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A life-long teenage ambition to hold his own festival on his family's farmland is finally becoming a reality for Doug, now 50.
Very much a local community-based arts and music festival at heart - three nights of camping, two full days of new and inspiring music - including some very, very special guests!
Doug's family and their army of friends and collaborators are guaranteed to have lots of tricks and surprises up their sleeves to create a truly special and memorable event.
1st-3rd September 2006, Lode village, Cambridgeshire;
www.lodestarfestival.com
A 3 day world music festival in the beautiful and historic seaside town of Whitby. Now in its 7th year, this indoor festival has very rapidly become one of the foremost events on the world music calendar and every year features great and well known artists alongside new and upcoming acts from around the globe. It is family friendly and has a range of childrens activities and workshops in addition to the main music programme.
This year's line up includes: Buena Vista Social Club presents Cachaito Lopez, 'Guajiro' Mirabal, Manuel Galbon & 'Aguaje' Ramos; Natacha Atlas/Ali Slimani Band (UK/Algeria); Joana Amendoeira (Portugal); Go Lem System (Spain/Argentina), Yasmin Levy (Israel)and Spiers & Boden (England) amongst many others.
The festival takes place on the 20th -22nd of October and is the perfect antidote to the end of summer blues (though early booking is recommended)
www.whitbymusicport.com
Tel: 01947 603475
Venue: Spa Pavilion Complex, West Cliff, Whitby.
Electronic media and music festival in Barcelona every June. It has two elements, Sonar by day is centred on MACBA and is a perfect way to spend time in between eating and drinking. Sonar by night is not for the faint-hearted, situated out in the suburbs, its an all-night party on a grand scale.
There may be no Glastonbury this year – but rock festival devotees will find the ideal substitute in Fairport's Cropredy Convention.
This three-day annual event caters for up to 20,000 fans. It takes place in Oxfordshire and the dates are Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 August 2006.
Newcomers and Cropredy regulars alike enjoy a wide variety of acts: this year they include festival favourite Glen Tilbrook, folkrock legends Steeleye Span, pop maestros 10CC, and guitar virtuoso John Martyn. And, of course, there will be Fairport Convention's customary closing spot
on the Saturday evening.
Ticket prices start at £64 for all three days, it's great value for money – in fact, it is one of the cheapest three-day festivals of its kind. Camping is equally inexpensive and under-12s get in for free.
A rockfest extravaganza to rival the more famous Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic, Concert on the Rock features some of the best live talent Japan has to offer.
Pitched on the side of Mount Hachimen in nearby Oita Prefecture, affording spectacular views of the Inland Sea, the event is known as much for the onstage talent as for its rural setting.
Free onsite camping is available to weekend pass holders, while lovers of the more traditional might seek out accommodation at the local Kanairo Hotspring resort.
Take a train from Hakata Station to Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture. The journey is aaround 1hr 10 minutes; www.concertontherock.com
Jam-packed full of famous writers, poets, novelists and journalists – plus some you’ve never heard of! Lovely, relaxed venue in Charlotte Square Gardens. If you love books, you’ll love this festival but be warned, the big names sell out quickly so get booking. Look out for Harold Pinter, Charley Boorman, Antonia Fraser, Andrew Motion, Owen Sheers, Stephen Venables and Sarah Waters among the 600 authors.
There is also a mix of ticketed events and free drop-in workshops and storytelling sessions for kids, as well as some great events for teenagers this year, including a debate on climate change with Joss Garman and Sandy Starr from the Manifesto Club.
12th to 28th August 2006, Charlotte Square Gardens, Edinburgh; tel: 0845 373 5888;
Closest station: Edinburgh Waverley;
www.edbookfest.co.uk
A giant outdoor and indoor jazz festival, one of the highlights of the Montreal calendar. Big names and small names, swing jazz and drum n bass, the Montreal Jazz Fest has it all. Several streets are blocked off and the atmosphere is brilliant.
www.montrealjazzfest.com; usually end of June and first week or two of July
Open air music and culture festival every August. Cheap and excellent food & drink of all varieties. Popular, traditional, world and leftfield music as well as cabaret, puppets and theatre. Also has frequently cleaned flushable toilets, showers and its a week long. This year you got a week's worth of holiday on the Danube for 70 quid.
www.sziget.hu or Sziget Island North Budapest
The city festival, on June 16 is the best day to be in Pisa. It is the night before Patron Saint's Day and the city centre becomes a massive street party, with fireworks, music and food. The special thing is that the city is lit by candlelight only. Very, very beautiful.
Lungarno, Pisa
Free films! Great on those warm winter evenings. Just bring a chair.
