Bestival

Bestival

The leader of the pack among the post-Glasto festivals, Bestival rounds off the summer with an always-perfect mix of mainstream and extreme, debauched and cosy. This is where the original rave generation go to burn the candle every which way, then camp in a luxury Bedouin tent and wake up in time for organic muesli and face-painting. Rob da Bank is the man behind the weekend: with his wife, Josie, and regulars including fellow Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac and the all-singing, all breakdancing, sometimes-starkers Cuban Brothers, he has established a festival favourite, and the best reason ever to hop on a ferry to the Isle of Wight. The music is enough of a draw (the Gossip, Beastie Boys, Pet Shop Boys, Horace Andy and Scissor Sisters have played in recent years), but there’s plenty of fun besides: cabaret, a beauty parlour, cinema, sauna, an inflatable church for those who wish to wed, circus acts and, of course, the Bestival tradition of fancy dress, which sees the majority finding togetherness in silly outfits.

Highlights

This is such a wilfully eclectic festival that it’s tricky to pinpoint a particular moment, but if you can picture yourself wearing a tutu and dancing to ‘All Night Long’ while a Cuban Brother gives you a neck massage at four in the morning, and if that picture makes you feel good, then this is the place for you.

In The Know

Head Count

Around 15,000 tickets are sold for the weekend. That’s a lot of people dressing up as cowboys and Indians, all at the same time.

Meeting Point

The entrance to the campsite is central, quiet enough to find a pal, and close enough to the action for you to happily hang around there for a bit.

Packing Tips

Take a silly outfit: Bestival set the world record for the biggest-ever fancy-dress party a couple of years ago. Rob and co’s chosen theme tends to run through the weekend every festival – two years ago, a clown theme was mooted, until somebody pointed out how very, very frightening that could be.

Escape

Make a break for the Retreat Healing Field, by the Boutique campsite, where you can get about 15 kinds of massage, try a spot of yoga, learn to play the didgeridoo, or just have a nice lie-down. If you feel like some real life, head south or west to the beach at Compton Bay or Colwell Bay.

Dos and don'ts

• Don’t fret about spartan/non-existent wash facilities – there’s a sauna, hot tub and hot showers in the Nomadic Spa at the bottom of the camping field.
• Head to the Dressing Up Area if you forgot to pack your togs for the fancy dress. You’ll find all manner of fabulous wigs, wacky shoes and frilly frocks on offer there.

Need To Know

Children

This is very much the festival for ravers who’ve had kids, so young ’uns are welcomed with open arms. There are juggling and circus shows, painting, dancing and drumming workshops, a fancy-dress area and a daytime nursery on the Saturday and Sunday.

Parking

There’s a car park for the festival just by the Hare & Hounds pub near the entrance. It’ll set you back £7 for the weekend.

Disability Access

Access to the park is good, with tarmacked paths around most of the areas. There’s a camping area for platform for the main stage. Free tickets are available for carers. Email production@bestival.net to register so you are given the right passes.

Food & Drink

You’ll find more good food here than you could in most city centres, including sushi, posh pies, gourmet burgers, salads and Thai curries. There’s also a farmers’ market and a Women’s Institute tent supplying robust portions of cake and tea. Of the plentiful drinking holes, we favour the Bollywood Bar, with waiter service and the best cocktails we’ve ever had at a festival.

Sleep

As the festival for people who aren’t sure they can really cope with festivals any more, Bestival comes well equipped with luxury bedding-down options, including a boutique camping area with 24-hour check-in and its own showers and loos. See details of bivouacs, buses, beach huts and more at www.boutiquecamping.net. Afterwards, get reacquainted with the civilised world of en suite bathrooms at the Seaview, a friendly hotel with an excellent restaurant right on the coast. Find details and book at www.mrandmrssmith.com, or ring 0845 034 0701.

VIP

Bestival is boutique all over, so there’s no ‘special’ area. The only people backstage are working crew and artists.