Summer is here, and that means music festivals!
This year I am trying to go to as many festivals as possible, because I only managed to go to one last year.
So far this year I have been to one Festival, appropriately called Mud Fest, and I plan to go to a few more by the end of the year.
Mud Fest was held over three days at Newark Showground and was good fun. They hadThey two stages, lots of stalls, bars, different types of food, an obstacle course race and of course, mud. Bands were playing continually from Friday evening until Sunday night, and the main headliner on Saturday night was Scouting for Girls.
My favourite bar was a Shisha bar in a tent. They had tables set up around the floor where people could lounge on beanbags smoking Shisha pipes. I didn’t smoke any myself as I’m not into smoking, but I liked the relaxed atmosphere in there. They also had an open mic all weekend, so some of the bands that were playing on the main stages came in to play a few songs for the people that were hanging around. It was a cool intimate and chilled out place.
As is traditional at music festivals it rained quite a lot, often quite heavily. But because I had my trusty umbrella and waterproof I did not get too wet. Luckily the mud wasn’t a problem either and my Powerchair managed to blast through it without getting stuck like quicksand.
Next on the agenda is Shanti Fest which is being held at Scholey Park in Coningsby on the 1st to 3rd July. This is a not-for-profit festival organised by the Lincoln based charity Lincs2Nepal. It’s aim is to raise money and awareness for the charity’s work in Nepal. The charity helps to improve the health, education and general development of poor communities. For every drink bought at the festival, the charity says, they will provide fresh drinking water to one person for a lifetime. Plus for every meal bought they will provide 30 hot meals for one child in Nepal.
Shanti fest looks like it’s going to be great and I’m looking forward to it. According to their website they will have two stages, one inspired by the architecture of a temple in Nepal, and one inspired by the tin dome structures that the charity built for the survivors of the Nepal earthquake last year. There will be a variety of music ranging from acoustic and folk to electronic and rock. Something for everyone it seems!
Also there will be a healing area where people can come and relax and revitalise their soul. They will offer meditation, yoga, sound therapy and shamanic healing classes. A number of healers will be on hand throughout the day to hold one-on-one sessions with people. I’m into meditation so I’m looking forward to visiting this part and trying out some of the different healing and relaxation therapies on offer.
On September 16th – 18th there is the Equinox Festival, held at the same place as Shanti fest. This looks like a sort of hippie type festival and is a “magical musical medley of performance, art and interaction for all.” According to their website they will have three stages each with a different theme and music, from disco classics and up and coming bands, to hard dance tunes. They also will have a healing area providing information about a range of alternative treatments such as massage, Reiki, Tarot, shamanic circles and Qiqong. It should be an experience because I have no idea what shamanic circles or Qiqong actually are. Looks like I will have to get some hemp clothes and wear flowers in my hair for this one. I’m looking forward to it!
That’s all the festivals I have planned so far this year, but there are others that I’m interested in. There is Festival8 which is held near the Lincolnshire Wolds, but because it’s an hour drive away I’m not sure if this will be too far to travel every day. I’ll think about it.
Also for next year I am very interested in the Lost Village Festival which is held in a private woodland in Lincolnshire. It was held at the end of May and I missed it this year so I’m going to look into going next year. I need to enquire about the wheelchair access because it’s held in a woodland, and. But it sounds awesome so I’m really hoping I will be able to go. Look at this video:
Next year I really want to go to Glastonbury. I’ve wanted to do this for a number of years but the logistics of it have always prevented me from actually making the leap. But I have since learned that the Glastonbury festival have a gold award certificate from the charity Attitude Is Everything for their disabled facilities. Attitude Is Everything campaign for better disabled access at music events, so giving a gold award to Glastonbury means their disabled facilities can’t get much better. I’ve read that Glastonbury has a disabled campsite with a changing places toilets which is great. I just need to work out the logistics of camping in a tent, or whether it would be easier to stay in a nearby hotel. Ideally I want to camp, because this will be more fun!
I need to gather as much information about Glastonbury as I can from disabled people’s point of view. So if you are disabled and you have been to Glastonbury please let me know what it was like! Even if you don’t have a disability and have been to Glastonbury I still want to hear about your experience, so please comment or send me a message!
In fact, if you’ve been to ANY music festivals I would love to hear about your experiences!
Until next time, party on dude!
