Missed out on tickets to Glastonbury? Here's the next best thing. When it comes to atmosphere, Bestival lives up to its name: it's easily one of the UK's best festivals for sheer fun. Run by Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, for the last ten years this four-day celebration has taken over Robin Hill Country Park, just outside Newport on the Isle of Wight. This year, with a theme of Desert Island Disco, it returns with one of its best line-ups yet: a dazzling array of old and new stars who'll keep those good vibrations happening all weekend.
The stars of the show are the heavyweight headliners. American R&B duo Outkast make a long-awaited return, and disco originator Nile Rodgers and his Chic organisation are always guaranteed to get feet moving with a set of some of the many hits that Rodgers has had a hand in – their set could include anything from Bowie's 'Let's Dance' to Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'. Oxford indie band Foals, meanwhile, have outlived their origins in the noughties indie boom to become one of the country's most spectacular live bands. And then there's Beck, the lackadaisical genre-hopping singer-songwriter who's spent 20 years taking listeners on a dazzlingly diverse musical journey from lo-fi folk to psychedelic soul via hip hop beats.
Further down the bill, don't miss Wild Beasts – the Lake District indie quartet whose new album Present Tense is one of the strongest so far this year – or deservedly hyped Glaswegian synth-pop trio Chvrches. For real trendspotters, the hot tip is Denai Moore, the young London singer-songwriter who's due to become very big, very soon.
And as the festival's own site declares, 'It's not all about the music': there's also cabaret, an open-air cinema in the woods, enough late-night DJ action to satisfy even the most hardened ravers, and plenty of nooks and crannies to keep you discovering new favourite spots right through until Sunday night.
What | Bestival, Isle of Wight |
Where | Bestival Campsite | MAP |
Nearest tube | Waterloo (underground) |
When |
04 Sep 14 – 07 Sep 14, 12:00 AM |
Price | £195.00+ |
Website | Click here for the full line-up and to book tickets. |