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UK Festivals 2011 Round-Up | reviews, news & interviews

UK Festivals 2011 Round-Up

UK Festivals 2011 Round-Up

The comprehensive clickable guide to all the festivals, from pop to opera

T in the Park: One of the top half dozen festivals in the country

It's time to dust down your tent and ice-box and plan some summer breaks with theartsdesk's definitive clickable festival guide - listings and links for all the UK festivals this summer, from rock by the lochs to DJs in London parks, and catching classical and opera on the way. See theartsdesk's invaluable European festivals 2011 guide too.

 

SCOTLAND

 

Knockengorroch World Ceilidh, 26-29 May, Drumjohn, Galloway

Secret Scottish streams and woods resound to roots music sounds, with Adrian Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds,
Salsa Celtica, Horace Andy & Dub Asante, DJ Yoda, Russkaya & Modhan indicating the range you’ll hear from your yurt. www.knockengorroch.org.uk

Rock Ness, 10-12 June, Dores, Inverness-shire

Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers, Two Door CInema Club (see video below), Paolo Nutini, Bombay Bicycle Club (and Nessie? Who knows?) are among the big attractions at a cracking loch-side rock line-up. www.rockness.co.uk

T In The Park, 8-10  July, Balado, Kinross-shire

Beyoncé, Tinie Tempah, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Plan B, Devlin - global headliners at the biggest festival north of the border. www.tinthepark.com

Wickerman_festWickerman, 22-23 July, East Kirkcarswell, Dumfries & Galloway

Feeder, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Damned, Noisettes, Hoosiers etc in a generous weekend packing out tents and inns with dozens of bands www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk (picture right)

Northern Lights, 30-31 July, Aberdeen

New northern festival with chart favourites Madness, Maximo Park, the Waterboys and Paloma Faith alongside a forceful Scottish contingent headed by Edwyn Collins. www.northernlightsfestival.co.uk

Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 5-29 August, Venues around Edinburgh

Thousands of hopeful comics, dancers, actors, stilt-walkers, refugee trumpeters, every kind of deluded showbiz nut at this endlessly fascinating and frustrating parade of world humanity. Programme out on 9 June. www.edfringe.com

CW_StonekingBelladrum Tartan Heart, 5-6 August, Beauly, Inverness-shire

Headliners Texas, CW Stoneking (pictured left), Kassidy, Anna Calvi, Deacon travel to the top of the island for a mainstream gathering. www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk

Edinburgh International Festival, 12 August-4 September, Venues across Edinburgh

Asia meets Europe in the 2011 theme for the most globally famous UK arts festival with literature, theatre, dance, classical music and pop, and venues ranging from castles to pubs. See theartsdesk's full guide to events. www.eif.co.uk

Wizard, 26-27 August, New Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The Stranglers, indie supergroup Cast and The Saw Doctors top the far-northern festival. www.wizardfestival.com

Watch Two Door Cinema Club perform 'I Can Talk' (see Rock Ness)


NORTH

 

Evolution Weekender, 28-29 May, Newcastle, Tyne & Wear

Iggy and the Stooges, Katy B, Plan B, The Kills, Two Door Cinema Club, Tinie Tempah at a top-notch quayside urban festival. www.evolutionfestival.co.uk

Night & Day, 11-12 June, Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds

Two days of great music and a food village boasting everything from hog roasts to curries. Headline acts include the Waterboys, the Hothouse Flowers, Karine Polwart and Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. www.tribecaevents.co.uk

Africa Oyé, 18-19 June, Liverpool, Merseyside

UK's largest annual celebration of African music, food, smells and sounds, now in its 20th year, with musicians from Mali, Benin, Western Sahara, Cameroon, Mozambique and closing with the Sierra Leone Refugee Allstars. www.africaoye.com

