After having possibly the four most chilled out days of my life at Lindisfarne Festival last year, I can’t wait to make the pilgrimage back to Beal Farm this year to do it all again.
Reading back the preview I wrote last year, I didn’t really do the festival justice; I focused heavily on the music, only briefly mentioning all the other things that go on at Lindisfarne that make it so unique. So, after actually experiencing Lindisfarne, here’s my new and improved preview/guide for 2018!
MUSIC
The festival takes place from Thursday 30thAugust to Sunday 2nd September, with a variety of music on every night. Lindisfarne’s Friday night headliners need no introduction (but, here’s one anyway), they are one of Britain’s most famous bands: 80’s Madchester legends, the Happy Mondays. Shaun Ryder, Bez and co. will be dishing out their legendary party anthems at Lindisfarne’s main stage, Shorefields.
After brining some of the best upcoming artists in the North East to Beal Farm last year, BBC Music Introducing will be taking over the main stage this year. With the 2018 BBC Introducing line-up yet to be announced, we can only speculate, but if the line-up is anything like last year’s, that included the likes of The Pale White, Absorb and Xaatu, then we’re in for a treat.
The Bridge Hip-Hop Takeover is also back again after putting on an incredible showcase of North East hip-hop talent last year. This year’s line-up is again packed with top talent, with some veterans of the scene like Legion Of Goon, Ken Masters and Just B, and some fresh faces like Eum, Freddy and Claymore. This takeover is going to be unmissable for any hip-hop fan, get yourself along to the High Tide Dance Tent this year to see the abundance of talent in our region.
COMEDY
The comedy side of Lindisfarne is an element I’m guilty of underestimating last year, but in retrospect it was genuinely one of the highlights of the entire festival. The Punch Drunk Comedy takeover provides perfect daytime entertainment – it’s an opportunity to sit down, chill out and enjoy some of the best comedians in the country in a uniquely intimate environment. Describing himself as “the forgotten Bollywood love-child of Hinge and Bracket, Kenneth Williams and Eddie Izzard”, this year’s host Jonathan Mayor will surely have everyone in stitches with his flamboyant charm and sharp wit.
HOLISTIC THERAPIES
The massive range of free wellbeing workshops and holistic therapies on offer at Lindisfarne is definitely one of the standout features of the festival. Admittedly, last year I didn’t take advantage of these therapies – mostly because I’d never tried anything like that before. So, this year I’m planning to get stuck in. Some of the activities that stand out are the mindfulness sessions, laughter yoga and rave it up Zumba – and that’s only a tiny sample of what’s on offer.
FOOD
As far as festivals go, the quality of food on offer at Lindisfarne is second to none. There’s no rubber burgers or soggy chips in sight, just fantastic, well priced food from vendors across the region. Some of my go to places last year were Fat Hippo, they did some incredible burgers, and Zapatista for a hearty burrito.
CAMPING
My advice when it comes to camping is just to get there early if you want your pick of the field. There is a ‘quiet section’, however after staying in the normal section last year I found it wasn’t all that rowdy, everyone was happy to chat, and it felt like a real community vibe. Luckily last year we were basically blessed with perfect sunshine for the entire weekend, but I would recommend brining some clothes to combat the rain, just in case.
by J.Ramsay
RIDE MUSIC 