Bestival 2017 – THE GIANT REVIEW!

Thursday

Bestival. The summer finale. The big kahuna. Bestival has been my homecoming for the last twelve years and this is the first time I don’t have to catch a ferry to get there. No lies – it feels weird. There was something sort of magical about catching the ferry with everyone, the anticipation, the journey, knowing that you were really going on an adventure. The short drive from the motorways to The Lulworth Castle estate just isn’t the same. On the other hand, the hefty hiked Red Funnel ferry prices I certainly will not miss, nor the uncertainty of whether your entire party will actually make it onto said ferry (my brother missed it once due to an accidental detour round the M25 at rush hour. He didn’t make it onto the island for another twelve hours…).

Anyway, we’re here – the sun is trying to shine and we’ve just driven through a very castle-y looking gateway to get into the carparks. Now, first thing to mention – the carparks are at first thought, extremely pleasingly close to camping. Trussed up with all our camping gubbins we head through the bag and ticket check which isn’t too busy at this time in the morning, though the searches aren’t super through (maybe I just have an innocent face?) there are police and sniffer dogs quite clearly overseeing operations. In fact, we watch some scallywags being unceremoniously marched offsite whilst we queue.

Grabbing our wristbands, we head into the campsites in search of high ground in Rainbow Rave (we’ve checked the weather… no-one wants to be downhill…). After a quick set-up and drinks we head into the arena to see what’s what. To my utter dismay there seems to be only one route through the campsites into the main arena and it’s a valley, with a great stonking near vertical hill either side. My foreboding barometer is going wild… I know what this will look like in the rain.

As we traverse the site we pass Slow Motion which doesn’t look entirely set up yet, there are men still hammering things… a very sad looking tiny cousin of The Wishing Tree, and then we are into the main arena, greeted by The Lovebot and the two giant astronauts which flanked last years’ Space Port. It’s very weird seeing all this out of situ on the IOW. Taking in the site it’s considerably smaller and a lot more cramped in than Robin Hill, it’s also pretty damn hilly, with The Temple and Bollywood up at the top, presiding over everything.

We decide to tramp our way to The Castle in search of The Feast Collective for some late lunch and find it tucked away in a small field behind, alongside the kids and crafty area. It’s cute, but it’s pretty remote/removed from everything else. The Feast Collective itself is one of my favourite additions to Bestival’s lineup over the last few years, I mean the food is great all over site, but this is always something special. Today we hit up The Rac Shack for Poutine, which is absolutely epic (who doesn’t love chips, cheese and gravy?!) but there’s just so much on offer it was pretty hard to choose. The music is loud, the fairy lights and foliage give it atmosphere and everyone is chowing down on a world-tour of amazing food. You can wrap your chops around crispy duck Bao, buttermilk fried chicken, Indonesian street food, vegan maki rolls… we’re spoilt for choice. Another notable addition – plastic Bestival beer cups, much less drunk hazard and probably the cheapest souvenir on site.

After food we take a quick tour around, the main stage area isn’t open yet (and looks like it’s still being built) we take a quick peek over the site from the top of Oberon’s Observatory and then make a pit-stop at the Old Mout cider garden for a boogie. Our friend manages to split the ass of his jumpsuit during a dance-off, and proceeds to can-can with his pants hanging out. We do some karaoke, have a go at their tiny zip-line and join in a very ill-advised and danger-laden conga around their small stage. It’s a nice little area complete with swing seats and the most useless periscopes ever, but we’re in search of different feels so it’s onto a firm favourite of mine – Caravanseri. It’s a different layout, a little bigger, but with two distinct sections – the tent/bar area and the stage area. As the rain begins to pour we dart into the Carousel tent for a dance and shelter, here it most feels like we’ve returned. The twinkling lights, the DJ’s, the laughter coming from each little caravan pocket of seating, the glitz and glam of this otherworldly little circus. It’s hard to describe, to put into words… it feels like I’m made entirely of fibre-optics and being at Bestival again is lighting up all the pathways. There’s something about being surrounded by other people setting themselves free, embracing the moment as if nothing else exists. I mean, that’s the point of all this, surely.

Drunk on freedom and well… vodka, we set off for The Box (for Besti returners… the artist previously known as The Big Top) to catch a bit of ‘Oh My God! It’s The Church’ who are bonkers and brilliant. As instructed, we sinners crouch down low as the Reverand yells “The church has one last thing to tell you… I have to praise you!” before jumping about like loons on the drop of Fatboy Slim’s classic track.

We take a hike up the hill to check out The Temple – a beautiful neon beacon in the night, it’s all lasers and light with bass thumping heavy in our chests. After a brief (excuse the pun) encounter with a very friendly, ginger-bearded, shiny-hot-pants wearing Santa Claus and some pretty crap Kevin-and-Perry style raving, we flop down on beanbags in the shisha tent next door. It’s cosy and calm but all the drinks taste of chai no matter what you’ve ordered and the staff seem to be a little bit squiffy themselves.

Friday

…and so it pours. There was never going to be any escaping it this weekend, and luckily we packed accordingly. After fetching our friend who spent last night in her car just outside of Bestival due to arriving after the midnight curfew, we wait out the stormy morning weather in the tent, playing some very revealing drinking games and then head into the arena during a relatively dry break. It’s clear the valley between the campsites is already a problem, we stick to the sides but watch a number of people go down hard as it’s really slippy. One other thing we’ve noted so far is that there seem to be really few toilets around in the campsite, and they don’t seem to be being cleaned or emptied as regularly. A shame considering decent loos were something Bestival has been known for over the years.

We catch a little of Sinkane’s set in The Box, it’s a pretty decent crowd and he has an incredible voice, the jazzy, disco sound is just right to blow away the blues of a wet afternoon. Over at Old Mout we witness the greatest Karaoke ever – a guy who knows every single word of Men At Work’s ‘Land Down Under’ wins himself a tambourine, and the admiration of all who heard, and then the crew of Coppafeel proposition us for photos posed with a giant wearable boob, and tell our friend how to check his pecs.

