You lucky Brightonians don’t have to go far to wallow in the proverbial festival mud. We’ve done some digging and found over a dozen in Sussex alone. There’s a great crop of newcomers this year alongside plenty of regulars just under the radar – from intimate gatherings on picturesque farms to household names at arena showgrounds and even some rough and ready raves. Dive in.
LewesLive
WHEN: 10th-11th July
WHERE: Lower Stoneham Farm, Lewes
HOW MUCH: £40 weekend camping
WHO: Mark Chadwick, The Lambrettas, The Murmurtrons, Rebel Control, The Lanes
WHAT: Formerly known as Rock In The Bog, this local beer-and-bands festival had been running quite a while before they changed the name to LewesLive last year. You might think the rebrand was aimed at allaying concerns about camping conditions, but it was actually due to the festival expanding its remit to include a wider mix of reggae, folk, ska and blues. The bill is mostly made up of bands from Lewes and Brighton with a few local biggies like The Leveller’s Mark Chadwick and mod heroes The Lambrettas to pull in the older crowd. With Lewes brewery Harveys at the taps, punters can also expect a good array of real ales and cider over the weekend. (BB)
www.leweslive.com
Brainchild Festival
WHEN: 10th-12th July
WHERE: Bentley Country Park, Halland, East Sussex
HOW MUCH: £65 weekend camping
WHO: Catching Flies, Moses Boyd, Hector Plimmer, Harry Baker, Loyle Carner
WHAT: The Guardian came away impressed when they visited the inaugural edition of this volunteer-run festival three years ago, praising its young organisers for an anti-commercial mix of eclectic live music, spoken word, films, talks, theatre, art and more, combining a festival feel with the personal touches of a house party. Having departed its original Wokingham farm venue, this year it’s set in the fields and woods of Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, near Uckfield, which offers the added bonus of mini train rides around the site once your hangover, sunburn and sleep deprivation has kicked in. More than a hundred acts and events should ensure excellent value for the price. (BM)
www.brainchildfestival.co.uk
Mutiny
WHEN: 17th-19th July
WHERE: Fontwell Park, Arundel Road, Chichester
HOW MUCH: £99 weekend camping
WHO: Snoop Dog, Knife Party, Katy B, Rebel Sound, Nero
WHAT: Mutiny Festival is a two day dance music event taking place at Fontwell Park in Chichester. Only two hours from Brighton, the outdoor event is officially across Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July, but there’s a special party for campers on the Friday as well. There’s expected to be 15,000 daily festival goers over the two days, with over 100 artists over six stages hosting some of the biggest international names in dance music, up and comers as well the classics. More artists and special guests are still to be announced. (MT)
www.mutinyfestivals.co.uk
Walled Garden Music Fest
WHEN: 18th-19th July
WHERE: Brightling Park, Robertsbridge, East Sussex
HOW MUCH: £60 day ticket
WHO: Off The Wall, Quantum Fantay, Lifesigns, Absolute Bowie, And You And Yes
WHAT: The only festival we know with a concept that’s based on a concept album. Off The Wall are headlining both nights, promising the “world’s leading independent Pink Floyd show” inside a 2.6 acre walled garden section of a Georgian estate. Fans of Bowie, Phil Collins and Yes are also in for a tribute treat, and the handful of acts doing originals include a couple of minor classic rock veterans. The historic location is presumably a symbolic bonus rather than an opportunity to re-enact the finale of Floyd’s epic demolition-job stage show, but you might want to check. (BB)
www.walledgardenmusicfest.co.uk
Bimble Bandada!
