Our 2018 Festival Bucket List

Summer time is officially upon us and we can’t wait for this year’s festival season. We’re already preparing… our Gorilla Tents have been cleaned and are airing out in the back garden, we’re stocking up on baby wipes and we’re psyching ourselves up for wet weekends and crowded toilet blocks. Got to love festival life! Often though, the hardest part about festival-going is committing to one event. We don’t all have an endless pit of money, or banked holiday days, so it’s important to choose a festival that ticks all your boxes and doesn’t leave you wishing you’d gone somewhere else!

With that in mind, we’ve put together some of our top picks to help you make your decision…

The Line-Up

If you’re looking for a festival with a diverse line-up – Reading & Leeds could be the one. On this year’s line-up, you’ll see multiple music genres being covered. With indie, hip-hop, RnB, grime, pop, electronic and rock music all being represented, Reading & Leeds offers massive value to an eclectic listener. Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, Kings of Leon, Fallout Boy and Travis Scott, but you’ll also see some nostalgia inducing artists on the line-up, including Kate Nash, The Kooks and Papa Roach.

Unfortunately, weekend tickets sold out ages ago, so we’ll be watching this one from the comfort of our sofa!

The Campsite

Do you treat a festival like a holiday or minibreak? If so, accommodation will play a large part in your decision and if you’re camping, you’ll want to do so in style. Most camping festivals now offer a range of camping options including glamping pods, caravan sites and family sites – as well as your standard, basic festival camping.

Our favourite campsite across all of the camping festivals though has to be the Respect Campsite at Isle of Wight Festival. It’s a really well looked after campsite and is therefore very popular. As well as this the ethos around this campsite is environmentally focussed. In order to secure a place in the Respect Field, attendees must agree to the sites T&Cs and the ‘Tent Commandments’ – a code of conduct to ensure that the site is well respected and left in good condition after the festival. Attendees must agree to take their tent, litter and all of their belongings away with them at the end of the festival. Because of the eco-friendly philosophy, pitches on the Respect Field are well sought after and tend to sell out very quickly.

The Guestlist

When it comes to star-studded guest lists, it doesn’t get better than Coachella! The Kardashian Clan, Justin Beiber, Jamie Foxx and Paris Hilton are all Coachella regulars, but it seems that pretty much every VIP in the world has made an appearance there. Unfortunately, Coachella took place back in April and we DEFINITELY didn’t have the budget for a return flight to California as well as up to $1000 for a ticket!

For an all-star festival a little closer to home, look to Wireless. Last year saw Bella Hadid, Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods, amongst many other famous faces, grace the backstage area at Finsbury Park. If you’re looking to do some star-spotting, Wireless is the place for it. With the line-up including Stormzy, J. Cole, Migos and DJ Khaled, this year’s festival is sure to keep up the tradition and attract even more VIP guests.

The Atmosphere

Many people attend festivals for the atmosphere, rather than for the specific artists who are performing and some festivals are renowned for having a great feel.

If you’re into rock music and looking for a festival where you can get fully immersed in a mosh pit, Download is the one for you. Festival goers are typically really friendly, and everyone comes home with a smile on their face, a couple of bruises and a rucksack full of filthy, mud-caked clothes!

If you’re looking for something a bit more mellow, look to Boomtown or Beatherder – while Boomtown is a bigger festival with a more well-known line-up, Beatherder is renowned for it’s chilled, hippie vibe. Both festivals are family friendly, so they are great if you’re looking at a relaxed weekend away.

So there it is… our top picks for this festival season. Obviously, it’d be great to be at all of the festivals but worry not, our team are out and about all summer bringing you all the best bits from the biggest events!

Share your 2018 festival best bits with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #GorillaFest and let us document a season of music, friends and partying!