Over on the main stage Dub Pistols are bashing out the electric feels and looking way too cool to be there, but next up we have Bestival legends (and my personal heroes) The Cuban Brothers. Throwing shapes on stage we have Archerio and Kenny (the bastard) alongside Juan Erection who busts big flares and flips, whilst Miguel tell us all about his #sexyfavours. I’m sure its incomprehensibly weird to anyone new to the Cubans but you learn to just roll with it, promise. After a quick costume change into their signature fringed lycra, Miguel apologises for Arch “…it’s a big guy in a gold suit with a tiny penis… it’s like a shittily wrapped christmas present…we’re giving to you” before Arch drops freezes and Kengo performs insane head-spins. Despite the expected de-pantsing of Miguel and the frighteningly small Swan pouch pants, the Cubans are never not entertaining. You know, in a nightmare-inducing way.

Soul II Soul bust late 80’s hit ‘Back To Life’ and we are instantly transported into nostalgia, they are every bit as vocally strong as they ever were and it’s clear that despite the iffy weather, the crowd are absolutely loving every second of it. Over at the Bramble FM Roadshow (a tiny caravan stage behind the castle) a comedian is making terrible historical jokes about Cholera, so we catch some of Ray BLK’s incredible vocals on the main stage, ‘Doing Me’ and ‘Chill Out’ are just awesome to hear live, it’s beautiful and serene. Over in The Box, Romare is all big visuals and mixed up beats. From the same label as Mr. Scruff (also playing this weekend) it’s a stay-n-sway chilled set, and everyone in the tent is moving.

Closing the main stage tonight are English indie-rockers The XX, with an incredible, forceful yet intimate set replete with hits old and new. Check out our full review HERE!

After the high of The XX we’re not ready to finish the night there, so head into Caravanserai to catch some acts at Cirque Bijou, and we are beyond impressed by the extremely talented @_thathoopgirl who even managed to spin her LED lit hoops ON HER TONGUE. We also loved the slackline twins and Slightly Dubious Science, despite the bubble failures. Heading into The Ambient Forest for a roam we quickly deduce that this is a considerably smaller space than Robin Hill, with about as many people trying to get through it. There are some trails with serious drop-offs, not a single security guard in sight (other than at the entrance) and nowhere near enough lights on paths to be safe. It’s a long chalk from the beautiful and eerie forest we knew at the previous site. I did love the cosy fire-tent at the top, and there were some hilarious attempts at umbrella limbo in The Frozen Mole, but to be honest it didn’t really work overall. It felt really separate to everything else, where the previous Ambient Forest was full of pathways to other areas and an adventure in finding secret happenings.

Over in Club Dada, we catch the New York Brass Band (who are actually from North Yorkshire… go figure) in an extremely sweaty but friendly tent, under the soft light from strings of old lampshades. They play amazing big band covers like Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ and Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’, with the entire crowd singing along. We join in for Bob Marley cover ‘One Love’ and Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ but head for the sides when they drop into the rowdy LMFAO ‘Party Rock Anthem’. One of my favourite things about Bestival is all of these individual pockets of joy all over the site.

Saturday

Well things overnight have improved a little – it’s actually verging on sunny so we’re donning our best sparkly outfits today. After a cracking breakfast of avo-on-toast from The Breakfast Club and a couple of cans of G&T (I don’t care how hipster that sounds, it was glorious) we’re heading into the arena. Witness The Fitness is giving yoga-bods their daily dose of zen, there’s glitter in the air and the true colours of Bestival are showing in everyone’s fabulous outfits.

Over on the main stage, UK rapper Nadia Rose is cute but fierce in her pink shellsuit jacket spitting ‘Skwod’ to a bouncing crowd but we’re charging The Box for Disney Rascal. Dressed in an eclectic mix of costumes from Disney movies the band play ska/pop punk covers of all our favourites. There’s ‘The Bare Necessities’ and ‘Kiss The Girl’ but the mashups are the real stroke of genius; Queen’s ‘I Want To Break Free’ flows seamlessly into ‘Hakuna Matata’ whilst Bob Marley’s ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ becomes Toy Story’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’. As if that all isn’t Disney enough for you, the show is halted so that guitarist Peter Pan (aka Chris) can propose on stage to his girlfriend, who is dressed as Absolom from Alice in Wonderland. It’s surreal and adorable. We loved you Disney Rascal, please return!

Just as we decided to head out in search of food, the heavens opened with the biggest downpour of the weekend yet, and the realisation that we’ve all opted for trainers instead of wellies, sets in. Arse.

Luckily for us a second exceptional cover band is up next – The Smiths Ltd. with a very realistic (though definitely less politically sassy) Morrissey frontman. The entire tent is singing at the top of their voices for ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ and honestly, it’s a pretty damn good replacement for those of us that never got to see The Smiths themselves. Bonus points for not having to listen to Morrissey whine about the world mid-set too. Oh and I have to give special mention to the dude in the crowd wearing the ‘Rizla Fedora’ – you sir are a king among men. For everyone who didn’t encounter this top cat, he had glued packets of rizla and filters to his hat in a help-yourself buffet of cigarette rolling genius.

With a small break in the rain, we traipse through the pooled mud and grab ourselves some stomach-warming Katsu curry and then watch a strange pop-up mariachi band on the stage underneath the Astronaut rainbow, who play covers of Five’s ‘Keep On Moving’ and The Spice Girls’ ‘Spice Up Your Life’. It’s bonkers and brilliant. At this point it’s becoming clear we’ll have to trek back to the tents for wellies due to the increasing danger the arena is posing underfoot, and as expected – the valley between campsites has become deadly slick and there aren’t really any other options for getting up or down it safely. It also takes an incredibly long-time to get back to the tents which is a shame because it means missing even more. Here’s hoping next year a second entrance to the main arena can be organised, cause death valley is not my idea of fun festival times.

After some fortifying beers and more appropriate footwear, we are back in the arena for Rag ‘N’ Bone Man. Towering over everyone else on stage, Rory Graham (aka Rag ‘N’ Bone Man) strides on with confidence, wearing a red and black varsity jacket. Starting off with ‘Wolves’ and letting us know “I feel very lucky to stand in front of you beautiful people and play today”, the crowd is already absolutely taken with his flawless vocals. Bowling through old and new hits, Graham jokes “That was a song about people with big heads and big egos… I dedicate it to Donald Trump… the orange prick” to much laughter and clapping across the arena. ‘Human’ and ‘Hell Yeah’ just top off a stunning set, marred only slightly by the crappy weather.

With the cooler temperatures and intermittent downpours, The Feast Collective is ram-jammed with bodies but we manage to commandeer some table space for dinner (I chose a Prawn/Chips/Samphire box of joy from Shrimpy’s – amazing) but no sooner than we had finished, security guards were clearing the tent due to a ‘health and safety issue’. Talking to the Bestival team we discovered it was a national grid issue – it seems the weather is a pain in the arse for everyone this weekend!