Camp Zombie, 16 July, Blackpool, Lancashire

Zombie heaven, with goth tips, horror workshops and unhinged dressing up, and music from Uncle Rotter, Brud and the Drop Out Wives. www.campzombie.co.uk

chase__statusKendal Calling, 29-31 July, Kendal, Cumbria

Blondie, The Cribs, Chase & Status (pictured right) and House of Pain plus "Soviet Diskotheque" and its very own Olympics - all in a deer park in Wordsworth country. www.kendalcalling.co.uk

Burton Agnes Jazz Festival, 5-7 August, Driffield, E Yorkshire

Oli Brown, Jacqui Dankworth, Nicola Farnon and Claire Martin feature in a family-friendly jazz-funk outing at Elizabethan mansion complete with walled garden, maze, etc. www.burtonagnes.com

Beacons Festival, 12-14 August, Skipton, N Yorkshire

Jamie Woon, Jamie XX, Summer Camp, Frankie & the Heartstrings top the successor to Moor Music Festival that celebrates indie. www.greetingsfrombeacons.com

Tribfest, 19-21 August, Tickton, E Yorkshire

Mentallica, Lady Gaa Gaa and Prodigy tributers Jilted Generation are headliners in Britain's largest event devoted solely to tribute acts - more than 100 this year. www.tribfest.co.uk

MuseLeeds/Reading, 26-28 August, Leeds, W Yorkshire/Reading, Berkshire

Muse (pictured left), Elbow, The Strokes (see video below), My Chemical Romance, Pulp top billing in perennially popular sister festivals that showcase the biggest names in popular rock. www.leedsfestival.com/ www.readingfestival.com

Solfest, 26-28 August, Silloth, Cumbria

The Damned, Pikey Beatz, The Stranglers, The Saw Doctors lead 5000-capacity shindig that harks back to the original Seventies festival blueprint. www.solwayfestival.co.uk

Watch the Strokes' video for 'Under Cover of Darkness' (see Leeds/Reading)


CENTRAL

 

National Forest Folk Festival, 1-3 July, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

Salsa Celtica, Seize the Day, Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Demon Barber Roadshow top a folk staple based at the National Forest Visitors' Centre. www.affc.demon.co.uk

Cornbury, 1-3 July, Charlbury, Oxfordshire

Headliners James Blunt, Eliza Doolittle, Status Quo, Cyndi Lauper make cosy listening - but Cornbury is as much about chilling with a picnic as it is the music. www.cornburyfestival.com

Buxton Festival, 9-37 July, Buxton, Derbyshire

Spa town with a tradition for sought-after stagings of unusual operas - this year Donizetti's Maria di Rohan, Handel's Saul, Ambroise Thomas's Mignon, Mark-Anthony Turnage's Greek, Cimarosa's The Italian Girl in London, Telemann's comic opera Pimpinone and a new confection, Kit Hesketh-Harvey's tribute Monteverdi's Flying Circus - plus a goodly selection of recitals, including Seckou Keita on kora, unexpectedly. www.buxtonfestival.co.uk

the_go_team

Truck, 22-24 July, Steventon, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Rootsy festival that always boasts a line-up of hot up'n'coming names as well as names like Bellowhead, Gruff Rhys, The Go! Team (pictured right) and ex-Radioheader Philip Selway. www.thisistruck.com

Silverstone Classic, 22-24 July, Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire

Icons of motor racing on the track and icons of popular music, including Suzi Quatro, 10cc, electric string quartet Tetra Electra and tribute band The Rolling Stoned. Added classical-crossover acts include Tenors Un Limited and the 40-person strong Amadeus Orchestra. www.silverstoneclassic.com

Standon Calling, 12-14 August, Standon, Hertfordshire

Spiritualized Battles, Hercules and Love Affair, Penguin Café and Howard Marks headline this party, and the dressing-up theme this year is “Gods and Monsters”. www.standon-calling.com

seasick_steveFairport’s Cropredy Convention, 11-13 August, Cropredy, Oxfordshire

UB40, Seasick Steve (pictured left), Horslips, Badly Drawn Boy and naturally Fairport Convention headline the Croppers for the annual pilgrimage for folk fans and rustic revellers. www.fairportconvention.com/cropredy.php

