tunes that'll make you go gooey at the knees. Plus, we’ll have winners of the Best of the Best prize at the 2015 British Street Food Awards, Seadog; ‘real' Southeast Asian street dishes and food to inspire happier living from Makatcha, and the wrap-based goodness of rich, succulent meaty meat combined with fresh, vibrant and inspiring salads from The Cauldron.
Don’t miss out on The Chocolate Bear Kitchen’s gluten-free and inclusive dining menu, with thoughtful vegan, dairy-free and raw options. Indulge in Polar Pops’ 100% natural ice lollies, handmade in the UK from real fruit and vegetables with no added sugar, or become a shrimpster and explore the taste of the ocean in a brioche bun with Shrimpy.
You can also expect delectable heart-warming and good for the soul soup that will change your life from The Rattling Pan, the ultimate fried chicken sandwich from Butchies, the very best Mauritian street food flavours from Coco Labelle and inventive oriental fare from Ta Ta Eatery. And finally, be sure to visit The Best of Taste of the Wight Stall, who will be bringing a selection of the Island’s finest produce, from Krista’s Cold Pressed Juices to toasties made with local pesto and cheese.
Forward thinking food adventures in a field, The Feast Collective is the future of festival cuisine.
Creamfields isn’t holding back as they continue on their quest to deliver an all new Creamfields experience this year. 2016 sees the award winning dance fest unveil a ton of new and exciting additions to its format, with a heavy investment focused on a series of all new stage constructions and production concepts and their latest offering to get you excited – The Vault.
This brand new open air arena, designed exclusively for Creamfields features industrial grade production and world class SFX, with a stacked LED cube design and 360 layout the structure features over 52 tons of metal, 274 light fixtures, 50000w of audio and will take 17 arctic trucks to transport it.
This is just the latest in a series of new additions to its winning format and follows last months announcement where they revealed plans for their most ambitions production concept ever – The Steel Yard superstructure, the largest of its kind in Europe with a capacity of 20,000 and featuring newly developed automated technology plus the all new colossal Horizon Stage. And it doesn’t stop there as next week they announce more big names to the line up plus reveal the brand new Arc Stage which is guaranteed to take their second outdoor stage to the next level.
Ffor those who need a break away from the beats, check out the Creamfields Collective, a brand new experience that’s been curated, offering a jam packed itinerary of alternative entertainment and experiential pop ups for festival goers to immerse themselves including Bongos Bingo, Pamper Street, the Inflatable Church and performances from theShowhawk Duo and the New York Brass Band. For full line up and ticket info go to www.creamfields.com. #Creamfields2016 #RaiseTheGame
CREAMFIELDS UK 2016 – LINE UP
FRIDAY 26TH AUGUST
NORTH STAGE
Alesso
Knife Party
NERVO
KSHMR
STEEL YARD
Chase & Status (DJ Set)
Cirez D
Martin Solveig
Sigala
Lee Walker
Anthony Probyn
ARMADA
Armin van Buuren
Andrew Rayel
Ørjan Nilsen
MarLo
David Gravell
Khomha
Ruben De Ronde
PARADISE
Jamie Jones
The Martinez Brothers
Richy Ahmed
Denney
Robert James
Special Guest: Maya Jayne Coles
ANDY C PRESENTS RAM
Andy C
Wilkinson
High Contrast
Delta Heavy B2B Loadstar
Dub Phizix
Annix
North Base
Special Guests: Roni Size & Krust present Full Cycle
Sigma, Blonde, Anne-Marie and Imani join the Saturday line up and DJ Fresh, Becky Hill, The Tide and Club Drive join Day Two on the Sunday. They join Jason Derulo who headlines Day One, along with Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, Craig David, Sigala, Fleur East and Krept & Konan.Olly Murs will bring the two day event to a close alongside Busted, The Vamps, Nathan Sykes, Lawson, Ella Henderson and Jamie Lawson.