Over at The Port (which is considerably smaller and a bit sad compared to it’s original conception) Fatman Scoop and Jaguar Skills are delivering beats and laughs, but we’re back at the Castle stage for Dizzee Rascal. The much needed injection of energy coming from Dizzee helps us forget the dire weather for a while and we get down to ‘Dance Wiv Me’ like it’s 2008. Dizzee shouts out to the dude dressed as Batman and busts out the one we’ve been waiting for: ‘Bonkers’, and it is just that. The arena erupts in a muddy, bouncy, frantic mess. Which is precisely the kind of release everyone seems to have needed today. Yelling into his custom yellow mic “Put two fingers in the air and shout peace!” Dizzee notes that there’s a “…lot of bollocks going on the world right now but we all came together.” to a huge roar from the crowd who’ve battled death valley to be there.

Unfortunately due to rain and the state of the arena, there’s no safe way for the night parade to, well, parade. It’s a sort of sad little gathering in front of the castle, until the Portsmouth Batala Band get on the case with their rolling drums. It’s a shame the parade couldn’t have marched around the castle walls, away from the mud – it would have looked amazing.

Back on the main stage we are ready for A Tribe Called Quest’s final ever show. Following the death of bandmate Phife Dawg last year, this show is above all else a tribute act and a way to say goodbye. Despite a dodgy start the show goes on to be one of Bestival 2017’s highlights, and to be there, to be part of the history; amazing. Read our full ATCQ review HERE!

Embarking on the grueling walk back to the campsite we see an unfortunate person with what looks like a dislocated knee being attended to, and I can’t help thinking that the weather gods really have decided to smite this new site. On the other hand, we also watch a girl ride an inflatable unicorn down death valley with wild abandon, so it’s obviously not too awful for some!

Sunday

After a hairy night of holding onto the sides of the tent in fear of ending up in Kansas, we pop our heads out to see that the campsite is looking decidedly emptier. It seems a lot of people have packed up this morning/been forced to evacuate wind-trashed abodes. Robin Hill campsites were blessed with the shelter of the valley and cliffside but here we are open to the elements and it shows, there are broken tent-poles and piles of scrapped polyester strewn around the place. Another bugbear for this new site/year is the toilets don’t seem to have been cleaned or emptied at all this morning, they are very full, stinky and gross – not something we’re used to experiencing at Bestival to be honest.

After hiding out for most of the morning, trying to muster up the courage to brave the walk in, we top up with all the booze we don’t want to carry home tomorrow and head to The Box for a little warmth with Weymouth Ukeleleans who are dressed in Hawaiian shirts and playing T Rex’s ‘We Love To Boogie’. It’s a bit of a culture shock to be honest.

At The Port we catch a gospel choir singing Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ to a meagre and beleaguered crowd (well, except for that stag party down the front who are clearly already half cut and loving it), and over near The Feast Collective we get in on a small bluegrass band playing washboards and roping in audience members for percussion.

On the main stage L.A. Salami is part spoken word, part soft lounge jazz. He has a fantastic voice and it’s a shame the crowd is so sparse, the arena is a picture of devastation with churned up channels of mud knee deep. The area near the corner toilets looks like the bog of eternal stench, and if you get too close, smells like it too.

Too many T’s are drafted in to fill another spot and joke about the “The great British summertime” as the wind picks up again. In a perfect twist of fate, three songs in to their set after declaring “We’re gonna do our debut album, it comes out on Friday… front to back, in it’s entirety” the show is halted due to rising winds and some dangerously flappy stage-side screens. It’s 1.20pm and the winds are driving in hard. We get word that the Ambient Forest has also been closed for safety, and within half an hour the call goes up for the arena to be evacuated entirely. By 5pm the screens have been strapped down, most of the site has been bathed in hay and we’re back on track, but by now it seems the damage has mostly already been done.

The information about the arena being back open went out via the app and Bestival social media… only one problem… how many people still have charged phones, data, or signal left on Sunday afternoon of a festival? We also heard reports of some security staff telling people that the whole thing was closed and the arena wouldn’t be re-opening, prompting many to give up and leave early, I suppose with the high risk of drink driving – had they spent the morning in full festival mode.

On the main stage a po-faced Loyle Carner calls out “I’m really sorry I can’t play this show… but I can do you one poem if you want?” before playing to the meagre 20 or so people who actually made it back out. Luckily people begin to filter back in and a couple of acro-yoga performers get entertaining in the mud, even roping in a security guard for a go. They’ve gathered a pretty massive crowd and are epitomising the true spirit of Bestival – no fucks given. It’s awesome.

Circa Waves up next and they’re just what the doctor ordered. The wind has died down and the sound is cracking, calling out “…this the last song of our festival season… thank you for coming to see us…” they are lifting the spirits of the growing crowd, now a sea of mud, glitter and laughter. There are also rumours that Simon from The Inbetweeners is running around in the mud naked, as they’re filming for ‘The Festival’ here this weekend. I can only imagine the terrible, perfect portrayal of British festivals that will be…

Up next with a last minute fill in for the absent Justice, are masters of the electro – Soulwax, and OH MY WORD their set is infuckingcredible. 3 giant metallic boxes house 3 drummers, playing all manner of weird and wonderful toms and cymbals, the beats are so strong it feels like the ground is shaking beneath us. The whole crew are decked out in bright white lab coats which are pulsing bright under the flashing strobes, and a spinning silver cyborg head on a mic stand at the front flashes like a disco ball.

Pushing and prodding at giant NASA-esque synths, Soulwax seem as lost in the moment as we are, but there’s time enough for them to joke “…to be here, on this stage… because Justice didn’t turn up… we turned up in the rain with our studio…” before dropping ‘NY Excuse’. It sounds like a wry dig at Justice and we wonder if they know something we don’t about the bands’ absence this weekend. As a giant version of the android head rises from the back of the stage and spins in tandem with the small one, the beats continue to ramp up to a point where every single body in the now fuller arena is going all out mental, this is hands down the best show of the entire weekend and I can’t believe so many people are missing it. It’s a travesty!

Yes it’s cold tonight, but the wind has died down and the rain has thankfully abated in time for the almost-didn’t-happen finale of the Pet Shop Boys. With an amazing laser-filled extravaganza absolutely saves the day with a proper, justified ending to the festival, instead of the wash-out it certainly could have been. Check out our full Pet Shop Boys review HERE!

