Huge European festival weekend ahead

A number of big-hitters feature in IQ‘s latest round-up of festivals taking place across Europe over the next few days.

In the UK, the Bank Holiday weekend sees a packed schedule including the return of Reading & Leeds (23-25 August), headlined by Blink-182, Fred Again.., Liam Gallagher, Lana Del Rey, Gerry Cinnamon and Catfish and the Bottlemen.

This year’s lineup also includes acts such as 21 Savage, Raye, Two Door Cinema Club, Fontaines D.C., The Prodigy, Skrillex, Sonny Fodera, Pendulum, Bleachers, Spiritbox, Jorja Smith and The Last Dinner Party.

Catfish and the Bottlemen, who announced their first UK stadium headline shows earlier this week, with performances at Cardiff Principality Stadium (1 August) and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (3 August) booked for 2025, will also headline Edinburgh Summer Sessions at the Royal Highland Showgrounds in Scotland on 24 August.

All Points East (APE), which kicked off last week with Kaytranada, Loyle Carner and Mitski, wraps up from 23-25 August with  LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie. The Saturday event is held under the Field Day banner, topped by Justice and Charlotte de Witte.

Also on the APE bill at London’s Victoria Park are the likes of Jai Paul, Pixies, Floating Points, The Decemberists, Phoenix, Gossip, Lany, Jockstrap, Joy, The Kills, Say She She and Sleater-Kinney.

Held in Daresbury, Cheshire, dance institution Creamfields (22-25 August) will star Calvin Harris, Chase & Status, Martin Garrix, Alesso, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Fatboy Slim, Tiesto, Peggy Gou, Sub Focus, Eric Prydz, Hardwell, Charlotte de Witte, Armin van Buuren, Pete Tong, Fisher, Michael Bibi, Steve Angello and Gorgon City, among others.

Meanwhile, in France, Rock en Seine (21-25 August) in Saint Cloud starts tonight with a standalone show by Lana Del Rey. The festival will also welcome stars such as Fred Again.., LCD Soundsystem, Måneskin, PJ Harvey, Massive Attack, Pixies, The Offspring, Loyle Carner, Jungle, 2ManyDJs, Baxter Dury, Kasabian, Inhaler, Gossip and Loyle Carner.

Montpellier’s Palmarosa Festival (23-25 August) has a bill featuring Phoenix, Gossip and Tom Odell, plus acts including The Kills, The Hives, Soulwax and The Vaccines, and Nice Jazz Fest (20-23 August) showcases Nas, Jungle, Phoenix, Sampha and more.

The first weekend of Switzerland’s Zurich Openair (23-24 August) boasts names including Sam Smith, Martin Garrix, Raye, Macklemore, Louis Tomlinson, Armin van Buuren, Loyle Carner, Zoe Wees and Milky Chance.

Elsewhere, The Cult, Die Antwoord, The Darkness, The Libertines, Crystal Fighters and Soulfly are among acts slated for Portugal’s Vilar de Mouros (21-24 August), and Tiesto, Zara Larsson and Alan Walker top the bill at Feelings (23-24 August) in Bergen, Norway.

Back in the UK, Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival (23-25 August) is headed by Fatboy Slim, Jamie T and Biffy Clyro. Other artists on the bill include Snow Patrol, Idles, Louis Tomlinson, Jess Glynne, Courteeners, Pixies, Sugababes, The Lathums, Holly Humberstone, Becky Hill, Wet Leg, James Bay, Arlo Parks, Soft Play and Yard Act.

CarFest (23-25 August), which takes place at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire, is topped by Richard Ashcroft, Olly Murs and UB40 ft. Ali Campbell, with support from Deacon Blue, Johnny Marr, Sam Ryder, Beverley Knight, Jake Shears, Kula Shaker, Reef and Damian Lewis.

Performers at Northamptonshire’s Shambala (22-25 August) will include Bob Vylan, The Congos, The Beatbox Collective, Sampa the Great and Brushy One String, while Camper Calling (23-25 August) will bring artists including Travis, Jessie J, Groove Armada, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Zutons, Professor Green, The Bluetones, Norman Jay and The Sherlocks to Ragley Hall, Warwickshire.

Americana and roots music and culture festival The Long Road (23-25 August) in Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, will feature a UK exclusive headline show from the legendary Don McLean. Russell Dickerson will also headline the event, with the supporting cast including Chapel Hart, Ron Pope, Paula Cole, American Aquarium, Gangstagrass, Campbell Jensen, Gina Larner, Brittney Spencer, The Red Clay Strays, Colbie Caillat, Randall King, Flatland Cavalry and Pokey LaFarge.

And Blur’s Alex James’ farm in the Cotswolds’ will host Big Feastival (23-25 August), headlined by Becky Hill, Ministry of Sound Classical, Snow Patrol. The bill also features the likes of Joel Corry, Ella Henderson, Johnny Marr, CMAT, Hak Baker, Natasha Bedingfield, Jax Jones, Cat Burns and Cian Ducrot.

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UK prepares for biggest festival weekend in two years

More than half a million people are expected at open-air music events across the UK over the next four days for the biggest festival weekend since summer 2019.

