Fire up a fresh WhatsApp group with your favourites and (mic) drop a link to one of these must-visit summer festivals in the South West
Rock Oyster Festival
Gastronauts and music lovers will descend upon the banks of the Camel Estuary come July 24-27 for grooves and good eats at Rock Oyster Festival. From this picturesque coastal location, a look-at-me line-up of chefs will hold demos and pop-up restaurants, while acclaimed musical acts take to the stage and a packed adventure and wellbeing programme keeps everyone feeling on top form.
Culinary stars not to be missed at the three-day event include Noor Murad, Richard Bertinet, Mark Hix, Jack Stein and Andrew Tuck. Additional foodie thrills will come in the form of street food vendors plus a shuck ton of stalls from celebrated producers in the region.
When attendees aren’t chowing down on something delicious, hitting a yoga class or lazing on the grass sipping a cold one, they’ll be dancing to live tunes from the likes of Ministry of Sound Classical, Rag’n’Bone Man, UB40, Kate Nash and Everything Everything.
Falmouth Food Festival
Raise a glass or two to the late May bank holiday in style. Falmouth Food Festival kicks off on May 24 and will showcase Cornwall’s creative food culture for four delicious days on the waterfront.
A visit to the free fest could include watching Kota chef Jude Kereama cook up a fusion feast in the Chef’s Theatre, knocking back a few native oysters from the shucking pros at Kelp Canteen, sipping a juicy low-intervention cider from Ripe and bopping along to folksy guitar strumming from Sun Full Music.
Be sure to pack a roomy tote as there’ll be lots of stalls from celebrated producers in the region selling all sorts of incredible edibles and new-release tipples.
Lake Paradiso, near Bristol
From the same team behind the much-loved Valley Fest (which is taking a break this year), Lake Paradiso is a new concept promising to bring a new kind of field rave to Chew Valley Lake.
From August 1-3, the lakeside fest will host a huge bill of musical acts bringing soul, funk, disco and global grooves to the stage while a plethora of wellness VIPs and instructors guide attendees through wild spa rituals and yoga by the water. This is the kind of festival giving dance-barefoot-under-the-stars energy. For those that love a festival but need their creature comforts, level up to one of the glamping tents and consider a spell in one of the onsite wood-fired hot tubs.
Gone Wild Festival
Looking for a festival suitable for the sprogs? Bear Grylls’ Gone Wild Festival at Powderham Castle might be just the ticket.
The family-friendly event on August 21-24 includes pretty much every activity you could dream up. From the well-known (abseiling, archery, axe throwing and the like) to the obscure (clay lamp making, anyone?), there are over 100 adrenaline-boosting and mindful goings-on to pick from.
While little ones and teens are kept busy with land and water sports, grown-ups will want to see if they can steal away some time to join sessions including forage and feast, guided meditation and disco zen – sounds a little oxymoronic but intriguing nonetheless.
Taste East Devon Festival
This collaborative festival wraps up a season of great eating, dancing and drinking in the tastiest way possible.
Familiar producers, chefs, restaurants and venues across the region will team up to host a range of unique food and drink experiences from September 13-21. From wine tastings to food fairs and fermenting experiments, odds on there will be something to pique the palate. While the events line-up isn’t released yet, this is a tab to keep open ready for when it is – tickets to the individual events fly out the door fast.
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