WHEN: 31st July – 2nd August
WHERE: Secret Brighton location
HOW MUCH: £65 weekend camping
WHO: The Correspondents, Funkanomics, The Undercover Hippy, The Egg, Molotov Jukebox
WHAT: Coming to a secret location near Brighton, Bimble Bandada! is offering a fantastic line-up that will be irresistible for dancing. Especially when it comes to this year’s energetic electro-swing headliners, The Correspondents, who made it to The Telegraph’s Top Ten Highlights Of Glastonbury – twice! This year they’ve added a third stage, The Lizard Stage, so the festival is set to be bigger and better than ever. The likes of Molotov Jukebox, Funkanomics and The Undercover Hippy will keep you dancing day and night. Think sunshine and a perfect festival atmosphere, as this one’s 100% solar powered. (FM)
www.bimblebandada.com
Brighton Pride
WHEN: 1st August
WHERE: Preston Park, Brighton
HOW MUCH: £25 day ticket
WHO: The Human League, Fatboy Slim, Hercules & Love Affair, Ms Dynamite, Foxes
WHAT: It’s Pride’s 25th anniversary and they’ve pulled out all the stops to celebrate this landmark. There is a new parade route beginning at Hove Lawns that picks up the usual trawl through the town centre that finishes at Preston Park for the festival itself. Topping the bill this year are The Human League, with a strong supporting line-up including Hercules & Love Affair and Fatboy Slim. Wild Fruit will be pumping out Pride favourites but if that proves too much then you can take refuge in the literature or family areas before heading to the after parties. (SC)
www.brighton-pride.org
Forgotten Fields
WHEN: 7th-9th August
WHERE: Eridge Park, Eridge Green, Tunbridge Wells, East Sussex
HOW MUCH: £95 weekend camping
WHO: Super Furry Animals, Basement Jaxx, The Levellers, The Horrors, British Sea Power, DJ Yoda
WHAT: Run by the same company as the much-respected Kendall Calling, this debut southern equivalent aims to create a “boutique festival” with just 4000 tickets available. Located in a very green and obscure top corner of Sussex (it’s practically in Kent), the event is themed around smaller, local suppliers and, you imagine, people who want space between their tents. Children under five go free, and site art, cinema, somewhat expensive pods and world food are also promised. Providing it sells enough tickets, this could rightfully turn into one of Sussex’s hidden festival gems. (JK)
www.forgottenfields.co.uk
Shakedown
WHEN: 15th August
WHERE: Waterhall, Brighton
HOW MUCH: £45 day ticket
WHO: Camo & Krooked, Monki, Sub Focus, 2ManyDjs, Enzo Siffredi
WHAT: Yeah, we all know that Shakedown Festival’s got a reputation for being full of boozed-up teenagers, aggression and glow-paint, but don’t write it off too soon. This year it’s got an exceptional line-up for fans of drum and bass, house and garage, with headliners including Sigma, Camo & Krooked, Oliver Dollar and DJ EZ. On the outskirts of Brighton, Shakedown is a one-day festival with tickets starting at £45, which includes shuttle bus travel between the site and the city. Considering you can arrive at 11am and leave at 1am this is great value for money, and you’ll have the option to continue the party back in Brighton if you feel like it. (JMM)
www.shakedown.co.uk
Tribal Earth Summer Gathering
WHEN: 20th-23rd August
WHERE: Laughton, near Lewes
HOW MUCH: £60 weekend camping
WHO: The Turbans, Kakatsitsi, Formidable Vegetable Sound System, Dub’n’Tuff All Stars, People’s String Foundation
WHAT: Tribal Earth is a very small, intimate and family friendly festival with a great community spirit. It offers four days of camping and is packed with music and over 100 workshops – including yoga, singing and African dance workshops by the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana. This year’s headline act is the international musical collective The Turbans, who set the tone of the festival with their energetic blend of traditional near-eastern and eastern-European music. At Tribal Earth you can expect a fusion of folk and world music for kindred spirits. All profits from the festival go to the Pegasus Children’s Project to fund the rebuilding of a hostel and a school in Kathmandu. (FM)
www.tribalearth.co.uk
Shibui Festival
WHEN: 20th-23rd August
WHERE: Secret Brighton location
HOW MUCH: £50 weekend camping
WHO: Prince Fatty, Murder He Wrote, Foreign Concept, Donga, Deadboy
WHAT: What started out as a local party for local people has expanded rapidly, and the third year of Shibui is going to be bigger than ever before. It’s still committed to representing the best Brighton DJs, MCs, producers and labels, though, so if you like going out in our fair town, you’ll love this. As anyone who’s attended in the past will testify, this festival has a brilliant atmosphere – it’s a genuinely happy place. With a massive central bonfire that’s lit up to warm the revellers at night, it feels like an oversized garden party with loads of friendly and familiar faces. The cosy cinema tent is the best spot to find yourself after-hours. (JMM)