Summer Sundae Weekender, 12-14 August, Leicester, Leicestershire

Leicester's city centre bonanza fields bands, comics and choirs on half a dozen stages - with big draws such as Bellowhead and Jon Richardson, but more to the point emerging talents. www.summersundae.com

V, 20-21 August, Chelmsford, Essex + Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire

One of the great festivals in twin venues. This year it’s Eminem, Rihanna (see video below), Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal, Duran Duran and Plan B who top bills that provide a one-hit banquet of what’s popular today. www.vfestival.com

Shambala, 25-28 August, Secret location in the Midlands

Despite a policy of not revealing much about themselves, Shambala has an enviable reputation as a "proper" uncommercialised festival. This year ticketbuyers get to choose some of the acts by online voting. www.shambalafestival.org

skrillexCreamfields, 26-28 August, Daresbury, Cheshire

Massive DJ rave-up in the fields with expected talents including Armin van Buuren, Skrillex (pictured right), Swedish House Mafia, Markus Schultz and many more.
www.creamfields.com

Twinwood, 27-29 August, Clapham, Bedfordshire

The ultimate vintage dance music festival celebrating the music that came before rock'n'roll, notably 40s and 50s swing and jive - with dance lessons and historic film too. www.twinwoodevents.com

Oxford Lieder Festival, 14 October, Oxford, Oxfordshire

The UK’s biggest celebration of song will announce its programme later this year - Sir Thomas Allen, Dame Felicity Lott, Eugene Asti, Wolfgang Holzmair, Sarah Connolly, Håkan Hagegård, Florian Boesch and Roger Vignoles are already down for it. www.oxfordlieder.co.uk

Watch Rihanna's video for 'Only Girl (In the World)' (see V)


WEST

 

tokyo_string_quartetn1Bath Music Festival, 25 May-5 June, Bath

From Ceilidh dancing to Paul Robeson history, from Ute Lemper to the Tokyo String Quartet (pictured left), this civilised and eclectic festival in one of the UK’s architectural urban gems ranges eclectically through tastes. www.bathmusicfest.org.uk

Wychwood, 3-5 June, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Three Daft Monkeys, the Waterboys, the Charlatans and the Wurzels headline one for funky families - not just music but children's activities organised by the Roald Dahl Museum. www.wychwoodfestival.com

beyonceGlastonbury, 24-26 June, Pilton, Somerset

This legendary annual occasion has a sporting chance of being sunny for once, which won’t affect fans’ enjoyment of Coldplay, Beyoncé (pictured right), U2, Tinie Tempah, Morrissey, Rumer etc on stages jampacked with top bands. www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

Dartington HOME, 24-25 June, Dartington, Nr Totnes, Devon

Suzanne Vega headlines the HOME world music festival, plugged as “the perfect antidote to Glastonbury” - with acoustic performances by world musicians from Argentina, the Gambia, Portugal, Senegal and Wales. www.dartington.org

Cheltenham Music Festival, 29 June-10 July, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Percussionist Evelyn Glennie (see video below), cellist Natalie Clein, Vladimir Jurowski conducting Wagner, Mark-Antony Turnage’s opera Greek, Stile Antico are among high-profile artists at this broad-ranging classical music festival. www.cheltenhamfestivals.com

Farmfestival, 29-30 July, Bruton, Somerset

Dodgy, Doyle and the Fourfathers, Man Like Me play a local indie festival on a working farm with a hog roast. www.farmfestival.co.uk

Global Gathering, 29-30 July, Long Marston, Warwickshire

Tinie Tempah, Pendulum, Chase & Status, Underworld in a giant dance rave in 14 stages - expect glowsticks and top-notch beat bombardment. www.globalgathering.com

bouche_manoucheInternational Gypsy Guitar Festival, 29-31 July, Gossington, Gloucestershire

