Sooo as Bestival announce their theme for 2013 as HMS Bestival to mark their 10 year celebrations, let me tell you a little about my experience at the festival on the Isle of Wight...
With Glastonbury taking a break this year to sort the farm out, I was looking for a festival equally as exciting to take my fancy this summer and Bestival happened to crop up. It was on the Isle of Wight, bonus! And the fancy dress theme was Wildlife, even better.
The festival is currated by Josie and Rob da Bank in the Robin Hill Country Park near Newport on the Isle of Wight. We happened to pick probably one of the most sunny weekends in the entire typical british Summer (makes me glad we didnt book the IOW!)
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| The ferry queue at Souhampton - 5 hours! |
Bestival say "
It’s Rob and Josie da Bank’s creative vision that sets Bestival apart. Whilst the massive musical brain of Rob ensures the Bestival line-up is the most eclectic you’ll ever experience, it’s Josie’s creative wand that casts its magic over Bestival land." And it truly is, from the wishing tree, the ambient forest, the bollywood tent and the main stage, there is something for everyone to chose from.
As the festival was sooooo far from us in bonny Yorkshire, we decided to book
Tangerine Fields, a camping system where you pay that little bit extra for clean toilets, showers and your tent's already put up with sleeping bags and an air bed. This was a GREAT idea as we had not anticipated the 4-5 hour ferry queue on the way there.
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| I heart Bestival |
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| Hot Chip in the Big Top |
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| Decor at the Alice in Wonderland Bar |
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| Bollywood Area with cocktail tent |
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| Warpaint |
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| The Bestival Stars |
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| The XX |
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| Alice in Wonderland Bar |
Having been to both Leeds Festival a few times and Glastonbury,
Bestival is definitely more of a "dance" festival, we saw some great DJ's and acts across the whole weekend and as it's not huge so you can get around quickly to avoid missing bands. We managed to see a real mix including the ledge that is Stevie Wonder, Florence and the Machine, The XX, Two Door Cinema Club, Warpaint, Rizzle Kicks, Hot Chip, Gary Numan, 2ManyDJs, Justice, Nero, Friendly Fires, Mike Snow, Friends, Fake Blood and a teeny tiny bit of Grimes.
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| Fake Blood in the Bollywood Tent |
Now, must talk about the food! As my sister said "That's a bold statement" but
Byron - oh my dear sweet Byron! This is the first time I've been introduced to these heavenly burgers and it truly was "The BEST burger I've ever had!" (Hence the bold statement) We kept it simple with a slice of cheese and salad, but it was perfectly cooked and the bun was amazing! Suffice to say I'm a frequent fan of popping in to Byron when I'm in London, with a side of courgette fries!
Some top tips for Bestival goers:
- I'd say to avoid the massive ferry queues go a day earlier to the island and leave a day later. It was so long and not what you want when you've been partying for 5 days.
- Good festival for families as there were plenty of kids around.
- Fully embrace the fancy dress, we did pretty well, but once you see some people's costumes you will wish you spent weeks on your costume.
- If you're coming from far away and decide not to go to the IOW a day early, Tangerine Fields is a godsend.
- Take booze that's light to carry!
- Always take a mixture of clothing, we were lucky but theres always chance of rain in this lovely country.
Unfortunately I won't be boarding HMS Bestival next year as I have Glastonbury tickets, but I'd definitely go again and would recommend a visit!
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| Ace Ventura Fancy Dress - Full on Rhino! |
We ate: Byron Burgers, Bacon sarnies courtesy of our naval friends, Indian wraps, Panini's from really hot men in the Panini Van
We Drank: Cans of Rum & Coke, Vodka & Red Bull (heart palpatations by day 5), Wine on the last day - great call, Bulmers Cider
We Talked about:
Making plans, Bands, DJ's, funny fancy dress
Selling point: The weather! The Music! The Fancy Dress! And The XX - absolute highlight for me.
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