Beautiful Days (festival)

Last updated

Beautiful Days
Beautiful Days Logo.gif
Genre rock, alternative rock, folk, punk rock, dance, experimental
DatesAugust
Location(s)Escot Park, Ottery St Mary, Devon, England
Years active2003–present
Website www.beautifuldays.org

Beautiful Days is a music festival that takes place in August at Escot Park, near Ottery St Mary, Devon. The festival was founded by, and is managed by the band The Levellers and was first held in 2003. The festival has no corporate sponsorship or branding, [1] leading to Virtual Festivals proclaiming it "the festival that sells out ... by not selling out". [2] In 2011 Beautiful Days was pronounced "Best Family Festival" by the UK Festival Awards, [3] later winning the "Grass Roots Festival Award" in 2015, [4] as well as the "Best Medium Festival" award from FestivalKidz the same year. [2] Every festival from 2003 to the current one (2024) has sold out in advance; [5] although the 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current capacity is 17,500. [6]

Contents

History

The Levellers began the festival at Escot Park in 2003, after a previous venture (the Green Blade Festival) ran into licensing difficulties. [7] The Levellers' singer Mark Chadwick explained the thinking behind the ethos of the new festival in an interview with eFestivals [8]

"The whole reason for doing it is that many festivals are shit. They just haven't got that right element of cultural exchange. We're trying to get that 'weirdness' back into festivals, which is the whole point of doing it ... as soon as the corporate hand sticks its tiniest bit in, they're fucked."

The festival is held on the penultimate weekend of August, which until 2017 was the same weekend as the now defunct V Festival; Chadwick stated that although this was not originally deliberate, he liked it because "the ethos of the festival is (the) antithesis of V." [8]

Musical styles

Fireworks after The Levellers' set, 2015 BD fireworks 2015.jpg
Fireworks after The Levellers' set, 2015

Beautiful Days has a more diverse range of musical artists than many other festivals. [7] Headline artists have included reggae (Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Wailers), alternative rock (James, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine), punk (The Stranglers, The Pogues), post-punk (Killing Joke, Public Image Ltd), country rock (Steve Earle), folk rock (Frank Turner), dance (Leftfield), gothic rock (The Sisters of Mercy) and blues (Seasick Steve). A number of acts from outside the US and UK which may be less familiar to festival crowds are booked each year; in recent years these have included Tinariwen (Mali), Seeed (Germany), Katzenjammer (Norway), Dubioza kolektiv (Bosnia) and Hoffmaestro (Sweden). [9] Traditionally, The Levellers open the festival with an acoustic set in the Big Top on Friday afternoon, and close it by headlining the main stage on Sunday, followed by a firework display. [10]

Stages

Panorama of the Main Stage in 2011 Beautiful Days 2011 panorama.jpg
Panorama of the Main Stage in 2011

The first two festivals were held over two days (Saturday and Sunday) and utilised two stages, named the Main Stage and the Big Top. In 2005 it became a three-day festival with the addition of bands playing on the Friday, and has since expanded the number of stages. Between 2012 and 2018 there were six main stages; the two mentioned above, plus the Little Big Top, the Bimble Inn, the Bandstand and the Theatre Tent, [6] the main stage and Big Top hosting the majority of established acts, with the Bimble Inn and Bandstand showcasing lesser known acts. The Little Big Top is primarily dance-oriented, whilst the Theatre tents provides theatre, cabaret, comedy and children's acts. [11] [10] In 2019 the Bandstand was removed to make way for a larger Theatre Tent, with some acoustic acts performing in the Fiddler's Arms. [12]

Facilities

Beautiful Days has the usual range of festival facilities. There are three bars - with Levellers-related names (Hope Tavern, Fiddler's Arms and Dirty Davey's), which are run by the local Otter Brewery, numerous food stalls, and a shop run by the village shop from nearby Talaton. [13] There is a large children's area with activities and workshops run by the Majical Youth Theatre, along with child-friendly performances in the Theatre Tent. [14] There are camping sections, including a family section and a disabled section, and a large area for camper vans and other live-in vehicles. [15]