Among the major festivals making their long-awaited, non-socially distanced returns after a year off this long weekend – Monday is a public holiday in England – are Live Nation UK’s Creamfields (Thursday 26–Sunday 29 August), AEG Presents’ All Points East (Friday 27–Monday 30 August), Festival Republic’s Reading and Leeds Festivals (27–29 August) and Superstruct Entertainment’s Victorious Festival (27–29 August), as well as a handful of smaller events.

Citing the success of the national Covid-19 vaccine roll-out, the UK government did away with the last social distancing regulations in England on 19 July (so-called ‘freedom day’) and a number of music festivals, notably Tramlines, Latitude, Standon Calling and Boardmasters, have taken place since, most with a system of Covid-status certification in place based on the NHS (National Health Service) app.

After its cancellation in 2020, Creamfields, the UK’s biggest dance music event, returns to its long-time home in Daresbury, Cheshire, with performances by Basement Jaxx, Jaxx, Tiësto, Peggy Gou, Eric Prydz, Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox, Andy C, Scooter, Paul Van Dyck, Pete Tong, Martin Garrix and more.

Though Creamfields has not announced a capacity reduction for 2021 – a full complement of ten stages of music will be in operation from Friday to Sunday – the event will be fully cashless for the first time, with only electronic payments available at all bars and concessions.

The return of twin festivals Reading and Leeds, Stormzy, Liam Gallagher, Post Malone, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Disclosure and Biffy Clyro, will be “a real[ly] emotional time” for the mainly young people attending, who have had “the worst 18 months for that generation almost since the invention of the teenager in the late 50s, when teenagers became a thing,” Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn tells the BBC.

The festivals will also be home to pop-up vaccination clinics which the NHS says will make it as easy to get a jab as a burger or beer.

“The live music industry is holding itself to a higher standard than any other sector in terms of Covid measures”

London’s All Points East, which this year incorporates Field Day, is AEG Presents’ first festival in the UK since British Summer Time in Hyde Park in July 2019. Moved from its traditional spring dates, the festival opens with London Grammar headlining tonight, with other headliners across the weekend including Jorja Smith, Jamie XX, Kano and Foals, as well as Bicep at Field Day on Sunday.

The festival, held in Victoria Park, will be attended by in excess of 40,000 people a day, having boosted its capacity since 2019.

“We are already experiencing such a great feeling from everyone on site: happy faces of fans, artists and staff coming back together for a brilliant music festival,” AEG’s head of European festivals, Jim King, tells IQ. “There is excitement and anticipation, everyone getting to know each other again and discovering their new favourite artist or looking forward to the big headliners. For us at All Points East, it is our first opportunity to put into practice what we do best and that in itself is a brilliant feeling.

“We have sold 160,000 tickets for four days. It’s clear that everyone is eager to get back to live music and after All Points East being away for 817 days, it is really satisfying to know that. The live music industry is holding itself to a higher standard than any other sector in terms of Covid measures. We can be proud that our industry is leading the way in staff and customer safety.”

In Portsmouth, Madness, the Streets, Royal Blood, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass and Nile Rogers and Chic are leading Victorious Festival’s return.

Like all the festivals mentioned, Victorious festivalgoers will need to demonstrate their negative Covid-19 status – proof of full vaccination or immunity, or a negative test – to gain entry.

While concerns have been raised about the impact of large events like festivals on Covid-19 transmission, scientists say the trigger points for spreading the virus are public transport and shared cars to get to events, Reuters reports, as outdoor gatherings can be relatively risk free, as demonstrated by pilot events in the UK and elsewhere.

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Global acquires Victorious and Hideout Festivals

Just four days after IQ revealed the UK’s largest festival promoter, Live Nation, had acquired Isle of Wight Festival, the second-largest – Ashley Tabor’s Global Entertainment – has made two buys of its own.

With the acquisition of majority stakes in Victorious Festival, a family-friendly festival in Portsmouth, in southern England, and Hideout Festival, an electronic music event on the Croatian island of Pag, Global’s festival portfolio now stands at a total of 17 events, cementing its position as a major player in the increasingly consolidated international festival market.

Global Entertainment, initially headed up by ex-AEG CEO Randy Phillips (now at LiveStyle, the former SFX) entered the festival business in 2015 following the acquisition of Broadwick Live.

“We are continuing to grow our portfolio, with more to come”

Global acquired UK festivals South West Four, Field Day, Boardmasters, Rewind, Y Not and Truck last October. It also promotes Austrian music/ski festival Snowbombing – which will expand to North America this year with the inaugural Snowbombing Canada – and Welsh boutique event Festival №6, as well as Standon Calling, Glass Butter Beach, Lost Village and former Hideout rival Electric Elephant.

In addition to its Entertainment division, which includes music publishing, management and live and touring operations, Global is one of the UK’s largest commercial broadcasters through Global Radio (Heart, Capital, Smooth, Classic FM) and Global Television (Capital TV, Heart TV).

“We are excited to welcome Victorious and Hideout Festival to the family,” says Global COO Ian Hanson. “Each of them is a renowned music festival with a strong and loyal following, and we look forward to working with the festivals’ management teams to grow them to the next level. We are continuing to grow our portfolio, with more to come.”

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