Bestival 2016 Preview

Bestival returns in 2016 having just won best UK Major Festival last year at the UK Festival Awards. Despite its previous accolades though, the four day boutique festival has one key idea in mind for this year, ‘Future’.

Based at Robin Hill Country Park surrounded by the gorgeous settings of the Isle of Wight, the festival has many stages, genres of music and creative installations on offer for punters this year. There seems to be two prevailing sounds at the festival in 2016. One is futuristic house music with Major Lazer headlining the Friday, alongside Diplo playing a solo set. Other highlights include DJ Yoda playing a ‘sci-fi set’ and classic house favourites Fatboy Slim, Richie Hawtin and Carl Cox, the latter playing a ‘house classics’ set.

The other is the rejuvenated reggae, grime and dancehall genres with Wiz Khalifa and Sean Paul co-headlining and closing the festival on the Sunday. Bestival has booked every Grime artist you could wish to see with Eskimo Dance bringing one of the most exciting collectives to the festival and solo sets from Skepta and Kano, with newer stars Krept & Konan, Novelist, Loyle Carner and Lady Leshurr also on the bill. Damian Marley and David Rodigan are the heavyweights helping to represent reggae and dancehall.

It would be unfair to put the festival under just that blanket though. The Saturday night sees The Cure return after their 2011 headline slot went down in folklore. They’ll no doubt be looking to match up to the three hours they played last time and some of the UK’s best bands in Wolf Alice, Fatherson and Clean Cut Kid join them on the lineup.

And for us at The Tipping Point, and all of you new music enthusiasts there’s so much on offer. Pop fans will recognize the names Frances, Honne and Oh Wonder on the line-up whereas fans of new indie and most alternative music will be excited at the bookings of Vant, The Japanese House and Spring King.

It’s not just the music that has us excited about the festival this year though. Festivals are always a place for fun imaginative ideas and Bestival is top of the class for those. You can expect entertainment from The World’s Biggest Bouncy Castle, on-site Hot Tubs and a Carnival Parade. The Chuckle Brothers will also be taking in the Bestival experience, playing the Main Stage, which promises to be a once in a lifetime set.

Perhaps the most exciting creative installation will be the seven stories high Spaceport, which promises futuristic music and settings. Festival curator Rob Da Bank said:

“This stage is going to blow your mind and take you interstellar like no other stage before…This is the future of dance music.”

Unlike Rob, we can’t really see into the future but what we do know is this festival is set to be one of the most fun and spectacular weekends of the year so make sure you don’t miss out on Bestival 2016.

Words by Scott Hastie