Festival details

YearDateMain Stage HeadlinersBig Top HeadlinersNotes/Reference
200316-17 August Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Levellers Senser [lower-alpha 1] , Justin Sullivan [16]
200421-22 August The Stranglers, The Levellers System 7, Show of Hands [17]
200519-21 August Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Wonder Stuff, The Levellers Chas & Dave, Steeleye Span, Billy Bragg [18]
200618-20 August Killing Joke, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Levellers Hayseed Dixie, Julian Cope, Alabama 3 [19]
200717-19 August Gogol Bordello, KT Tunstall, The Levellers Skaville UK, Show of Hands, The Damned [20]
200815-17 August Squeeze, Supergrass, The Levellers Brakes, Salsa Celtica, Los Albertos [21]
200921-23 August Hawkwind, The Pogues, The Levellers Seth Lakeman, Swans in Flight, The Blockheads [22]
201020-22 August The Wailers, James, The Levellers Fairport Convention, Bellowhead, Shooglenifty [23]
201119-21 August Big Audio Dynamite, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, The Levellers The Low Anthem, Oysterband, Salsa Celtica [24]
201217-19 August Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Public Image Ltd, The Levellers] Midlake, Seth Lakeman, Katzenjammer [25]
201316-18 August Ocean Colour Scene, Primal Scream, The Levellers Clannad, Headmix Collective, Roy Harper [26]
201415-17 August Steve Earle and the Dukes, Seasick Steve, The Levellers Tinariwen, Bellowhead, Devin Townsend [27]
201521-23 August Happy Mondays, Dropkick Murphys, The LevellersFreeborn John [lower-alpha 2] , Wilko Johnson, Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain [28]
201619-21 August Leftfield, James, The Levellers Billy Bragg, The Damned [lower-alpha 3] , Treacherous Orchestra [29]
201718-20 August Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, The Levellers Therapy?, Hayseed Dixie, Alison Moyet [30]
201817-19 August The Hives, Manic Street Preachers, The Levellers Suzanne Vega, Calexico, Richard Thompson Electric Trio [31]
201916-18 August Skunk Anansie, Ziggy Marley, The Levellers Songhoy Blues, Hothouse Flowers, Steeleye Span [32]
202021-23 August Travis, Flogging Molly, The LevellersHawkwind, Indigo Girls, Show of HandsCancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [33]
202120-22 AugustFrank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, James, The LevellersHawkwind, The Lakeman Family Gathering [lower-alpha 4] , [34] Van der Graaf Generator [35]
202219-21 AugustFlogging Molly, The Specials, The Levellers Beth Orton, The Imagined Village, Billy Bragg [36]
202318-20 August Suede, Primal Scream, The Levellers The Dead South, Indigo Girls, The Rock Orchestra [37]
202416-18 August The Saw Doctors, Richard Ashcroft, The Levellers Richard Hawley, Toyah Willcox & Robert Fripp, Fisherman's Friends [38]
  1. ↑ Although Senser were billed as the headliners, Mad Dog Mcrea played in the tent after them.
  2. ↑ "Freeborn John" was Rev Hammer's musical story of John Lilburne, performed by Maddy Prior, Sean Lakeman, Kathryn Roberts, Justin Sullivan and members of the Levellers
  3. ↑ The Damned were billed as the second band on the Big Top bill, but in the event played a much-extended headline set after Tricky pulled out at the last minute.
  4. ↑ The Lakeman Family Gathering consisted of Geoff Lakeman, Seth Lakeman, Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, Sam Lakeman and Cara Dillon. It was the first time they had all played on stage together in 25 years.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coachella</span> American annual music and arts festival held in Indio, California

Coachella is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999, and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents. The event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levellers (band)</span> English folk rock band