Also for the first time ever at Fusion Festival, Kopparberg is set to bring a taste of scandi-cool with the arrival of the popular Kopparberg Urban Forest! Two of Liverpool’s most popular breaking artists, Louis Berry and Mic Lowry will be taking to the stage, underneath the magical canopy of the forest. Kopparberg will be supporting the very best in creative and imaginative live music, by hosting a series of pioneering artists and DJs on its iconic Urban Forest stage.
The stage will be placed in a scenic clearing, surrounded by the intriguing beauty of the Swedish pine forest and the charm of Kopparberg town. Carved into the Kopparberg Urban Forest will be two woodland bars serving up all kinds of refreshment from the independent Kopparberg brewery in Sweden. Alongside its selection of delicious fruit ciders, Kopparberg will also be serving the brand new Kopparberg Fruit Lager.
Electric Fields, Scotland’s most exciting new music festival, is proud to announce that Fat White Family, Field Music, Honeyblood and Eliza & The Bearwill join the two day bill at 17th Century Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries & Galloway on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August.
“Electric Fields is all about bringing the best music to our audience in this incredible location,” says festival co-founder Nick Roberts. “We’re proud to welcome these amazing bands to the lineup. They each bring something unique and powerful to a bill that we think is the best for music lovers, and the best value, anywhere in the country this summer.”
Electric Fields also announces today that the second stage will be renamed The Stewart Cruickshank Stage in association with Tenement TV. Stewart, who sadly passed away late last year, was a champion of new music throughout his long career as a radio producer at the BBC and beyond.
“Stewart Cruickshank was a true Scottish music hero,” says Nick. “He was part of the fabric of music radio in Scotland and the UK for 35 years, giving a much-needed platform to new bands from Scotland and bringing us the best new music from wherever he could find it. With the blessing of his wife Lorraine, we’re proud to acknowledge his exceptional contribution to our musical heritage by naming our second stage in his honour.”
Fat White Family have built a formidable reputation for putting on the most uncompromising and anarchic live show in the world right now. Their unrelenting passion and commitment to their craft, bourne out on their 2013 debut album Champagne Holocaust and this year’s Songs For Our Mothers, has seen them thrill audiences across the globe in a way few other bands can challenge.
The smart money’s on Field Music being one of the highlights of Electric Fields 2016. Impossible to pigeon-hole, rooted in indie but branching out into all kinds of rarely-explored territory, the band’s sixth album Commontime is melodic but never obvious, lush but never overblown and spiky in all the right places. With an endorsement last year from Prince, no less, they are undoubtedly one of the most excitingly creative bands around right now and a perfect addition to this year’s lineup.
Honeyblood are no strangers to Electric Fields, having played a blinder at the festival in it’s first year in 2014. Drawing influences from The Breeders, PJ Harvey and Throwing Muses, they were hand-picked to support Foo Fighters at Murrayfield in Edinburgh last summer and are currently working on their eagerly anticipated second album.
The addictive chant from ‘Friends’ the opening track fro Eliza and the Bear’s self-titled album could have been written with Electric Fields in mind: “I got friends, I got family here.” It’s the calling card for a band who deliver festival-friendly, indie-pop anthems with a joyous inclusivity which lifts the spirit, even as it occasionally touches a melancholy nerve. We advise getting the album in advance – you don’t want to miss out on the inevitable sing-alongs they will inspire.
PLUS TODD TERJE LIVE BOOKA SHADE CHRONIXX & ZINCFACE REDEMPTION DIGITALISM MIIKE SNOW DONOVAN
A GUY CALLED GERALD / ANDHIM / B.TRAITS / CLAUDE VONSTROKE DERRICK CARTER / DOORLY / FORMAT:B / GENERAL LEVY / GREG WILSON JAUZ / JESSE ROSE / JUSTIN MARTIN / MARSHALL JERFERSON MR SCRUFF / RITON / SONNY FODERA / STANTON WARRIORS TC FEAT MC JAKES
BEARDYMAN FT MCS LEEN & SEROCEE / DUB PISTOLS EASY STAR ALL STARS / GENTLEMANS DUB CLUB & many more
COMEDY LINE UP: TOM STADE, ROB RUSE, FERN BRADY, JACK EVANS
