The great British summer festival has seen a surge in competition over the last few years. Established festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading / Leeds have had to endure a rise in smaller, more independant festivals such as Beautiful Days and The Big Chill. The result is that with money becoming tighter people are having to choose more carefully where they are going to spend their weekend.
This article will give a rundown of some of the best festivals Britain has to offer and whet everyone can expect to see there. It is in no way comprehensive but will hopefully give the first time festival-goer an easier way of choosing where to spend their hard earned money.
Glastonbury Festival
The daddy of all festivals taking place at the end of June is world famous now as much for its music as for its interchangeable weather. The line-up is the most diverse you will find anywhere featuring top of the range artisits such as Radiohead or Coldplay to much smaller diverse world music acts.
This festival simply has something for everyone and if you are feeling up to the challenge of risking a muddy festival then this is the one. Forget all horror stories of the mud, whatever the weather you are guaranteed a great time and if it is sunny it is also the most beautiful place on earth.
Carling Weekend
This used to be the old Reading festival which has now expanded to two sites. It concentrates on the more rockier side of the alternative scene with heavy bands such as Metallica playing alongside indie acts. Taking place on August bank holiday is is seen as the culmination of British festival season.
This is the place for those fans of the alternative and hard rock scenes (with a bit of metal thrown in) to get their groove on.
Download Festival
For those who like to rock...hard! Britains premier metal festival has been going from strength to strength and now takes place over three days at the end of May.
Featuring bands from the heavier side of the spectrum it also throws in such curveballs as The Prodigy. Expect to see classic acts such as AC/DC sharing the stage with younger more brutal acts.
The Big Chill
This festival is slowly managing to throw off its image as a middle class wine swilling get together. As the title suggests it is a more sedate festival being more DJ oriented. This is not to say their are no opportunities to dance with Orbital already being announced for this year. Time to unpop the chardonnay and lounge about in luscious surroundings to cutting edge chill out music.
The festivals mentioned here are only the tip of the iceberg but represent the bigger events that take place over British summertime. Part two of this article will focus on the more smaller festivals that are out there and then hopefully you will have a greater idea of which field you are going to spend your summer in.