The Esplanade of the Place des Arts, on Rue St Catherine;
www.ffm-montreal.org/en_index.html
Camp by the Danube, go hot air ballooning by night, party on the beach and listen to the likes of Dave Clarke, Franz Ferdinand, Pet Shop Boys and Suzanne Vega. All for only €66.75.
(Tip originally posted in 2006 - see links below for up to date festival information on a yearly basis)
www.exitfest.org/
tinyurl.com/49qngu
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EXIT_%28festival%29
July 6-9, Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad.
Novi Sad is 80km north-west of Belgrade. You can catch a bus from there, and some companies run regular car services from Belgrade Airport.
The International Comedy Festival is a must if you're in Melbourne in April.
Huge sound systems, Jamaican patties, jerk chicken and curried goat. Much loved colossal street party held over the first Saturday of July every year. A celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture and the community of St Paul's.
The entire neigbourhood of St. Paul's on the first Saturday of July.
Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Basement Jaxx, Gnarls Barkley, Antony and The Johnsons, Lost Vagueness, Foggy Notions, Body & Soul zone, camping, tipis, beach huts.
September 1-3 , Stradbally Hall, Co Laois, which is one hour from Dublin. See the website for details on how to get there;
www.electricpicnic.ie
There are thousands of festivals throughout the year in Japan, you can often accidentally stumble on them in the most unlikely of places, for example, I once bumped into a troupe of traditionally dressed dancers parading through a shopping center. The ultimate festival to attend has to be a Bon dance. Held during the summer people gather in the town square for a group dance. At the center are the professionals who have been practicing all year, whilst children, foreigners and the inebriated are welcomed in the peripheries. The atmosphere is fantastic, the costumes exquisite and the food delicious.
My advice is not to leave it to chance but to log onto the Japan Times’ festival guide at:
www.japantimes.co.jp/festivals.htm
It’s the most comprehensive guide I’ve come across.
Its been roundly criticised for taking on blatant corporate sponsorship but it is still first and foremost the Bristol Community Festival. Held annually over a weekend in the middle of July, it attracts roughly 100,000 and costs very little to get into. The music and performance on each of the stages is essentially local with a few big name acts thrown into the mixer. The city is awash with parties over this weekend, a great time to be in Bristol. Get yourself a pear cider and make sure you've booked the Monday off work.
Ashton Court Estate;
www.ashtoncourtfestival.com
If you’re a fan of Jazz, this city is for you. The annual Guinness Jazz Festival takes place during the last weekend in October. This is when the city pulses and throbs with the rhythms of Count Basie, Fats Waller and Dizzy Gillespie all day and all night.
Tribe of Doris is essentially a festival, held in the beauty of the West Country - but a festival with a difference, one that inspires and creates, sings and dances and celebrates the exploration and unity of different cultures and people from all over the world. For five glorious hot August days you can be taught the vibrant wonders of African dance or Cherokee singing, or relax with tai chi or yoga sessions. With an exquisite combination of drum, dance, song and ceremony, Doris is an absolutely sumptuous and totally unique festival experience! Tribe of Doris; Many cultures, One race.
Likely to be one of the more popular festival options for the Glastonbury exiles heading overseas this year.
A combination of four-day festival, campsites practically on the beach plus after-show party on the beach on the fifth day, diverse European crowd, Spanish sunshine, numerous stages, a broad range of music genres, plus other contemporary arts such as film, theatre and fashion also represented, oh and did I mention the beach?!
Headliners for Summer 2006 include The Pixies, Depeche Mode, Morrissey, Scissor Sisters, however the big names seem to be in the minority, with the festival more in favour of championing more alternative artists to cater across the musical spectrum. With some quality bands and DJ talent performing, this year is guaranteed to be a stormer.
www.fiberfib.com
Benicassim is located on the Costa Azahar, one of Spain's less-developed Costas. About an hour north of Valencia and a couple of hours south of Barcelona, flight options are plentiful.
Anti-Sonar is an alternative to Sonar which runs in Barcelona at the same time. It's free and much more fun.
Whereas Sonar attracts a moneyed, trendy, international crowd, Anti-Sonar is an anarchic impromptu festival for the scruffier inhabitants of Barcelona who can't afford or simply resent the festival and the hordes of techno tourists that take over the city for the weekend. Don't expect any big name DJs. Expect unrelenting hard techno, and bring your own water, beer, absinthe, and suncream, as you'll be dancing through into the morning.
Usually located on the outskirts of the city near to the Sonar by Night festival site, follow the crowds or ask around
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