The Belle Vie Band, Sarah Smith, La Bouche Manouche (pictured left) and Gypsy Kings are big draws, plus a Gypsy Idol evening fielding 10 bands seeking aficionados approval for a paid slot next year. www.iggf.co.uk

Big Chill, 4-7 August, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire

A feisty line-up includes Kanye West, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Chemical Brothers, and a castle deer park. www.bigchill.net

Three Choirs Festival, 6-13 August, Worcester, Worcestershire

World-famous classical music festival rotating between cathedral cities of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford and showing major artists alongside local ones. This year - the last by retiring artistic director Adrian Lucas - includes The Dream of Gerontius with Sarah Connolly and the Philharmonia, the Shakespeare Globe Hamlet, cellist Jamie Walton, Mahler 3 conducted by rising Finnish star Suzanna Mällki, Sir Thomas Allen and organ recitals www.3choirs.org

Tribe of Doris, 9-14 August, Black Down Hills, Devon

Not exactly a festival but a vibrant intercultural exchange of dance, acoustic music, song and ceremony. Primarily participatory, it specialises in drumming from around the world. www.tribeofdoris.co.uk

levellersBeautiful Days, 19-21 August, Ottery St Mary, Devon

Main stage headline acts Carter USM, Big Audio Dynamite, Gogol Bordello and Pop Will Eat Itself spark up this year’s Levellers festival (the Levellers pictured right) emanating punk-folk good cheer and named after the Levellers’ biggest hit. www.beautifuldays.org

Aeon, 26-28 August, Crediton, Devon

Cheap'n'cheerful event featuring DJ Vadim, avant-jazz, oddball electronica and a smidgeon of indie. www.aeonfestival.com

Shrewsbury Folk, 26-29 August, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

Oysterband, Cara Dillon, Bellowhead lead an event taking folk festivalling back to its roots, with a facelifted dance tent and some of the best Morris dance troupes in the UK promised. www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk

Watch percussionist Evelyn Glennie perform 'Rhythmic Caprice' on the marimba (see Cheltenham)


WALES


Coastline Bluegrass, 3-5 June, Dolwen, Llanddulas

Bluegrass Band, Longway and Homemade Jam top Wales's premier banjo-pickin' mandolin-swingin' deep south hoedown. www.coastlinebluegrass.co.uk

jamie_xxGottwood, 30 June-3 July, Llanfaethlu, Anglesey

Wills and Kate should look out - their island hosts a cutting-edge electronic party with Jamie XX (pictured right), A Guy Called Gerald, Round Table Knights, Kollectiv Turmstrasse and much more. www.gottwood.co.uk

Isle Of Man Bay Festival, CANCELLED, Douglas, Isle of Man

Sign of the economic times - the 2nd Bay Festival has been cancelled because of poor advance ticket sales, coming on top of the debts from last year’s inaugural event. Refunds on www.bayfestival.im

Wakestock, 8-10 July, Cardigan Bay

Find the world’s best wakeboarders, Biffy Clyro, The Wombats, Ellie Goulding and others at surf-centric event sponsored by an energy drink and jammed with young club sounds. www.wakestock.co.uk

National Eisteddfod of Wales, 30 July-6 August, Wrexham

The national Welsh-language festival of poetry, singing, drama and visual art. www.eisteddfod.org.uk

laura_marlingGreen Man, 19-21 August, Glanusk, Powys

With headliners including the mighty Fleet Foxes and Explosions in the Sky, 2011 promises to be another splendid affair in the Brecon Beacons. Laura Marling (pictured left), the Avett Brothers, the Bleedin’ Noses (see video below) and the Ramshackle Union Band are among the other attractions. www.greenman.net

Festival in the Shire, CANCELLED, Pontrhydfendigaid, Dyfed

A celebration of all things Tolkien-inspired in mid-Wales - but like the Bay Festival, it’s suffering in the economy and is “postponed” to 2012. www.festivalintheshire.com

