The UK Festival Awards are awarded annually, with various categories for all aspects of festivals that have taken place in the UK, and one category for European festivals. The Awards were first established in 2004 by Steve Jenner and his team at Virtual Festivals.com. They are voted for by the public via the UK Festival Awards website. To ensure fairness, the votes are weighted to take into account the event capacity.[1][2][3]
The 2008 Awards ceremony was held on 30 October 2008 at the IndigO2 venue in London. Nordoff–Robbins music therapy will receive funds raised on the night.[1]
The 2011 Awards ceremony was held at the Roundhouse in Camden, which remained its home until 2016.[4]
Having grown beyond the original team's capacity to manage it as a part-time project, Mondiale Publishing was brought in as an acquiring partner in 2012, with Steve Jenner remaining onboard as a creative consultant.
Since 2017, to bring the Awards into closer alignment with flourishing Independent Festival sector, the UK Festival Awards have been held at Troxy, the music and events venue in Stepney, London.
2004
UK Festival Awards launched as an online poll by VirtualFestivals.com, 12,000 fans vote. The awards are presented in person to the winners in their local pubs of choice
2005
50,000+ fans vote; BBC 6 Music sign up as media partner. Saluted in Scottish Parliament when T in the Park is voted Best Major Festival. The awards are again presented to the winners in person during an epic road-trip spanning the UK.
2006
Pressure from the industry prompts the creation of the first live event, for 500 standing-only at London’s Islington Academy, sponsored by Carling.
Hosted by: Steve Harris. Outstanding Contribution to Festivals: Melvin Benn (Festival Republic – Reading & Leeds, Latitude).
Moves to the IndigO2, adding a gala dinner component (at the Goucho restaurant) and the first UK Festival Conference by day (oversubscribed).
Michael Eavis accepting his Outstanding Contribution to Festivals award at the IndigO2 in 2008. Establishes independent ownership as Festival Awards Ltd.
Utah Saints break world record for most ever fans doing the 'Running Man' dance at Get Loaded In The Park.
2009
The Awards returns to the O2 and the conference fills out into Europe’s largest cinema, the Vue in the O2 complex. The European Festival Awards is launched in partnership with The European Festival Association and debuts at The Grand Theatre in Groningen, Holland, on the opening night of Eurosonic Noorderslag.
Hosted by: Dixie and Horsey (Stars of ‘Svengali’). Lifetime Achievement Winner: Katrina Larkin (The Big Chill).
2010
The Awards continues its O2 residency and the Conference expands again into sell-out event at the British Music Experience, covered live by BBC Business News.
2010 Winners
Best Toilets - T In The Park
Best Metropolitan Festival - Gaymers Camden Crawl
Best Family Festival in association with Showsec - Camp Bestival
Best Breakthrough Artist in association with Rizla - Mumford & Sons
Best Dance Event in association with Peppermint Bars - Creamfields
Feel Good Act of the Summer in association with Be-at TV - Paolo Nutini
Best New Festival in association with Access All Areas - Vintage At Goodwood
Headline Performance of the Year in association with Jägermeister - AC/DC at Download Festival
Virtual Festivals’ Critics Choice - Biffy Clyro at Glastonbury
Overseas Festival - Snowbombing
Anthem of the Summer in association with HMV - Florence & The Machine ‘You’ve Got The Love’
Line-Up of the Year* in association with XL Video - Rockness
Promoter of the Year in association with IQ - Glastonbury
Best Small Festival in association with Doodson Entertainment - Kendal Calling
Best Medium Festival in association with Smirnoff Flavours - Green Man
Best Major Festival in association with Tuborg - Bestival
Lifetime Achievement in association with Music Week – Geoff Ellis, DF Concerts
Outstanding Contribution to Festival Production in association with TPi - Neil McDonald
Best Sponsor Activation in association with Brand Republic - Coca-Cola
The Grass Roots Festival Award in association with Robertson Taylor - 2000 Trees
A Greener Festival Award in association with agreenerfestival.com - Croissant Neuf Summer Party
Norman Quentin Cook, also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist for the Hull-based indie rock band the Housemartins, who achieved a UK number-one single with their a cappella cover of "Caravan of Love". After the Housemartins split up, Cook formed the electronic band Beats International in Brighton, who produced the number-one single "Dub Be Good to Me". He then played in Freak Power, Pizzaman, and the Mighty Dub Katz with moderate success.
Simon Shlomo Kahn, known professionally as SK Shlomo and previously as Shlomo, is a British singer-songwriter, beatboxer, music producer and live looping technologist.