Levellers are an English folk rock and anarcho-punk band formed in Brighton, England, in 1988, consisting of Mark Chadwick, Jeremy Cunningham, Charlie Heather (drums), Jon Sevink (violin), Simon Friend, Matt Savage (keyboards) and Dan Donnelly. Taking their name from the Levellers political movement, the band released their first EP in 1989 and LP in 1990, with international success following upon signing to China Records and the release of their second album Levelling the Land. The band were among the most popular indie bands in Britain in the early 1990s, and performed at the Glastonbury Festival, first in 1992, then in 1994, where they performed as the headline act on The Pyramid Stage to a record crowd of 300,000 people. They continue to record and tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading and Leeds Festivals</span> Pair of annual music festivals in England

The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm on Richfield Avenue in central Reading, near Caversham Bridge. The Leeds event is held in Bramham Park, near Wetherby, the grounds of a historic house. Headliners and most supporting acts typically play at both sites, with Reading's Friday line up becoming Leeds' Saturday line-up, Reading's Saturday line-up playing at Leeds on Sunday, and Leeds' Friday line-up attending Reading on Sunday. Campsites are available at both sites and weekend tickets include camping. Day tickets are also sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GuilFest</span>

GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues, is an annual music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop. In 2006 GuilFest was awarded the title of "Best Family Festival" in the UK Festival awards. Following a 10-year hiatus from 2014, GuilFest returned to Stoke Park in summer 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge Folk Festival</span> Annual music festival in Cambridge, England

The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival, established in 1965, held in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is known for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. It occurs over a long weekend in summer at Cherry Hinton Hall. Until 2008 it was sponsored by BBC Radio 2, which broadcast it live, with highlights were recorded and shown later and occasionally live on digital television channel BBC Four from 2002 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2012 on Sky Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mob (British band)</span> English anarcho-punk band

The Mob is an English anarcho-punk band, formed in Yeovil, Somerset in the late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T in the Park</span> Music festival in Scotland, 1994 to 2016

T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused Balado airfield, Perth and Kinross, from 1997 to 2014. In 2015 the festival moved to Strathallan Castle. It was originally held over two days, and extended to three days from 2007. In 2016 the daily capacity was 70,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V Festival</span> British music festival

V Festival, often referred to as V Fest or simply V, was an annual music festival held in the United Kingdom during the third weekend in August. The event was held at two parks simultaneously which shared the same bill; artists performed at one location on Saturday and then swapped on Sunday. The sites were located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park in South Staffordshire. In 2017, the final year of this format, the capacity of each site was 90,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tartan Heart Festival</span>

The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is an annual music and arts festival, held on the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity, Scotland. The festival was founded in 2004. In 2022 it attracted 20,000 attendees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trowbridge Village Pump Festival</span> Folk music festival in England

The Village Pump Festival is a folk music festival that takes place near Trowbridge, England. It has its roots 54 years ago in a barn at the Lamb Inn, Trowbridge, and later moved a few miles outside the town to Stowford Manor Farm at Farleigh Hungerford. The music covers a variety of genres from folk and roots to blues, celtic and Ceilidh with a variety of other entertainment including a family field, with puppetry and story telling.

WOMAD Charlton Park or WOMAD UK is the name given to the World of Music Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival held in Charlton Park near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, since 2007. It is the direct successor to WOMAD Reading, which was held in the town of Reading each year from 1990 to 2006, and previous WOMADs elsewhere in England since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverley Folk Festival</span> Festival in Beverley, Yorkshire, England

The Beverley Folk Festival is a three-day celebration of folk music, art, comedy and spoken word held in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was first organised in 1983 by the White Horse Folk Club and grew considerably over thirty years, being located both at Beverley Leisure Centre and at local venues in the town. In 2013, it moved to Beverley Racecourse and ran until 2018 when it fell into liquidation, resulting in a smaller programme of events being hosted in the town as Beverley Fringe Festival that year. It returns in 2022 again as the Folk Festival.

