by Josie Reaney
The beauty of Northumberland captures the hearts of many, with coastlines and countryside that echo ancient folklore and exhibits magnificent scenery.
Every year the magic in the air of the North East Coast becomes the perfect place for a music festival, a hub for people to gather and celebrate under skies renowned for their stargazing.
Lindisfarne festival is due to take place this weekend (Aug 29th - Sep 1st) seeing out the festival season.
Located on Beal Farm, directly over looking Lindisfarne (also known as Holy Island), the festival is set to offer a fantastic long weekend of music and fun.
Headline acts for this year include Tom Walker, De La Soul, the Vaccines and Orbital - all of which clearly reflect the genre hopping diversity of the line up.
The Vaccines will give a hugely popular indie boy punch to the weekend. The classic New York hip hop of De La Soul will tick the ‘music legends’ box while the likes of 808 State and Little Comets will bring nostalgia and plenty of dad dancing to the farm.
There are a total of eight stages across the site, with a capacity for 8000 campers. Clearly the event is no small feat, the calibre of artists and the scale of the festival make for an anticipatory, high-profile
weekend.
This will be the ninth year of the event running. Despite its brief history, the festival is already legendary and can showcase an exciting back catalogue, with former headliners including Happy Mondays, Madness, Groove Armada and Tyneside’s own Nadine Shah.
Described as ‘less than an hour away from Newcastle but a world away from reality’, the weekend promises eclectic events. The hippy overtones of the yoga and meditation workshops and holistic therapy sessions are perfectly fitting to the magical scenery. Festival goers are encouraged to get involved: “Whether it’s just a small step toward a new style of yoga, or a giant leap into a Zumba rave – come and get a taste for something new and rejuvenate your soul in our endorphin-boosting
workshops.” There’s no doubt that any stubborn sceptic will be clad in tie dye and soaking up the gong baths by the end of the weekend.
The festivals inspiration leans on the rich history and folklore of Lindisfarne. Holy Island is a land of pilgrimage, Vikings and monks. The event directly taps into the spirit of Celticity and neo pagan energy will certainly promise a fun and spiritual time as you dance until the early hours to techno, RnB, indie, folk, and more all under the calm Northumbrian sky.
The festival will also see spoken word poetry performances, stand up comedy and a range of street
food and drink. If you’re looking to try some Lindisfarne Mead head straight to the Viking Brewhouse!
The event is in partnership with BBC radio Newcastle and sponsors St Oswald Hospice, a local charity.
The organisers are clearly connected to the area and its people, moving beyond Celtic roots and into the present. With the events green policies, there’s also an active moral responsibility from the organisers in the running of such a large-scale event, where campers are actively encouraged to car share with fellow festival goers and are expected to have the upmost respect for their beautiful surroundings.
This is the dreamiest of festivals to wave goodbye to the season of muddied wellies, glitter and warm beer. Having just sold out, those who bagged a ticket are sure to see some excellent talent in a weekend of hippy fun and outstanding natural beauty.
Edited by Emily Duff