It seems an eternity ago that the summer festival season begun, as the first event on the annual music calendar kicked off in our sunny city of Norwich way back in May of this year. Now, four months down the line, we are but a week away from the beginning of October, and with that, all eyes are looking towards the Halloween and Christmas festivities.
Although it is so hard to believe, we’ve got an age to wait until the booming speakers pump to open fields full of people, the glorious sun burns our skin and the smoky BBQ’s come back out, so we thought it would be only necessary that we reminisce about the summer celebrations gone by. So, here are our highlights from the festivals we graced this year…
Radio 1 Big Weekend…
Ah, it feels like only yesterday that this bonanza came to our doorstep. Probably the biggest event to take place in our home town since Delia Smith stole the stage at Carrow Road, the Radio 1 Big Weekend took place in May of this year, and with that, they brought some HUGE names to the bill! From Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, David Guetta and many more, the line up was the best of the year and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the summer. How lucky we were to get a ticket and I can’t wait to see what they offer next year. Cheers BBC Radio 1!
Boom Bap…
Straight off the cuff of a brilliant schedule during May, Boom Bap eased us into a blisteringly good June, and the annual Hip Hop event was an awesome addition. Set back in a field in Mildenhall, Suffolk, this event was not only up the road from us again, but brought out the sunshine too, as I remember the weather being beautiful here; thus making for that fruit cider to go down even better. Skepta and Earl Sweatshirt really set the weekend on fire with their quality sets, and the food at Boom Bap was to die for too! Stonebaked pizza, creamy curry, a smoker full of tender meat and draught cider and Red Stripe, this festival is number one on the catering front, not forgetting the bars that were spat here as well.
Reading…
It was the first time we got the chance to go to the famed Reading festival, and I must say it didn’t disappoint one bit (but it was nearly a month ago?!?? Where have the days gone?). I wouldn’t know where to start on highlighting our favourite acts, as the whole event was just a mesmerising amazement of music, but a genuine shout out has to go out to Royal Blood who played a wicked show, and let’s not forget Kendrick Lemar too, as he smashed it on the main stage as a sole Hip Hop artist. From there multiple stages, Reading is a true celebration of all things music, so no matter what genre you love, this is the go-to festival.
Sundown…
A perfect name for a superb gig, Sundown waved off the sunshine in style, and with that, they brought the music back to Norfolk again. We adored the dance tent, as Defected in the House created mad energy with their array of DJ’s and Gorgon City brought the tent to a close with a bang on the Saturday. And on the main stage, Ella Henderson, Rudimental and Tinie Tempah played fantastic headline sets, and the showcase of up and coming talent was brilliant too, with the likes of Raleigh Ritchie and Zak Abel all showing up for a stage party.
It sad to see the season off but the summer was undeniably amazing. We were lucky enough to attend these fantastic events and we can’t wait to see what is on offer next year! Hopefully we get some more whopping superstars in the country and we’ll definitely be hitting up the gigs for next time round. See you again, sunshine but in the meantime, here comes Christmas!
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