Turning around to watch the fireworks show go off from the top of Lulworth Castle, we hug each other and say our goodbyes to the summer (hah), it’s a perfect moment only spoiled by the knowledge that we have to make the trip back to the tents once more. We take one last detour to Anna-Mae’s Mac N Cheese, passing The Temple and The Port which are both still going heavy with the remainder of the Bestival 2017 survivors. The campsite is a tent graveyard, broken poles like the bones of destroyed carcasses stick into the sky and we all duck as a loose pop-up whirls past our heads, escaping into the night sky. The toilets still haven’t been cleaned and seem to be taking on a presence of their own, a la Foul Ole Ron. If you know, you know.

However bad it is, I know that moving this festival was a crazy feat, there are teething problems here for sure, but the feel… the spirit of Bestival is still alive. Tomorrow I will rejoice in clean toilets, sinks with running water and a bed that I didn’t have to inflate, but the Bestival blues will hit just as hard after that, as any other year. I love you, you weird wonderful place.

The tragic news of the death of Louella Michie doesn’t hit the papers until Monday, and leaves extreme sadness – she was just someone who was there, like us, for freedom and fun. Bestival had all the measures in place that they should have, but it’s hard to deny that UK drug culture has been on the rise again in the last few years. It’s a tragic and sobering end to what was a rocky, but great first year for Bestival in it’s new home.

 

All photographs © A. McHardy for SFG – Do not use without permission

Pet Shop Boys close Bestival 2017 – The show that nearly didn’t go on!

It’s day three of Bestival and though the rain hasn’t hit has hard today, the wind has managed to savage the site to the point of an arena-wide closure. However in true rockstar form the stage screens have been lowered, strapped in and everything is back up and running in under an hour, and we’re on track for the grand finale headliner: Pet Shop Boys.

The only problem is, since the arena was closed for that time, a lot of people seem to have taken it as red that the festival has been stopped entirely. As more than a few Facebook posts to the Bestival page suggest – some security staff seem to have actually been telling punters this was the case, and it seems that an awful lot of people have packed up and gone home. The announcement that the arena would re-open was communicated through Bestival social media and the app, but I can’t help but feel that wasn’t really going to work – how many people still have their phones charged, or indeed any signal (the site is notoriously pants for those on EE) by Sunday evening of a four day festival? At any rate it’s more than clear that the crowd that has made it’s way back in through the mud, is considerably thinner on the ground than the previous two nights.

Nevertheless, the night draws in and the stage is set with two giant white discs side by side, which slowly rotate (think, secret bookcase doorway in a spy movie) to reveal Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe in their tinfoil helmets, to ‘Inner Sanctum’ from last years’ release ‘Super’. No really, there’s a very aliens-might-steal-my-thoughts look about them. Given the earlier high winds, we might have expected the sound to suffer a little bit tonight but it’s crystal clear and exactly as electro-dance-party as we’d hoped. Classic hit ‘Opportunities’ comes complete with visuals of money and a heck-tonne of lasers. In the midst of the crowd a very happy man atop his friends shoulders, is making it rain with a giant bag of neon glowsticks, if anyone knows him – please thank Glowstick-King for his kindness!

“A little mid eighties electro for you Bestival!” yells Tennant, whilst the backdrop displays a bright fuchsia ring reminiscent of the kind Samara climbs out of before she kills you for watching that videotape. Giant disco ball visuals replace that for ‘New York City Boy’ and Tennant does a quick change into a sparkly holographic silver jacket for ‘Inside A Dream’, the network of lasers across the sky is incredible, turning through purples and oranges in a panel that looks like an electric sunset. ‘West End Girls’ has the arena singing along and ‘Home and Dry’ brings a softer side to the rave.

With a giant moon visual rising at the back of the stage, and the actual moon hanging in the night sky off to the side, Pet Shop Boys really push the colour theme with rainbow lighting blanketed on everything – including Lulworth Castle behind us. Yelling “Bestival, thank you! You’re fabulous!” the guys are off into ‘It’s a Sin’ and “Heres’s an old song…” hit ‘Go West’ (which is actually one of my least liked from PSB, but hey, if they didn’t play it… anarchy) as giant rainbow spheres are dropped from somewhere unknown in the ceiling of the stage.

Finishing up with ‘Domino Dancing’ and their cover of Elvis song ‘Always On My Mind’ before we turn around for the firework show. Pet Shop Boys have delivered a cracking finale to what could have been a sad early ending for this festival, it was the much needed final boost of energy and positivity we needed.

It’s definitely weird not watching the fireworks, and the neon night parade from the side at Robin Hill, but I have to say – it’s pretty impressive to see Lulworth Castle bathed in rainbows and light. As always, we as a group are standing in a cuddle (because we’re cute… but also it’s absolutely Baltic out here) saying goodbye to another great, but eventful year at Bestival.

All photographs © A. McHardy – Do not use without permission

Bestival Announces Second Wave of Acts

Setting the tone in our Year of Colour, we are excited to announce even more amazing artists who will be joining The xx, A Tribe Called Quest, Pet Shop Boys, Jamie T, Kurupt FM, Justice, Dizzee Rascal and many more as we redefine escapism for the festival generation. With a host of live music, super fat sound systems and DJs heading to our brand new site, join us as we increase the peace this 7th – 10th September at the Lulworth Estate, Dorset.

Rob da Bank says: “Bestival’s formula is pretty simple – we like you guys having fun, exploring new ideas and listening to amazing bands and DJs in a massive field or forest or both at the same time whilst dressed as a multi-coloured gherkin. If you like the sound of that you’re on board already, but if you need any more persuasion, we are proud to announce some mega new acts for Besti, repping the best in grime with Wiley, AJ Tracey and 67, through indie and rock with Blossoms and Twin Atlantic, all topped off with some good old fashioned rave with DJs from Heidi to Bjarki, Monki to the Ragga Twins and a massive garage takeover. Step up people, step the **** up!”

The Lulworth Estate will be rocking to even more amazing live music from the likes of grime godfather Wiley, indie powerhouse Blossoms, slick rhymer Loyle Carner, UK hip-hop hero Roots Manuva, Scottish rockers Twin Atlantic, folk troubadour Nick Mulvey, grime MC AJ Tracey, legendary hype man Fatman Scoop, Ninja Tune cut n paste maverick Romare and funk machine Sinkane. Plus, there will be appearances Tash Sultana, Alma, Cakes da Killa, 67, House Gospel Choir, London African Gospel Choir performing Graceland, Skinny Girl Diet, Smerz, Brushy One String, Hackney Colliery Band, The Greasy Slicks, Park Hotel, The Rhythm Method, Zoee, The Smiths Ltd, Disney Rascal, and the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band. 

