You drowsily peel open your tent on a sun drenched Lulworth Estate. As you finish rubbing your sleep deprived eyes, before you passes a hoard of clowns, fire-eaters, acrobats. A circus tent throbs in the distance. You can only be at one place: Bestival. Bestival is renowned for its vibrant eccentricity, each year having a different theme that takes you away from the monotony of sipping lukewarm larger in a muddy field to a festival like no other, be it under the sea, out of space, in a desert island, or in this year’s case, the circus. This year’s Bestival sees the fiesta celebrate its fifteen year anniversary. Over that time the festival has grown from a small 10,000 capacity site to a UK household name, with over 55,000 glittered up music lovers pilgrimaging to the Dorset site last year. Since the festival moved from the Isle of Wight in 2017 it has become one of the UK’s largest and quirkiest, and is certainly not one to be missed.
In 2018, the extravaganza will see the likes of London Grammar, M.I.A. and Silk City headline the famous The Castle Stage, showcasing a much broader range of female acts compared to many other UK festivals, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent at the very top of the bill. Meanwhile, Mura Masa, Thundercat and the ever-rising stardom of Jorja Smith also adorn the Rob da Bank curated line-up that brims with indie and dance excitement. Adding a dash of experience to the line-up, Grace Jones and Chaka Khan will be providing sure-fire excitement with their dance-inducing sets.
Arguably one of the most diverse line ups on this year’s festival circuit, Bestival has clearly revelled in the absence of Glastonbury, and will undoubtedly pull out all the stops to give the South West a weekend to remember.
The festival is set to take pace from the 2nd to the 5th of August. Tickets are available for purchase here.
