Festivals of fun on the horizon (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Festivals of fun on the horizon

10:27am Wednesday 22nd April 2009

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THE days are getting longer and so it is that festival season looms into focus – with some electric line-ups in and around north Hampshire.

Festival-goers have plenty to choose from this summer with the Blissfields, Glade, Reading and Isle of Wight festivals, as well as Bestival, GuilFest and, of course, our own Basingstoke Live event.

Kicking off in June is the Isle of Wight Festival, including big acts Stereophonics, Razorlight, Maximo Park and The Prodigy, to name but a few. More information can be found at isleofwightfestival.com.

July is crammed full with live music, including the Super Furry Animals headlining at Blissfields Festival, which is returning to Bradley Farm, near Alton, from July 3-5.

Paul Bliss, festival organiser, said: “We have had to pinch ourselves that the Super Furry Animals are playing our intimate festival!”

Mercury Prize nominee Laura Maling is also headlining, and more information and day and weekend tickets are available at blissfields.co.uk.

GuilFest takes place from July 10-12, and counts The Wailers, Athlete, Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and Motorhead among its line-up. Tickets and information are online at guilfest.co.uk.

The same weekend, Basingstoke’s War Memorial Park will be pumping out its own music, on July 11 and 12, for this summer’s Basingstoke Live event.

More details about this free festival, featuring the best of Basingstoke music acts, will be available at basingstokelive.co.uk nearer the time.

Moving its tents from nearby Wasing Estate to Winchester’s Matterley Bowl this year is the ever-growing dance festival Glade, running from July 16-19.

Headliners and artists include Underworld, Juan Atkins, Femi Kuti, Rusko as well as indie dance act Filthy Dukes and Radio 1’s Annie Nightingale.

Promoters are billing it as “louder, later and longer” than previous years, and more information can be found at gladefestival.com.

While tickets for August’s Reading Festival are sold out, the Isle of Wight’s Bestival winds up the festival season, on September 11 to 13. Further details are available at bestival.net.

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