The Y Not Festival is an annual music festival held in Pikehall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. It began in 2005 as a house party organized by Ralph Broadbent. In its first year, it was named The Big Gin Festival, and the stage used in the festival has retained its name as The Big Gin Stage. The following year, it was renamed Y Not Festival and was opened to the public. In 2007, the festival relocated to its current site at Pikehall in Derbyshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Bestival</span> Music festival in Dorset, England

Camp Bestival is a British music festival, the "little sister" of Bestival, both organised by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank. It is held annually, in July, at Lulworth Castle in Dorset and is targeted at families with small children. In 2019 it had a capacity of 10,000. It won the Best New Festival award from the UK Festival Awards in 2008 and Best Family Festival in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Lakeman</span> Musical artist

Sean Lakeman is an English folk musician and record producer.

Shrewsbury Folk Festival is an annual festival of folk and world music and traditional dance held in the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England.

Bearded Theory's Spring Gathering, also known as Bearded Theory, is an independent music festival which has no sponsorship or branding that takes place every May on the South Derbyshire, West Midland and Staffordshire border in the National Forest in Britain. The festival is organised by Bearded Theory and was first held in 2008. The festival has nine stages which are the large supernova type Main Stage, The Pallet, The Woodland, Magical Sounds, Showcase Stage The Maui Waui Stage, The Ship, Convoy Cabaret, Something Else Stage, Rogues Hideout and the festival also hosts a Cinema, Craft Village, Healing Area, smaller DJ venues, several public real ale bars, several cocktail or gin bars, Festival School, Children's Village and a Victorian Funfair. The festival has several campsites and campervan fields, multiple arena areas and are all spread over 250 acres at Catton Park.

Loopallu was a 2-day music festival that took place in Ullapool, in the north of Scotland. It was held annually between 2005 and 2019, attracting 2,500 people which essentially doubled the population of the village while the event was being held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wickham Festival</span> Multi-day performance event in England

Wickham Festival is a four-day music event that takes place in the village of Wickham, Hampshire, England. Wickham hosts live music and comedy across four stages, as well as food stalls, craft stalls, real ale and cider bars and children's entertainers. It has been listed by The Guardian as a top 'Family Friendly Boutique Festival'. The 2015 Wickham Festival was named Best Festival at the Live UK Music Business Awards, and the 2018 event won Best Festival at The Guide Awards, with the 2019 event taking the title of Best Live Event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Leylines</span> British folk rock band

The Leylines are a folk rock band formed in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset in 2013. The band's violin and guitar driven sound has seen them headline multiple tours across the UK, as well as performing at world renowned festivals, such as Glastonbury Festival, Farmer Phil's Festival, Boomtown Fair and Bearded Theory. To date, The Leylines have released two full studio albums and one EP. In 2019 the band achieved a career highlight of playing to thousands of fans on the Big Top stage at Beautiful Days.

References

  1. ↑ Gliddon, Becca (4 March 2016). "Beautiful Days Festival 2016 - Line-up announced". Midweek Herald. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Beautiful Days 2016". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "and the winners are..." UK Festival Awards. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "Devon's Beautiful Days triumph at the 2015 UK Festival Awards". Exeter Express and Echo. 28 November 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Beautiful Days". eFestivals. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 "About the festival". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Beautiful Days". Festival Mag. 11 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Levellers' Mark Chadwick interview". eFestivals. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Past line-ups". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Beautiful Days". natpacker.org. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  11. ↑ Prescott, Catherine. "Beautiful Days 2015 review". Festival Kidz. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Prescott, Catherine. "Beautiful Days 2019 review". Festival Kidz. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Beautiful Days facilities". eFestivals. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "Beautiful Days". Festival Kidz. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "FAQs". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2003 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  17. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2004 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  18. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2005 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  19. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2006 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  20. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2007 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  21. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2008 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  22. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2009 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  23. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2010 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  24. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2011 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  25. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2012 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  26. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2013 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  27. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2014 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  28. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2015 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  29. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2016 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  30. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2017 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  31. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2018 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  32. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2019 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  33. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2020 line-up". Louder Than War. 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  34. ↑ "Beautiful Days Festival news: This is going to be very exciting tonight! Headlining the Big Top stage is The Lakeman Family Gathering - Festival Flyer". Festival Flyer. 21 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  35. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2021 Line Up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  36. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2022 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  37. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2023 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  38. ↑ "Beautiful Days 2024 line-up". beautifuldays.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.