Watch The Bleedin' Noses at Glasto 2010 (see Green Man)


SOUTH

 

foo_fightersIsle Of Wight, 10-12 June, Newport, Isle of Wight

Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters (pictured right), Pulp, Kaiser Chiefs, Beady Eye, Kasabian, Jeff Beck… the names go on at the famously massive family festivals. www.isleofwightfestival.com

Blissfields, 30 June-3 July, Alresford, Hampshire

Tricky, Frank Turner, Fenech-Soler, Gold Panda at bouncy bash that doesn't take itself too seriously. www.blissfields.co.uk

Sonisphere, 8-10 July, Knebworth, Hertfordshire

The British stopover for this travelling heavy metal rock train headlines Motorhead, Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Limp Bizkit... Bill Bailey and Biffy Clyro too. You can also catch the noise in 11 other countries. www.sonispherefestivals.com

Swanage Jazz Festival, 8-10 July, Swanage, Dorset

22nd year for the Dorset jazz festival, with John Maddock’s Jazzmen, Terry Seabrook Milestones, Gill Manly, Andy Dickens Quintet, Martin Litton’s Red Peppers and Christine Tobin Quartet among many. www.swanagejazz.org.uk

Larmer Tree, 13-17 July,near Salisbury, Wiltshire

Krystle Warren, Seasick Steve, Jassi Sidhu, Imelda May, Asian Dub Foundation, DJ Derek, comedian Arthur Smith, Jools Holland and even Sandie Shaw are on the attractively varied bill. www.larmertreefestival.co.uk

Marlborough Jazz Festival, 15-17 July, Marlborough, Wiltshire

Founded in 1986, the festival attracts 6,000 people to watch a range of famous touring acts as well as British jazz musicians, including saxophonist YolanDa Brown (see video below), Al Marconi, Swing de Bois and the Filthy Six. www.marlboroughjazz.co.uk

axel_krygierWOMAD, Malmesbury, Wiltshire

Dub Colossus, CW Stoneking, Penguin Café, Booker T Jones, Axel Krygier (pictured left), Susheels Raman, The Nextmen and MC Wrec lead Peter Gabriel's original world music celebration, still going strong after 29 years. Also at Bristol Zoo on 11 June, with Biram Seck and Alejandro Toledo & The Magic Tombolinos. www.womad.org

Camp Bestival, 28-31 July, Lulworth Castle, Dorset

Primal Scream, Laura Marling, Blondie, House of Pain, ABC are featured attractions at not so much a music festival as a family festival with music. www.campbestival.net

Rewind ‘80s Festival, 29-31 July, Scone Castle, Perth Scotland / 19-21 August, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Packed with Eighties pop stars like the Human League, Toyah, Rick Astley, Billy Ocean, Village People, Bananarama - the ultimate feast of guilty pleasures. www.rewindfestival.com

Jersey Live, 3-4 September, Jersey, Channel Islands

The Channel Islands more than holding their own in the festival stakes with Madness and The Streets among main stage attractions and Zane Lowe, Annie Mac and Mr Oizo heading the dance stage. www.jerseylive.org.uk

pendulumBestival, 8-11 September, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight

The Cure, Pendulum (pictured right), P J Harvey, Primal Scream are top fare on 15 stages - this year there’s a Roller Disco Ballroom Field and a Swamp Shack too among Bestival’s top-notch frolics. www.bestival.net

End Of The Road, 2-4 September, Tollard Royal, Dorset

A group of alt-Americana fans set up their own festival and found a devoted audience - big names include Lykke Li, Beirut, Joanna Newsom, Mogwai and Midlake. www.endoftheroadfestival.com

Watch a film of saxophonist YolanDa Brown playing the Fela Kuti classic 'Lady'(see Marlborough)

 

LONDON


Sydenham International Music Festival, May June, St Bartholomew’s Church, Sydenham, South London

