Local festivals

[TurboGirl]

I came to bushcrafting via hammocking at festivals and after hearing folk saying they'd love their lasses to join in and chatting about local festys, I thought I'd link the local ones which might be of interest I tend to 'wildcamp' them as they've rarely got suitable hammock sites but they're an interesting way to get involved

First up is the Barefoot Festival in North Leicestershire ( http://www.barefootfestival.com/ ) which is a great gentle introduction- it is aimed at women and families with lots of dancing, an acoustic music tent, arts & crafts and free workshops all weekend long. Theres a show on saturday, followed by a fab fire show by Combust UK later in the night with fire staffs, fire poi, fire breathing etc and theres some marshall arts workshops, notably by the local Capoiera group which is a brazillian street fighting thing- theres usually a bar too and lots of stalls for the lasses to mooch around This ones non-profit.

Our other local offering is Shambala in Northamptonshire which is much more music orientated, younger set up- bit wilder and crazier and harder to hammock at but great fun to party through the night at and VERY green... they're at http://shambalafestival.org/ . Its impossible to list what goes on but expect to feel out of place if you're not in a costume on Saturday for the big parade, need ear defenders at some of the many stages, to see a banging fire and fire display, amazing structures erected and burnt and to be tranced, drum n bassed, reggae'd and world music'd outta your trees, then healed and workshopped and shopped back together again =) There is a kids area which focuses on the younger ones but I tend to leave my Youngling at home and have an irresponsible weekend, tis good for the soul I think Shambs is a profit making venture but its done in a very sustainable way which they're extremely proud of.

Both are very definately NOT BUSHCRAFT VENUES and there is absolutely NO SHARPS OF ANY KIND! I'm not involved in any capacity apart from a happy participant and have added the links as they are fun ways to camp which are great for introducing reluctant family members to camping out

 

[sasquatch]

Ha ha, didn't put you down for the massive rolling DnB hits Sally! Good stuff and thanks for sharing! Shambala is one of the few decent things going on in Northamptonshire music wise...

 

[treadlightly]

Err....why is nearly everyone wearing shoes??

 

[TurboGirl]

Errrr.... cuz we're wimps?! Theres a few barefooters about but frankly the thistles were eating my feet and I wussed big time Just a big girl really...

Gosh, are you a shambalist too then chad?! I hammock camped in the enchanted wood behind the audiovisual stage last year, adopted a shambala-son and saved ravers from deep holes around a camp fire thoughtfully provided behind the tree I was swinging off, it was completely magical =) I think with a 19yr old son, if I didn't like DnB, I'da been beaten into madness by the bass Spent a lot of time in the Wandering Word yurt and judged their urban poetry competition, it was amaaaaazing!

My profile pic is my setup there Fancy getting to 46 before you have your life-defining moment, theres hope for all you young 'uns then

 

[treadlightly]

Forgive my literal mind Sally. Looks good fun..

 

[robin wood]

Small festivals are good, shame the old free festivals got stopped I remember one not far from you at Brinklow in 86. Never done Shambala but lots of folk say it's good. maybe try it next year. I did the wilderness festival last year which was fun. If you are a posh middle aged hippy it's perfect
[video=youtube_share;Rkp23IApHF0]http://youtu.be/Rkp23IApHF0[/video]
doesn't have the edginess of some festies though and they turned the sound systems off at 2am on the last night just as everyone was getting revved up.

This is a local one for me, Peak District mostly music not much else but lots of up and coming bands and a scale where you can see them rather than big names and huge crowds. http://www.ynotfestivals.co.uk/
[video=youtube_share;75ATEASPnNM]http://youtu.be/75ATEASPnNM[/video]

 

[TurboGirl]

I might have to work on the poshness thang And definately (wo)man up and get barefoot next year

Sounds like you have a good craic up in derbyshire area, just hope the council pulling all its youth clubs doesn't hit the next generation of musical/ festy type folk and the great community you seem to have up there in them hills!

 

[shaggystu]

what was ynot (organised by a guy called tony apparently, hence the name) like robin? we had intended getting over, what with it being about a mile down the road from here, but ended up missing it for reasons i can't recall. the line up sounded fairly varied from what i remember. do you think it was worth the ticket price?

http://www.stainsbyfestival.org.uk/ this is my local festival, it's a great weekend with a mix of artists from a variety of genres, good food, real ale, and the usual pseudo-hippyish mix whole grain organic crystal healing drum therapy mother/child earth bonding lay-line workshops (which i enjoy). all in a couple of little fields in a tiny lttle village just off the M1, cracking festival

stuart

 

[robin wood]

didn't do Ynot this year, last went was 2009 when King Blues were there and Frank Turner (both great), first time I had seen Beardyman who was awesome, Noah and the Whale played but seemed like they were in a world of their own doing a rehearsal barley even noticed there was an audience there paying their wages. Camping fields were a bit grim packed and muddy but we were on the camper van field which was perfect lots of space and only few hundred yards from main stage. Watching the mud wrestlers was most entertaining. Will have to check Stainsby out, lots of locals go but they are mostly folky's and that's not my music.