We’ll have plenty of new sound system action keeping the floors lit all weekend long, with celebratory behaviour from Andy C presenting 25 years of RAM featuring Andy C, Calyx & Teebee, Culture Shock, DC Breaks and MCs Tonn Piper, and Carasel & 2Shy. Bestival lifetime resident David Rodigan presents Ram Jam with Preditah, Conducta & MC Creed, Venum Sound and a very special guest still to be announced. And there will be footwork frenzy for the Teklife Showcase with sets from DJ Spinn, DJ Taye, DJ Paypal & Teklife Dancers.

The Garage Pool Party will be rinsing some classic beats with garage playas Heartless Crew, DJ Luck & MC Neat and Oxide & Neutrino all dropping enough two-step love to keep HMS Bestival rocking. Ensuring the subs are red hot right across the site we’ll have turntable tear ups from the Raindance crew featuring Rat Pack, Slipmatt, Billy Daniel Bunter and Uncle Dugs, Jungle Fever, with Brockie & MC Det, Jumping Jack Frost, Ragga Twins, Funky Flirt, Shockin B, Eastman Sound, and Ruddy Ranks and Nice Up! presents Daddy G, Kiko Bun, StarOne, Riddim Punks, Ghost Writerz, Shepdog, Serocee, Red Eye Hifi, Mr Benn, Cut La Vis, Jamie Rodigan, Origin One & AAA Badboy.

 

And as if that weren’t enough, there will be even more deck-based brilliance from Mad Professor, Heidi, Bjarki, Monki, Melé, Nightwave, Willow, Anna Wall, Jem Haynes, Reggae Roast & MC Natty Campbell, Tayo, Martha and DJ Dapper Dan.

Bestival announces all three headliners and the theme for 2017!

It’s a brand-new era, so prepare for the truly immersive experience of Bestival 2017. Announcing four incredible headliners and a huge bill of amazing music, we are entering a new chapter of light and sound, exploring the wonders of Colour on our mission to increase the peace this 7th – 10th September at the Lulworth Estate, Dorset.

Rob da Bank says: “Well what an adventure this promises to be… we have a beautiful new home with a massive castle in the middle of it, acres of beautiful woodland and forest, a sea view and the dramatic Jurassic coastline. Going back to our roots with Josie da Bank’s hand-drawn artwork, reviving all our favourite stages from 14 years of Bestival history and going out with all our headliners for the first time ever together, we’re pretty excited at Bestival HQ. From pop to grime, hip-hop to techno, folk to classical and every style in between we are reclaiming our place as the funnest, most adventurous, musically savvy and downright magical festival on the map. Please come along for the ride. and remember Increase the Peace”

We are honoured to say that The xx will be the first ever Castle Stage headliners at Bestival! Never anything less than breath-taking, we can’t think of a more fitting band to get the main stage action underway in our new home.

Commenting on their headline performance, The xx said: “Bestival was one of the first festivals we played, back in 2010, and it had always been a dream for us…we even begged to play the previous year. In 2012 we returned to play the main stage and we’re so happy to say we’ll be headlining this year, at the new site in Dorset. The Isle of Wight will hold a special place in our hearts but we’re excited to bring our new show to their new home”.

Guaranteed to be momentous, we are extremely excited indeed to announce that hip-hop heroes A Tribe Called Quest will headline Saturday at Bestival 2017, performing what will be their last UK Show.

Bringing our debut mainland Bestival to a suitably triumphant close, we are completely over the moon to announce synth-pop geniuses Pet Shop Boys as our Sunday night headliners. Quite simply legends, we think they’re the perfect band to bring some mind-blowing colour to our first Lulworth Estate finale!

Commenting on their headline show, Pet Shop Boys said: “Amazingly it is over ten years since we last played Bestival but we remember it being one of the most enjoyable festivals ever. Looking forward to bringing our new show there this year – and seeing how the audience has decided to dress up!”

And completing 2017’s fantastic foursome of first-time headliners we are delighted to announce Wimbledon’s finest, Jamie T will be the man kicking it all off with an exclusive performance topping the Thursday night bill on our second stage, The Box.

We’ll also have mind-blowing live music from super suave Gallic funksters Justice, plus, Dizzee Rascal, DJ Shadow, Little Dragon, Danny Brown, Rag’n’Bone Man, Laura Mvula, Soul II Soul, MNEK, Circa Waves, Ray BLK, Lucy Rose, and Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon among many, many others.

And there will be DJ sets from Annie Mac, Andy C presents 25 Years of RAM, Kurupt FM, David Rodigan presents RAM JAM, DJ Yoda, Maceo Plex, Jackmaster, Kölsch, Dusky, Toddla T presents Carnival, Artwork presents Art’s House, Sink the Pink and loads more to boot. Check the line-up so far listing at the end of this press release for even more names playing across the weekend. 

Redrawing our favourite party in the spirit of its original pioneering vision, Bestival’s creative essence will explode before your very eyes with a cavalcade of brilliant new stages, incredible destinations and stone cold classics, including our brand new main stage The Castle Stage, the eclectic wonders of The Box, the hands in the air nirvana of Temple, Bestival’s heart and soul, Bollywood, and the righteous vibrations of Reggae Roots.

Back by very popular demand HMS Bestival is the last word in off the hook partying, plus you can dance like there’s no tomorrow in new venues The Frozen Mole and Stacey’s, delve into the vintage madness of Caravanserai, and Club DaDa, and kick back in the enchanting Ambient Forest, and at our steam punk vision, Oberon’s Observatory. 

Bestival 2017 is a whole new world to explore and to keep you on your toes we’ll also have the dazzling delights of The World's Biggest Confetti Canon, Castle Fireworks Finale, the Love-Bot, The World's Biggest Bouncy Castle, Bestival Inflatable Church, Confetti Wedding Disco, The Feast Collective, Slow Motion, Revolution Rides, Carnival Day Parade and Night Parades, the Sugar Skulls Cocktail Bus, Sunday Best Cardboard Record Shop, Lost in the Woods, Ancient Woodlands, Free Haircuts, Campsite Recycling Hubs, Kids’ Field and for all you vexillophiles out there, Flags by Angus Watt.