Opera singer Sir Willard White and the Endellion String Quartet among the classical artists in the 8th Sydenham festival. www.sydenhammusic.net

London Review Bookshop World Literature Weekend, 17-19 June.  London Review Bookshop

The only UK festival to specialise in literature in translation. The theme of this year's festival is history and memory. Guests include novelists Cees Nooteboom and Javier Cercas, novelist and activist Manuel Rivas and Dutch poet laureate Ramsey Nasr. www.lrbshop.co.uk

Blaze Festival, 19 June-28 July, Barbican and East London venues including Hackney Empire, Gillett Square, Wilton’s Music Hall and Rich Mix.

Hugh Masekela, Basement Jaxx, Ryan Adams, Gregg Allman, Esperanza Spalding, The Unthanks, Ludovico Einaudi and Bill Evans are among those taking part in the third instalment of the eclectic music festival featuring new commissions www.barbican.org.uk/blaze

kangaroo_moonCity of London Festival, 26 June-16 July, Various London venues including Barbican Theatre, Guildhall, and outside St Paul's Cathedral

International dance and classical music festival on a theme of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, performers including Rambert Dance, the LSO, City of London Sinfonia, and Kangaroo Moon (pictured left) at Liverpool Street station. www.colf.org

Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, 24 June-2 July, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Park, Royal Observatory Gardens, Canary Wharf and other localities.

Free events majoring in "seriously spectacular street theatre", including fireworks, art installations, all-day outdoor attractions and  a "Dancing City" dance day on 2 July. www.festival.org

Hard Rock Calling, 24-26 June, Hyde Park, London

Rod Stewart, The Killers, Bon Jovi, Kaiser Chiefs head festival for older tastes with a fatter pocket. www.hardrockcalling.co.uk

Wireless, 1-3 July, Hyde Park, London

Black Eyed Peas, The Chemical Brothers, Ke$ha, Pulp, Chipmunk and Grace Jones (see video below) are some of the attractions at the slightly younger, cheaper Hyde Park event. www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

RobynLovebox Weekender, 15-17 July, Victoria Park, London

Affordable East London festival stars Snoop Dogg, Scissor Sisters, 2 Many DJs, The Wombats, Blondie, Robyn (pictured right). www.lovebox.net

Shoreditch Festival, 15-24 July, Shoreditch Park, New North Road, N1

Free events involving East London and international talent focusing on the canals and waterways and a day called the Shoreditch Games, to entice young people into trying out various sports. www.shoreditchfestival.org.uk

L.E.D., 11 August, Victoria Park, London

deadmau5 and Calvin Harris - night-clubbing in daylight in a south London park is more fun than it sounds. www.ledfestival.net

richie_hawtinSouth West Four, 27-28 August, Clapham Common, London

Above and Beyond, Richie Hawtin (pictured left), Group Therapy, Judge Jules - night-clubbing in daylight in a south London park is more fun than it sounds (part two). www.southwestfour.com

Watch Grace Jones's 'La Vie En Rose' video (see Wireless)


SOUTH-EAST


Brighton Festival, 7-29 May, Brighton, West Sussex

Increasingly looking like the south's Edinburgh rival, with edgy dance, theatre as well as music contemporary and classical - this year's theme of Burmese heroine Aung San Suu Kyi attracts headliners like Mulatu Astatke, John Cale, Laurie Anderson and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. www.brightonfestival.org

Glyndebourne Festival, 21 May-28 August, Lewes, East Sussex

The world-famous countryhouse opera-with-picnic festival shows Wagner's Die Meistersinger (see video below), Mozart's Don Giovanni, Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Handel's Rinaldo, Dvorak's Rusalka and Britten's The Turn of the Screw. www.glyndebourne.com

Fuse Medway Festival, 17-19 June, Chatham Riverside, Rochester Castle Gardens, high streets in Strood, Gillingham, Chatham, and other outdoor localities. High street circus and acts, video installations, audience-participation cycling events, hip hop and all sorts of wacky family things to see and join in. www.fusemedwayfestival.wordpress.com

