Source: Graham Berry
Festival season – it’s not quite here yet but it’s so close that we’re getting excited with anticipation. Every year it easily becomes the highlight of the summer, who doesn’t love how easy it is to catch loads of sick bands all within a short span of time? Traditionally it’s been all about that weekend experience – maybe 3 or 4 days camping out on some massive field in the middle of nowhere while you catch back to back bands, day in day out.
However of course, that may not be for everyone. For starters as fun as it sounds, it does get pretty exhausting – especially if most of the time it involves alcohol (or too much of it!) Then there’s the whole camping thing – not everyone is up for that, and sometimes it can be difficult to get a nearby hotel if you don’t plan it well. There is also the cost of it – weekend festivals can get a little pricey so we may not always be able to go to as many as we like, or any at all.
That’s where smaller day festivals come in – although granted some like Slam Dunk can’t even be classified as small anymore as it’s now become a household name. Day festivals are just like the regular weekend festivals, except like it says on the tin it takes place over the course of a day. So essentially it’s like one big gig that lasts a full day. Recently there’s been quite a few day festivals popping up here and there and for good reason. Here’s a few why we love them so much.
- It isn’t too much all at once – especially for first time festival goers it can be a little overwhelming, but this way you can have small bits at a time. A day doesn’t seem like enough time, but you’d be surprised how much you’d be able to catch on a well-planned lineup.
- Most of the time, these festivals are a lot more accessible. Getting to the middle of a field may be quite difficult if you don’t drive and may involve sitting on public transport for a very long winded trip. Trying to make your way to Camden Town for Camden Rocks Festival is certainly a lot easier than that.
- It’s definitely a little more affordable, where day festivals can cost just about a quarter of what you’d be paying for a full weekender. Obviously that’s because of its duration, but it’s still a good deal. Depending on the kind of gigs you go to, a day festival ticket could very much be the same as a gig ticket.
- If an entire day of back to back music still doesn’t quite do the trick for you, sometimes there’s even after parties that festivals organise! Who knows, sometimes you may even run into some people you caught on stage during the day.
Now that we’ve told you all about why we LOVE day festivals, here are a few coming up that we think you should check out.
Source: Festival Poster
Slam Dunk Festival
Although Slam Dunk technically takes place over an entire weekend – they’re three separate day festivals taking place during May Bank holiday weekend. The seasoned event is taking place in Leeds, Birmingham and Hatfield from 26-28 May and features Jimmy Eat World, Good Charlotte, PVRIS, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and a load more. Tickets are available from £49* from here.
