One of the nation’s favourite small festivals is nearly upon us and I hope you are all just as excited as we are. The hard work by the organisers and it’s army of volunteers is about to pay off in spectacular style. If you’re going we thought you could do with some info on what acts are playing, what to expect on site and some of the most frequently asked questions explained, if you’re not going then get yourself a ticket before its too late.
Music
The main event is the music with hundreds of acts spread out over the 3 days. Every music style is covered from folk to reggae, dance to hip hop and everything in between, artists come from overseas, locally and nationally to wow and amaze the crowds. It may be hard to pick who to go and see so here are some highlights but we really do urge you to explore as much of what’s on offer as possible.
Newton Faulkner
Newton Faulkner hits the Drystone stage on Friday night at 9pm, he’s best known for tracks like ‘Dream catch me’ and will also be playing new songs from his forthcoming album ‘Hit the Ground running’. Ferocious Dog have been described as one of the best live festival bands going, the folk/punks headline the Bar tent also on the Friday night playing from 11.30.
The Dub Pistols
Stanton Warriors are probably the world’s best known Breaks and Bass outfits and have pioneered the scene especially through their label ‘Punks’. They take to the Lost n Found stage on the Saturday night just after midnight.
Dub Pistols take to the Drystone stage around 11pm making Saturday night the one for dancing, the outfit are world renowned for their amazing drum & Bass fuelled live shows.
On Sunday Beans on Toast will bring his uniquely funny and entertaining set to the Drystone stage at 9.30pm and just before him in the bar stage is ‘Funke and the two tone baby’ who are sure to be superb. Dutty Moonshine big band finish the Drystone off on Sunday night meaning everyone will be able to dance their socks off to some seriously funky breaks to send off the festival.
There is really so much amazing music over the weekend we suggest getting a program which will have in detail all the acts plus loads of info about the site.
Camping
On the camp site we will have toilets, showers and water taps. The fields will be separated into family, noisy and live in vehicles, remember if you have a camper van or a caravan you will need to purchase a live-in vehicle pass. Due to health and safety reasons we cannot have any glass, bbq’s or open fires. Cars cannot park next to tents either due to licensing laws. Gates open first thing Thursday morning and close around 9pm and the camp site is operated on a first come first served basis for where you get camped. Gates open first thing Friday again.
Main Arena
There are many wonders to the main arena and lots of secrets to explore but here is what you need to know. We aim to get the arena open after lunch time on Friday, you must have a wristband to enter. The site is open 24 hours a day and so are a few of the tents. You can bring your own food and drinks into the main arena but no glass bottles and we please ask you to drink responsibly. It looks like we are going to get a bit of sun so drink plenty of water. In the arena we have a superb array of traders serving everything from prime cut burgers to continental curries. You will also be able to shop in the many market stalls and why not get some Solfest goodies from the merch stall. The arena is also split up into sections including the Kids arena, healing area and of course the 9 stages. We recommend having a good walk around the arena and trying to find some of the hidden gems there is to find.
The Lost N Found stage
The drystone stage
The kids area
Tickets
Tickets are available from www.solfest.org.uk/tickets. They are selling well but we will also keep some on the gate to sell. We don’t technically sell day tickets but if you come on the Saturday your ticket will be a third cheaper than the Weekend pass and if you come on the Sunday it will be 2 thirds cheaper.
Other stuff
There is a shuttle bus running to and from the festival from Thursday to Monday in line with the trains. No dogs are allowed on site due to the land owners wishes and we don’t have a cash machine but if you head back in to Aspatria on the bus you can use the one there. Some traders will have card facilities. We have mobile phone charging hub on site plus any other information you need can be catered for at the information tent. There is also a first aid tent and a welfare tent.
The main thing is that you have as much fun as possible, whether you are coming here with the family or just with your pals, if it’s your 13th year or your first all of us here at Solfest really hope you have an amazing experience.