 

[shaggystu]

didn't do Ynot this year, last went was 2009 when King Blues were there and Frank Turner (both great), first time I had seen Beardyman who was awesome, Noah and the Whale played but seemed like they were in a world of their own doing a rehearsal barley even noticed there was an audience there paying their wages. Camping fields were a bit grim packed and muddy but we were on the camper van field which was perfect lots of space and only few hundred yards from main stage. Watching the mud wrestlers was most entertaining. Will have to check Stainsby out, lots of locals go but they are mostly folky's and that's not my music.

thanks for that robin, it's always good to hear an opinion of a place before i spend my money on it

stainsby's not nearly as folky as it used to be these days, for the last few years the headline acts have been about as far removed from your traditional "finger in the ear hey nonny nonny" type folk music as you can get. last year it was a spoken word/R'n'B band who went down incredibly well (i thought they were atrocious but that's just my opinion) the year before that it was a gogol bordello cover band who were absolutely brilliant (they were an instumental band who claimed to be doing original music but when a good quarter of the audience were singing along to the gogol songs they were performing the con kinda fell down).
you should head up one year robin, they used to have a guy up there demonstrating green wood crafts, pole latheing, furniture making, hurdle making etc. who's been very much missed for the last four or five years that he's not attended, could well be a little niche for you there.

stuart

 

[sasquatch]

Errrr.... cuz we're wimps?! Theres a few barefooters about but frankly the thistles were eating my feet and I wussed big time Just a big girl really...

Gosh, are you a shambalist too then chad?! I hammock camped in the enchanted wood behind the audiovisual stage last year, adopted a shambala-son and saved ravers from deep holes around a camp fire thoughtfully provided behind the tree I was swinging off, it was completely magical =) I think with a 19yr old son, if I didn't like DnB, I'da been beaten into madness by the bass Spent a lot of time in the Wandering Word yurt and judged their urban poetry competition, it was amaaaaazing!

My profile pic is my setup there Fancy getting to 46 before you have your life-defining moment, theres hope for all you young 'uns then

It's not really my scene but I can always appreciate a good vibe! I have a lot of friends that fit in with it far better than me. I'm more into street punk, hip-hop, DnB, funk and anything heavy. Basically anything with a message by someone that doesn't have any other means of getting it across and those genres were pretty much born from that...have to admit every time I see an adult do poi it makes me shake my head and think it's time to get a haircut and get a real job despite having friends that partake in it! Sad isn't it. I'm always in favour of a platform for people to do their thing regardless of what they do though. Northamptonshire has been a musical void in the past despite lots of talent here so it's great to see something decent going on locally!

 

[robin wood]

Should have said Ynot was very much music festival with very little else other than a few burger vans. Big Fan of Gypsy Punk, Gogol Bordello played at Wilderness festival this year, they were a bit much for the posh middle aged hippies though, they seemed to prefer Anthony and the Johnsons, no accounting for taste.

 

[treadlightly]

I can recommend this one. Small, quirky and on the top of Wenlock Edge so a wonderful location. I've been going there off and on for about 12 years. They have some top notch story tellers there and its a lovely homely atmosphere.

http://www.festivalattheedge.org

 

[shaggystu]

......Big Fan of Gypsy Punk, Gogol Bordello played at Wilderness festival this year, they were a bit much for the posh middle aged hippies though, they seemed to prefer Anthony and the Johnsons, no accounting for taste.

kinda glad that we missed it then, SWMBT had been looking at it as somewhere different for us to go but if gogol didn't go down too well i don't think we'd exactly have fit in!

 

[TurboGirl]

Its a shame so many of them clash dates but then, being completely spoilt for choice is a nice novelty The ATEdge and Stainsby both look champion, I might have a googleearth at prospective hammocking areas around them, not a big fan of the madding hordes on the camping fields.... shambala had a LOT of theft on the field last year until someone caught the snot-rags and paid them some well-deserved festival community policing karma

 

[Whittler Kev]

First up is the Barefoot Festival in North Leicestershire ( http://www.barefootfestival.com/ ) which is a great gentle introduction-

£55 early bird weekend ticket. :yikes:
And to think most bikers I know moan at £20 for a weekend rally with up to 6 live bands!

 

[morch]

Are there any of these things go on around Dumfrieshire? Or nearby?

Dave