8 of the UK's best boutique festivals
1st Apr 2013 | 07:30
Farmfestival
Embracing the true spirit of festival hosting, Farmfestival started as a party for friends, before it grew to encompass friends of friends, friends of friends of friends and so on. It supports local producers and suppliers, gives a chunk of the proceeds to charity and is known for its all-embracing friendliness.
Headliners: Ghostpoet, Art Brut
Dates: 26 - 27 July
Location: Bruton, Somerset
Tickets:Weekend tickets £50
Other line-up highlights:
Black Strobe, DJ Die, Reeps One, Laid Blak, The Lovely Eggs, Son Of Dave (full line-up)
Hevy Fest
A bona fide punk-fest bringing together the best of US and UK talent, not to mention some rare festival exclusives (Descendents!), without getting all ‘Warped Tour’ on everything.
Headliners: Black Flag, Hatebreed
Dates: 2 - 4 August
Location: Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent
Tickets:Weekend tickets £99
Other line-up highlights:
Comeback Kid, Horse The Band, The Menzingers, Metz, Circle Takes The Square, Tigers Jaw, Heights (full line-up)
Secret Garden Party
This year’s theme is ‘Superstition’ and we expect it to be as wholeheartedly embraced as ever in a variety of weird costumes, set-pieces and spectacle. If you like your festivals colourful, exhibitionist and full of invention, this could be for you.
Headliners: Soulwax, Django Django
Dates: 25 - 28 July
Location: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
Tickets:Weekend tickets from £191
Other line-up highlights:
Regina Spector, Goldie, Big Youth, Bastille, Public Service Broadcasting, Bobby Tank, Willy Mason, Zane Lowe (full line-up)
Beacons Festival
A high brow selection of indie, dance and hip hop hosted within the scenic Yorkshire Dales. Beacons appeals to the serious muso without being po-faced - conveying a relaxed air and a very definite sense of fun.
Headliners: Bonobo, Django Django, Local Natives
Dates: 16 - 18 August
Location: Heslaker Farm, Skipton
Tickets:Weekend tickets from £109.50, day tickets from £35
Other line-up highlights:
Solange, John Talabot, David Rodigan, Oneman, Dutch Uncles, Fucked Up, Theo Parrish, Ghostpoet, Bicep (full line-up)
Boardmasters
There’s (a really quite valid) argument that, with sponsorship from Vans and Relentless and a capacity of 14,500, Boardmasters is not a boutique festival at all. We’ve included it here because it offers big festival names in a top location for under £90 and its popularity with extreme sports types gives it a flavour of its own. A definite alternative.
Headliners: Basement Jaxx, The Vaccines, Ben Howard
Dates: 7 - 11 August
Location: Watergate Bay, Newquay, Cornwall
Tickets: Weekend tickets from £105, day tickets from £43
Other line-up highlights:
Everything Everything, Miles Kane, Frightened Rabbit, The Joy Formidable, Grand Master Flash, Tom Odell, MJ Cole, Delphic (full line-up)
Standon Calling
Hosted in the grounds of founder Alex Trenchard’s manor house, Standon is one of the flagship ‘boutiques’. Its ‘DIY ‘til I die’ attitude, Standon-only quirkiness (swimming pool with sound system, disco in the cowshed) and late-running schedule, create an experience that events charging twice the price can’t match.
Headliners: De La Soul, Band Of Skulls, Digitalism
Dates: 3 - 5 August
Location: Standon, Hertfordshire
Tickets:Weekend tickets from £99
Other line-up highlights:
Alunageorge, Bastille, The D.O.T, Toy, The Joy Formidable, Public Service Broadcasting, King Charles (full line-up)
Leopallooza
Morphing from a house party (in a field) that sort of spun out of control into a fully-fledged festival, Leopallooza now aims to showcase local bands and entice acts to play an area full of music lovers, but somehow always missed by touring bands.
Headliners: To be announced
Dates: 2 - 4 August
Location: Bude, Cornwall
Tickets:Weekend tickets £60, Sunday only tickets £15
Other line-up highlights:
Line-up yet to be announced
Truck
One of the first of the current wave of boutique festivals, Truck celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. It has a capacity of just 5,000 and it’s famed for its community spirit, great bands and friendly vibe.
Headliners: The Horrors, Spiritualized
Dates: 20 - 21 July
Location: Steventon, Oxford
Tickets:Weekend tickets £74
Other line-up highlights:
Ash, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Dry the River, Gaz Coombes, Rolo Tomassi, We Are The Ocean, The Joy Formidable, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Bo Ningen, Ady Suleiman, Arcane Roots (full line-up)