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The Big Green Cardigan
WHEN: 4th-6th September
WHERE: Hawkhurst Road, Cripps Corner, East Sussex
HOW MUCH: £80 weekend camping
WHO: Expandis, Sika, Jimmy Robinson, Stompin Dave, The Cajun Dawgs
WHAT: Now in its fifth year, there’s something appealingly low-key about The Big Green Cardigan. So much so it almost feels wrong to include it on this list (sorry about that). Rather than relaying on big name acts to pull a crowd, BGC is more about discovering new music in a laid-back and intimate setting (we’re talking hundreds, not thousands). Anything is possible, they say, from blues to klezmer to jazz – which gives you a rough idea of what they mean by possible. Situated in the countryside north of Hastings, and just over the road from an organic vineyard, the festival also promises a selection of real ales and proper home cooked food. (BB)
www.biggreencardigan.com
Together The People
WHEN: 5th-6th September
WHERE: Preston Park, Brighton
HOW MUCH: £75 weekend ticket
WHO: Super Furry Animals, The Levellers, Public Service Broadcasting, Ghostpoet, Brakes
WHAT: The inaugural TTP festival, run by promoters One Inch Badge and numerous other Brighton institutions (Resident, The Argus, Concorde 2, Duke’s and more), this family friendly festival boasts an impressive line-up for one so young. Set in the mildly underused Preston Park, the two-day event is promising a community feel (albeit one with no camping) and a socially aware spirit. Refreshingly, aside from its big name bands and stages, there’s a smaller ‘soapbox stage’ too, for local charities and groups to give talks from, as well as locally sourced food, drink and market areas. (JK)
www.togetherthepeople.co.uk
Mischief Festival
WHEN: 11th-14th September
WHERE: Hailsham, East Sussex
HOW MUCH: £104 weekend camping
WHO: Jabul Gorba, The Outside Agency, Teddy Killerz, Lazy Habits, Ronin
WHAT: Traditionally a secretive festival, Mischief’s gone a bit more mainstream this year by actually announcing acts, events and the location in advance. With the intention of crafting a full-on immersive experience, there’s a heavy focus on arts and creativity as well as music, and a plethora of smaller venues within the site, including El Vardo, a ska/gypsy haven, Sika Studios, based around UK hip hop and live graffiti and er, the Gabba Dungeon. Mischief has a strict anti-corporate ethos, which means no business branding, no cashpoints on site and no day tickets or mid-weekend shuttle buses – once you’re in, you’re in for the full weekend of fun. (JMM)
www.mischieffestival.com
Boomerang
WHEN: 12th-13th September
WHERE: Hickstead Showground, Haywards Heath, West Sussex
HOW MUCH: £75 weekend ticket
WHO: Simple Minds, The Proclaimers, Jessie J, The Vamps, Soul II Soul
WHAT: If the thought of sloshing around a rave tent at 4am gives you the fear, you might prefer the more refined surroundings of Hickstead International Arena. More often associated with show-jumping events, Boomerang’s venue boasts a VIP restaurant and a private hospitality box from which to lob canapés at the masses while enjoying the likes of Simple Minds, The Proclaimers and Jessie J. It might sound suspiciously civilised to some. According to its website, “Chinese lanterns”, “chairs of any sort” and “large umbrellas” are banned, which seems a bit strict for a festival named after a weapon. (GR)
www.boomeranghickstead.com
Breakout
WHEN: 26th September
WHERE: Brighton Racecourse, East Sussex
HOW MUCH: £30 day ticket
WHO: Deaf Havana, SikTh, We Are The Ocean, Martyr Defiled, Black Tongue
WHAT: Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event – which saw 22,000 metalheads descend on Brighton Racecourse to pray at the altar of Funeral For A Friend and Skindred – Breakout is back in town for another blast of heavy rock and heavy metal. It’s their difficult second festival, if you like. Norfolk rockers Deaf Havana join tech-metallers SikTh (at their only UK festival appearance) at the top of the bill, but the outdoor rockfest also provides a great chance for aspiring local bands to share the stage with the big names of modern metal. Even if it rains, they’ll be pointing two fingers to the sky. (BB)
www.breakoutfestival.co.uk
Words by Ben Bailey, Fran Moore, Jake Kennedy, Jessica Marshall McHattie, Mike Tudor and Steve Clements
Photo of Shakedown by Mike Tudor @ Studio85UK