 

Exit Festival 2014 Review

Voted the ‘Best Major European Festival Award’ in 2013, we had massive expectations for Exit and now come the end of the weekend, we can tell you that our expectations where well exceeded.

With one of the biggest festival lineup’s in Europe, Exit’s headliners this year included Damon Albarn, Skrillex, Pet Shop Boys and more.

Unlike many other festivals, Exit starts off in the evening around 7 – 8pm and goes through to the early hours of 6am.

As we mentioned in our previous review, Pet Shop Boys kicked off Thursday evening in spectacular fashion, if not to the biggest crowd, but to an appreciative crowd, leaving us to ponder what the rest of the weekend would have in store for the Summer Festival Guide crew.

Disclosure also took on the revamped Dance Arena and were billed to bring their live show to the Novi Sad Castle.  However a last minute press release stated that the production duo could not do their full live show however their Wild Life themed night would go on.  Getting on the one’s and two’s Disclosure had packed out the amazing Dance Arena at Exit.  This is one of the most exciting and spine tingling arena’s at Exit due to its awesome layout and setup and it made for a perfect setting for Disclosure.  Hits such as ‘White Noise’ and ‘Latch’ had the crowd singing their hearts out but it was the end of the set with surprise hits Chic’s Le Freak’ and Outkast’s ‘Miss Jackson’ that really topped off the night.

Exit Festival wasn’t blessed with the best weather this year and it didn’t matter one bit as the crowd didnt really care and still enjoyed Exit to the fullest.  It almost resembled a typical Glastonbury!

Rudimental have featured heavily on the festival circuit this year and after a cancellation at the 2013 edition they more than made up for it at the Friday night slot.  Bringing raw energy and drawing a massive crowd to the Main Stage, the UK band smashed out hits from their “Home” album including “Waiting All Night”, “Free”, and “Not Giving In”.  Serbia was definitely treated to what we picked as one of the best live shows weekend and it really did lift the bar for what we expected by the other artists this weekend.

One of Exit’s biggest draw cards is their Back to Back sets and this year we were treated to some of the best B2B combinations we have ever witnessed.  Carl Cox & Danny Tenaglia joined forces on Friday to bring their house & techno vibe to Novi Sad.  Both Carl and Danny are legends in the electronic music scene and it was an immense pleasure to see them playing together.  As the sun set on the Dance Arena the lads had the crowd grooving from start to finish.

Other notable B2B sets that we managed to catch were Afrojack & Quintino, their high energy electro house set in the early hours of the morning keep the crowd going right up until the end.  Exit regular Green Velvet joined forces with Carl Craig to deliver a house and techno infused set pleasing those that like the harder side of electronic music.

The biggest drawcard for Exit this weekend had to be ex Blur frontman and Gorillaz head honcho Damon Albarn.  Being his first trip to Serbia, Albarn treated the packed out Main Stage crowd with tracks through his back catalogue as well as tracks from his critically acclaimed “Everyday Robots”.  Kicking off with his the chilled out “Lonely Press Play” and “Everyday Robots”, it didn’t take long before he had the crowd singing along to Gorillaz tracks “Kids with Guns” and Blur’s “All Your Life”.  However the biggest tune of his set had to be “Clint Eastwood”, Albarn really seemed to enjoy his time on the stage at Exit and his performance was one of the highlights of the weekend.

Another massive name on the festival circuit is Sonny Moore, better known by his stage name SkrillexSkrillex arrives slightly late to the party and already has the main stage packed out waiting to see this grammy award winning artist.  If you haven’t seen this guy live then you don’t know what your missing.  Not only is the guy like an energiser bunny on stage, but his stage presence is like no other DJ.  You would not know that its 2am when Skrillex comes on as the energy around the main stage drives you to keep moving and dancing.  Kicking off with “Try it Out”, Skrillex is already bouncing around behind the decks and instantly has the crowd moshing and going crazy.  His mixing is fast and his set is powerful and energetic and by the end of the set we are soaked with sweat.  Talking to a few people on the crowd after his set, you can tell that Skrillex delivered exactly what they came here to see.

Sunday sees the likes of Hurts, Suede and Pretty Lights take on the main stage as well as the return of Deep Dish and Jaymo vs Andy George in the Dance Arena.

Hurts kick off our night in the Main Stage and play to a packed out crowd.  This English synth pop duo have the entire crowd sing through the majority of their set with standout hits “Mercy”, “Wonderful Life”, “Excile” and encore “Better Than Love”.

We managed to catch up with grammy nominated producer Pretty Lights in London prior to his Exit performance and we made sure that we caught him on the Main Stage in his early morning slot.  Pretty Lights genre infused music is something fresh and pleasing to listen to over the huge sound rig and he rightly has a massive crowd on hand to enjoy it.

Deep Dish reformed this year after a hiatus to bring their house music to Novi Sad.  Playing in the Dance Arena they played massive set full of huge drops and fat baselines to those that ventured to see them perform.  It was great to see these guys back together as their productions were hugely popular back in the day.

Exit Festival has come a long way since its inception back in 2000 and now see’s over 200,000 people go through the gates each year.

As we walk around the festival we are gutted that its almost about to be over, the weekend has flown by and Exit has captivated us, the crowd have been amazing and the lineup even better.  It was our first Exit experience and it definitely will not be our last.  If there is one European festival that you need to experience in your lifetime then Exit should be at the top of your list.  See you in 2015!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exit Festival Day One 10th July Review

Any Brits who were hoping the fact they had come to a European festival meant they would escape the incessant rain that sometimes besets those based in the UK had their dreams dramatically shattered as lighting began to strike above the Petrovaradin fortress a few hours before EXIT’s main gates opened. Festival go-oers went wet t-shirted to and fro between the ticket office outside the entrance and the EXIT VILLAGE campsite in a small park nestled between a busy main road and towering suburban apartment blocks. Residents looked out over their balconies possibly bemused as tents sprung up forming a carpet of synthetic canvass.

The reason for the move away from the traditional campsite on the banks of the Danube are unsure, possibly due to excess mess or lack of space in previous years, or perhaps the risk of flooding from the river (the organisers may have somehow predicted the weather). To me it seemed strange to encourage an overflow of tourists closer to the city center, especially as EXIT’s programme goes on late into the evening (the last DJ set starts at 6.30am), meaning there is a steady stream of people making there way back through the city (possibly merry) well into the morning. But then again this may be to bring more money into the city itself and provide campers with more facilities closer to hand, as the campsite is situated next to a mall with cafés, shops, restaurants, a swimming pool and a supermarket, as well as having a small street of food vendors inside the EXIT VILLAGE itself.