Lee Anthony Mavers is an English musician. Mavers was the songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist in The La's and is best known for the song "There She Goes" from October 1988.
Sean Rowley is a British disc jockey, television and radio presenter.
Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. The name Bestival is a portmanteau of the words best and festival. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organised by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank along with his wife Josie and was an offshoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial Bestival attracted 10,000 people, growing to 50,000 in its final year, 2018. Bestival won 'Best Major Festival' at the 2015 UK Festival Awards, having won 'Best Medium-Sized Festival' in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009, 'Best Major Festival' in 2010, 2012 and in 2015, 'Fan's Favourite' in 2011 and 'Best Innovation' in 2005.
Bestival 2006 was the third annual Bestival organised by the Rob da Bank's Sunday Best label. It was held at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight from 8 to 10 September. Around 17,000 people attended the three-day event. The Bestival is often referred to as a "mini-Glastonbury" with regards to the excellent atmosphere the festival generates.
Bang Face is an electronic dance music event that has been taking place at various venues across the UK since 2003. Starting as a monthly club night in London, it has grown to include an annual three-day weekender at Southport, a boat party on the River Thames, as well as guest shows at festivals such as Glastonbury. In 2013 Bang Face celebrated its 10th birthday with DJ Mag stating Bang Face [maintains] "the perfect blend of old skool rave and the finest contemporary leftfield sounds". In March 2015 Bang Face reached the milestone of 100 events by hosting the Weekender at Southport Holiday Park. Resident Advisor asked the question "Is Bangface the most unique rave out there?" and described it as a "Neo-rave utopia".
The Japanese Popstars are an Irish electronic group from Northern Ireland consisting of Gary Curran and Gareth Donoghue. Each member has his own alias. The act was nominated for "Best House DJs" at the 2006 World Urban Music Awards, "Best Live Performance" at the 2007 Northern Ireland Music Awards and won "Best Live Act" at the 2008 Irish Music Awards and then every year since. They were also voted "Best Breakthrough Producers" at the DJ Mag Best of British Awards 2008, awarded "No.1 Dance Album" by Hotpress magazine, and won " Best Live Act" and "Best Album" at the 2009 Irish Music Awards.
Peter Sampson, known professionally as THePETEBOX, is a live looping human beatbox artist from the UK. He was crowned the BBC Radio 1 beatbox champion in 2005.
BBC Music Introducing is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. The backbone of that network consists of 32 BBC local radio shows on stations across England and the Channel Islands, various network shows in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which also give artists the opportunity to be played nationally on BBC Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 6 Music and the Asian Network, as well as playing Introducing stages at festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, South by Southwest, Latitude Festival and BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.
Chew Lips was an English dance-pop trio, formed in spring of 2008. It consisted of singer 'Tigs' and multi-instrumentalists James Watkins and Will Sanderson
Kendal Calling is a music & arts festival, held annually at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria in the North West of England. It has grown from a two-day, 900 capacity event in 2006 to a 25,000 capacity 4-day music festival. Kendal Calling has 9 stages and has featured live performances from notable artists such as Blondie, Pendulum, Doves, Dizzee Rascal, James, Mumford & Sons, Calvin Harris and British Sea Power. In 2010 Kendal Calling was awarded the Best Small UK Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards, as voted by the public. Kendal Calling also won the industry award 'Best Small Festival' at the LIVE UK awards 2011. Superstruct Entertainment, the live entertainment platform backed by Providence Equity Partners, owns the festival after it entered definitive agreement for the acquisition of several live music and entertainment festivals from Global Media & Entertainment and Broadwick Live.
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.
Lovebox is a three-day music festival. In 2018 the event moved to Gunnersbury Park, London. The move came after Tower Hamlets turned down its application to continue in Victoria Park and Lambeth residents objected to its move to Brockwell Park. The 2019 event had a capacity of 50,000.
The NME Awards 2012 were held in London, England, on 29 February 2012, at the Brixton Academy and was hosted by English comedian Jack Whitehall. The nominations were announced exclusively on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 30 January 2012. Arctic Monkeys had seven nominations, followed by Kasabian, who went on to win best British Band, Lana Del Rey and Muse with three apiece.
Hannah Alicia Smith is a British house music DJ and producer better known by her stage name Hannah Wants, and a former professional footballer.
Laurie Bolger is an English poet, stand-up and presenter based in London. In 2014 she was shortlisted for Young Poet Laureate of London. She currently tours her writing including her debut pamphlet collection Box Rooms, published by Burning Eye and one woman show Talking to Strangers as well as hosting Bang Said the Gun.
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.