International Youth Arts Festival, 1-18 July, Kingston, Surrey

Festival produced and performed by young people from all over the world, with indoor and outdoor events in theatre, film, visual arts, dance and music. www.iyafestival.org.uk

PrinceThe Hop Farm, 1-3 July, Paddock Wood, Kent

Prince (pictured right) will allegedly make his only UK appearance here, and other iconic attractions include Lou Reed, The Eagles, Morrissey, Brandon Flowers, Manu Chao and Bryan Ferry. www.hopfarmfestival.com

Lounge On The Farm, 8-10 July, Canterbury, Kent

The Streets, Ellie Goulding, Echo & the Bunnymen, Katy B and Devlin are among the eclectic selection of bands amid hay-bales, cowsheds and gorgeous food. www.loungeonthefarm.co.uk

GuilFest, 15-17 July, Guildford, Surrey

Roger Daltrey, Razorlight, Chipmunk headline the only place you can catch Adam Ant sharing a stage with N-Dubz. www.guilfest.co.uk

Redfest, 22-23 July, Redhill, Surrey

Another farmland setting, but this one with noisy, ebullient crossover of indie and electronic dance, headlined by We Are The Ocean, Futures, Ed Sheeran and Modestep. www.redfest.co.uk

One Love, 19-21 August, Hainault, Essex

Britain's only reggae camping festival comes round for the fourth year. Acts confirmed include Finley Quaye, Dennis Alcapone, David Rodigan, Dub Incorporation, Macka B & the Roots Ragga Band and many more. www.efestivals.co.uk

newton_faulknerWeyfest, 2-4 September, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey

Main acts Newton Faulkner (pictured left), The Blockheads, Focus, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash aim at the kind of fellow who likes real ale. www.weyfest.co.uk

Offset, 3-4 September, Redbridge, Essex

Atari Teenage Riot, Mystery Jets, Liquid Liquid, Caribou and avant-indie take centre-stage at this imaginatively programmed event. www.offsetfestival.co.uk

Windsor Festival, 17 September-2 October, Windsor, Berkshire

Spectacular Windsor Castle locations for classical events with opera bass Sir John Tomlinson, the Philharmonia, the Choir of St George's Chapel among attractions. www.windsorfestival.com

Watch Johan Botha sing the 'Prize Song' from Wagner's opera 'Die Meistersinger' (see Glyndebourne)

 

EAST


Ely Folk Festival, 8-10 July, Ely, Cambridgeshire

Top of the bill are The Men They Couldn't Hang, Three Daft Monkeys, Dervish, Martin Simpson Band and Shooglenifty. Folk is a core staple of Brit festival culture and Ely is the folk festivaller's folk festival. www.elyfolk.co.uk

FoalsLatitude, 14-17 July, Henham, Suffolk

The National, Suede, Paolo Nutini, Foals (pictured right) and Eels typify the range at this high-end weekend where rock and pop meet comedy and cabaret - DJ Annie Nightingale hosts a woodland stage for new talent too. www.latitudefestival.co.uk

Secret Garden Party, 21-24 July, East Anglia

The Jim Jones Revue, CW Stoneking, Smoke Fairies, Skip McDonald and Secret Sisters are among acts at this quirky independent fest. This year august forums on science and the origins of life intersperse with SGP's homespun wisdom. www.secretgardenparty.com

Cambridge Folk, 28-31 July, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Line-up for this global folkfest includes Laura Marling, Richard Thompson, Rumer (see video below), Chris Wood, Villagers and Home Service,  www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk

Harvest At Jimmys, 9-12 September, Ipswich, Suffolk

Eliza Doolittle, Fat Freddy's Drop, The Feeling, chef James Martin and the British Street Food Awards combine top tastes at this food and music festival. www.harvestatjimmys.com

Watch Rumer sing 'Aretha' (see Cambridge Folk)

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