The walk takes about 40 mins but only a 10 to 15 minute bus ride, and for those on a western European budget there were representatives selling fairly cheap weekly bus passes for around 6 Euros at the train station and the campsite. Although the buses tail off around 1am there is a steady flow of taxis after this surrounding the venue which cost around 500 dinar (about 4 euros) for a ride back to the camp.

Fortunately the deluge was short lived and clouds cleared as people began to stream through the gates past the rather heavily armed Serbian security to the sight of a glorious sunset over the city of Novi Sad.

The show was kicked off on the main stage with some smooth reggae from Hornsman Coyote which the gathering crowd seemed to enjoy, followed by the Energy Opening by Balkanopolis. Their set consisted of an engaging performance from Renaiszance who played their single “ I Will Rise” accompanied rather effectively with visuals taken from the graphic novel The Inventor: The Story of Tesla based on the life of famous Serbian inventor NikolaTesla, as well as an uplifting act of semi traditional Serbian music using a variety instruments including a form of local bagpipes made out of the body of the goat. The crowd began to dance around the rather deep puddle that had formed treacherously close to the main stage as the finale including aerial silks came to a close.

When it was finally dark it was the turn of Belgian music maestro Stromae to take to the stage in an arresting and pitch perfect performance that had the Serbian and European crowd singing along in French with gusto.

Stromae used all of his charisma as well as beautifully paletted video backdrops to get the audience below him to raise their hands in the air and bounce around without ever having to request it. He was a fascinating performer to watch live with his cartoon like facial expressions and physical flourishes while managing somehow to make a school boy style of long shorts, socks and cardigans look cool.

This was arguably the busiest point of the evening and as The Pet Shop Boys prepared to take to the stage the crowd thinned out to a more chilled out volume while they strutted and sang through modern classics as well as new mixes. Neil Tenant sported a fascinating variety of head wear including the infamous Disco ball and a post modern metal mask in the shape of the cow’s head, which was complimented by the cow skulls and wigs that both the  live and pre recorded backing dancers sported to creepy effect. As the night progressed and came to a close people spread out to the various other smaller stages dotted around the venue to sip beer and smoke cigarettes while lying in hammocks. The genre of music was varied so that there was something to be found for everyone, and despite being the first night of a major festival the atmosphere was relaxed and happy, the most common sight to be seen was people dancing and smiling with their eyes close, whether that be Dub by Dimension, Heavy metal, or Flamenco dancers at the Latino Stage. EXIT festival had officially begun.

 

 

Pet Shop Boys to open up Exit Festival 2014

The opening ceremony of the 15th edition of the best European festival, will be held by the Pet Shop Boys who are coming to EXIT’s Main Stage with an exquisite blend of unique stage set, lasers, extraordinary costume changes, original dance choreography and a plethora of hits.

The prodigious pop duo Pet Shop Boys, with over 50 million records sold, are entrenched in the Guinness book of records as the most successful duo in the history of British music. Their colossal career entails 12 studio albums, six Grammy nominations, over 20 music awards three of which are sacred Brit awards. Their stunning hits “It's a Sin", “West End Girls”, “Heart”, "Paninaro", "Domino Dancing" and "Se A Vida E" influenced a host of generations of music fans and gave pop music a distinct shade it exhibits today.

Reputable British Newspapers, The Telegraph and The Guardian wrote smashing five-star reviews of the duo’s show and album Electric, citing their “theatrical pop” performance. Neil McCormick even wrote for The Telegraph “Pet Shop Boys are moving forwards, taking their retro synths into a brave new digital age.”

The critically acclaimed “Electric” album is graced by almost unanimously favourable reviews worldwide and represents PSB’s return to dance music, as well as the best possible message to young bands playing electric music today – it’s not just about beats! Their melodies carry an almost haunting beauty, their lyrics are bustling with humour and subtle notes of nobility, and their entire show is set as an impeccable celebration of the ceremonious victory of spirit and mind over life’s not-so-pretty moments. These are the same values that EXIT has, and continues to, uphold and promote all these years.

Pet Shop Boys' show is designed by Es Devlin, a multi-award-winning artist, with extensive experience and projects under her belt in theatre, dance, film, opera, television, and concert. She has also worked with pop, rock, and rap artists – her lengthy list of performing artists includes, apart from Pet Shop Boys, stars such as Kanye West, Muse, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Miley Cyrus, Lenny Kravitz, Goldfrapp, Take That…The collaboration between Pet Shop Boys and Devlin will provide EXIT this year with an incredulously one-of-a-kind, novel and epoch-making opening performance! 

Pet Shop Boys to headline Festival No 6

The multi-award winning Festival No.6 today announces a brilliant second wave of acts, headed by the iconic Pet Shop Boys who join previous announced headliners Beck & London Grammar
 
The legendary Laurent Garnier and Norwegian disco king Todd Terje also join the lineup.
 
Pet Shop Boys are one of Britain’s most commercially and critically acclaimed music acts ever, having sold over 50 million records, including eight platinum, two gold and four silver albums in the UK alone. They have always been an innovative, groundbreaking live act, and their last album Electric, produced by Stuart Price, was a huge return to form.
 
Laurent Garnier got his first break as a DJ at The Hacienda in 1987, and has been at the forefront of dance music for over 25 years as a DJ, a recording artist and record label owner. His dedication and obsession with moving forward and embracing new sounds mean he’s still a pioneering force a quarter of a century later.
 
Norway’s finest disco master Todd Terje also joins the line-up. Terje first arrived on the Scandinavian dance scene in 2004 and soon became one of its most prominent figures. He is now one of the world’s most respected producers and DJs. His debut album Its Album Time was 10 years in the making and has just been released to rave reviews, and is Todd can’t wait to play live at No.6.
 
The legendary Greg Wilson who taught Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) how to scratch and was the first DJ to mix live on British TV also joins the DJ line up, alongside Norman Jay MBE.
 
