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Beacon Festival 2016 review

Watching the horrendous queues forming around the Somerset countryside this evening as people struggle to get into Glastonbury, takes us back to one of the nicest things about Beacon Festival… It was all dead easy!

Yes we arrived a little late to the event but even so we cruised straight through into the large and spacious campervan park, set up the bongo nice and quick and strolled on into the festival.

Again nice and easy! The lovely teams of volunteers in the arrivals tent were as organized as bear grills on one of his adventures and so in just minutes we were in and ready to party.

First stop was the mobile bar (of course) and our new friends at #Drinkoutsidethebox mixed us up a delicious jug of pimms with enough fruit to nearly not need dinner! Having said that we picked out a lovely van serving some tasty Mexican treats, and the quesadillas went down a treat… Again, simple!

What you find with Beacon is that while it is small in relation to many festivals it ticks all the boxes - Bars, food, shops, music, camping, plenty of activities and even a literary tent, which not only provided a handy shelter when the rain eventually kicked in but also proved a nice space to chill.  

Big credit must also go to the amount of space given over to the Kidzone, and the efforts that went in to keeping the little’uns amused. Singing, cookie decorating, a junk instruments workshop, yoga and first aid training were just a few of the things on offer in the shadow of the two awesome play tipis. 

All weekend plenty of fun was had by all in this part of the festival, which in-fact proved so popular that it seemed to spill into the main arena in the evening when everyone went mad for the giant bubbles… yes, even us!

It also has one of the most stunning views we’ve ever seen at a festival and from the actual massive beacon that gives the festival its name you can see for miles across the Chilterns area of natural beauty… the perfect spot to watch the sun go down and listen to some tunes.

On the musical front there were plenty of recognizable, or at least decipherable names. You see the headliners on the two main stages here are tribute bands… You may not get the stars themselves but you certainly get the tunes. 

The Dung Beatles, Not the Rolling Stones, Chilli Rage and Uk Foo Fighters Tribute all belted out some classics over the two nights, and supported by a whole host of bands performing folk, reggae, pop and rock, there was a good range of music seamlessly being pumped into the field as each of the two main stages rotated acts. 

There were also loads of local bands on show, and it was great to see so much appreciation for the event from not only the crowd but also the performers themselves. All across the weekend the acts were having fun on stage so we had fun in the festival… Simple!

The acoustic tent was also filled each night, not just because of the occasional showers or the fact there was a bar but because it was genuinely good. Big shout out from us to the Unchosen and Memphis Rattlesnakes for two top sets.

There’s a feeling that this is very much one of those festivals where the majority of people in attendance are from the local area, but such is the popularity of festivals now we see more and more of these community events on the scene each year. 

Not all of them can pull it off but the large team of dedicated volunteers and organisers certainly did here! Great for couples, groups of friends and families alike, and if you’re looking for a nice relaxed and fun weekend with none of the hassles of a Glasto you wont go far wrong at Beacon Festival.

See you on the hill next year Beacon Festival!

  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review
  • Beacon Festival 2016 review

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