The ethereal Jon Hopkins, who The Guardian called “the next Brian Eno”, also joins the live line-up, alongside Paul Heaton (Beautiful South) and Jacqui Abbott, and The Undertones. Plus Tom Hickox, Tom Vek, Spector, Toy, Vaults, The Acid, Peter Hook & The Light and Denai Moore. They joined the many acts live acts already announced, including Bonobo, Martha Reeves and Vandellas, Neneh Cherry with RocketNumberNine, Steve MasonTemples and many more.
 
Also joining the stellar DJ line-up are Don Letts, Norman Jay, Low Life, Luke Solomon, Kiwi, Pete HerbertDicky TriscoGuy WilliamsRay MangSeahawksJo Wallace and Gavin Kendrick.
 
The festival has also unveiled the line-up for The Clough Stage, the Welsh and international stage which proved such a huge hit last year. Friday is curated by Radio 1s Huw Stephens and John Rostron from Swn Festival, Saturday by Andy Votel and Doug Shipton from Finders Keepers and Sunday by Welsh promoters Nyth and Gwyl Gwydir all helping curate a bespoke mix of Welsh and international artists and collaborators. Highlights include Geraint JarmanMatt BerryYr Ods,Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab), Cian Ciaran and Edan, alongside a host of established and emerging acts.
 
These acts join the plethora of acts already announced, including Beck, London Grammar, Neneh Cherry with RocketNumberNine, Julion Bashmore, Andrew Weatherall, Danny Krivit, Steve Mason, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Temples, Jimi Goodwin, James Holden, John Wizards, Radiophonic Workshop and many, many more, all ensuring that Festival No.6 is the unmissable highlight of this year’s festival season.
 
Music is just one part of the festival offering with arts and culture playing a huge part. This year’s cultural line-up includes Charlie Higson (The Fast Show), a Dylan Thomas tribute featuring Kevin Allen, Rhys Ifans and Murray Lachlan Young, Julian Cope, Kevin Rowland, Jonathan Meades, Shlomo, an exclusive Shane Meadows screening, Bezs Question Time, Carnival No.6, the return of Brythoniaid Welsh Male Voice Choir, and much, much more.

My Bloody Valentine, Klaxons and more added to Berlin Festival lineup

My Bloody Valentine will return to the city in which they recorded their debut EP, This Is Your Bloody Valentine, in 1985 for a very special show at Tempelhof. After a break of over 20 years, the directional Irish band fronted by mastermind Kevin Shields, released their third studio album, mbv, in February of this year. With the album receiving wide acclaim from critics and fans alike, their spectacular live show is sure to delight the Berlin Festival crowd.

My Bloody Valentine

British indie-rockers Klaxons are also set to perform at this years Berlin Festival. The nu-rave initiators, who first burst on to the scene in 2007 with their Mercury award winning album Myths of the Near Future, are now back with a brand new album to be released later this year.

After having sold out the Berlin-based Columbiahalle well in advance, fans of Fritz Kalkbrenner will get another chance to see him on stage at Berlin Festival. Mia. and Dillon will both play their only Berlin show this year at Tempelhof Airport and UK band Savages, one of the most promising acts of 2013, will make their Berlin Festival debut.

The newly introduced Club THF at Hangar 2 will cater to all the techno lovers amongst you. The first acts to be added to the event's line-up are techno icon Ellen Allien and the mighty John Talabot (live) setting the tone. 

The All-inclusive Festival Ticket, which gives festivalgoers access to Berlin Festival at Tempelhof Airport, Club Xberg at Arena and Club THF at Hangar 2 is available for EUR 129 plus booking fee. A free shuttle bus service from and to the venues is also included.

Blur & Pet Shop Boys set for Berlin Festival 2013

Berlin Festival is back! Tickets go on sale today for the 8th edition of Berlin Festival, which takes place on 6th and 7th September 2013 at Tempelhof Airport and Arena Berlin.

Blur are confirmed to play one of their few European gigs and their only Germany show in 2013 at Berlin Festival. The band will take to the stage at Berlin Festival nine years after the band?s last performance in Germany. Blur became world famous in the 90s with records including Parklife and The Great Escape and had a triumphant returned to the stage earlier this year for a sold out show in London's Hyde Park to mark the closing of the Olympic Games. With anthems such as 'Girls & Boys', 'Country House' and 'Song 2' and new work like 'The Puritan' and 'Under The Westway', the band are sure to light up the stage at Tempelhof Airport. 

Pet Shop Boys are also set to make their Berlin Festival debut in 2013. The duo, comprised of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, are known the world over for hits like 'It's A Sin' and 'West End Girls' and are renowned for their incredible live performances. Having recently celebrated the world premiere of their eleventh studio album, Elysium, in Berlin, the Pet Shop Boys will be back in the German capital city with a special live performance of their album for Tempelhof crowds.

After Turbostaat's Berlin Festival performance in 2010, the punk rockers, who skilfully manage the balancing act between deep lyrics and mosh pit attitude, are back with a new album which sees its release in April 2013. The band will play its first Berlin gig with new material at Berlin Festival.

With a vast selection of gigs and DJ sets on the airfield, in the airport's hangars 4 and 5 as well as Arena Berlin, techno fans will definitely get their money's worth in 2013. Club THF will also make its debut in Hangar 2 in 2013, featuring the music genres Berlin is famous for – techno, house and electro. All DJs will be announced soon.

Any ticket buyers, who purchase their tickets via eventim.de from 14th to 21st December, will be entered into a draw to win one of three First Class Tickets worth EUR 300 each. The winner plus one of his or her friends will be granted access to Berlin Festival, Club Xberg, Club THF as well as the VIP areas at Tempelhof Airport and Arena Berlin including catering (food & beverages). Also included is the festival shuttle transfer.

Tickets go on sale on 14th December 10 am exclusively via Eventim. From 21st December on, tickets will also be available via the official festival website under the following link.

TICKET CATEGORIES 
Kombiticket X
incl. 2 days of Berlin Festival (Tempelhof) + Club Xberg (Arena Berlin)
EUR 89 + booking fee
valid for 6th and 7th September
 
Kombiticket THF
incl. 2 days of Berlin Festival (Tempelhof) + Club THF (Hangar 2)
EUR 89 + booking fee
valid for 6th and 7th September
 
Festivalticket
2-day ticket Berlin Festival (Tempelhof):
EUR 74 + booking fee
valid for 6th and 7th September

A limited amount of day tickets for Berlin Festival at Tempelhof Airport as well as tickets to Club Xberg at Arena Berlin and Club THF at Hangar 2 will be available as soon as all acts have been announced divided by day and venue. 

*As of 1st February, prices are subject to change