HomeMusicChristmas 2017 Gift Guide: 2018 music festivals

Christmas 2017 Gift Guide: 2018 music festivals

If you fancied getting the music lovers in your entourage lifelong memories then festival tickets should be at the top of your list. EF’s long been a fan and the reason is simple, these music fuelled-weekends are the best and cheapest way to see your favourite acts live.

In The Round

In the Round 2018 is a series of shows devoted to intimate performances set in the venue’s iconic main space, staged in a rarely seen fully-seated concert set up. Fast becoming a fixture of the music-lovers’ calendar. Confirmed to appear so far are Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré whose soaring, powerful voice sits in stark contrast to the gritty unguarded voice of American songwriter-singer Jimmy Webb, who accompanies his best loved songs with compelling stories of his life. Brightonian punk-folk-rockers Levellers perform a very special acoustic set while Chip, one of the UK’s most celebrated rappers returns to his grime roots to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of his breakthrough mixtape. Known for their hypnotic, mesmerising mix of jazz and electronica, GoGo Penguin premier brand new music while Portico Quartet return to their signature cinematic, minimalist sound. Geordie songstress Nadine Shah, known for her darkly powerful voice and bleak, yet compassionate lyrics and Beth Orton, one of the most unique and beguiling voices in British music.

Who: Oumou Sangaré, Jimmy Webb, Nadine Shah, Portico Quartet, Levellers Acoustic, GoGo Penguin, Chip, Beth Orton
When: 31st January – 10th February 2018
Where: London
Tickets: from £17.50
Roundhouse website

Sound City

Sound City, the latest edition of the award-winning metropolitan festival of live music and arts, to kick-start the UK season in style as it returns to the city’s centre and goes back to its roots.

Sound City is incredibly proud it will be taking over the iconic warehouses, intimate spaces and pop-up places which form the renascent Baltic Triangle and Cains Brewery areas of the city. The weekend will offer an incredible chance to discover over 250 emerging new bands and headline artists in a variety of locations which will place Sound City at the beating heart of the country’s vibrant music scene.

Who: Peace, Slow Readers Club, Ibibio Sound Machine, Baxter Dury, Idles, Jaws, Low Island, Cassia, The Orielles and Zuzu with many more to come
When: Friday 4th – Sunday 6th May
Where: Baltic Triangle and Cains Brewery, Liverpool
Tickets: £55 for weekend wristband (Sound City + conference extra)
Soundcity website

Farr festival

Taking place in a beautiful forest less than an hour from bustling London, Farr Festival is a mesmeric escape from the real world. Expanding to a full four days in 2018, the weekend-long adventure is a blend of cutting-edge music with real heart and soul, an edifying and enriching experience for mind and body alike.

Set across six stages, Farr Festival reaches its 9th year in 2018 as one of the UK’s most intimate experiences, drawing a vibrant crowd from across the country and beyond to a verdant oasis rich with life and colour a labyrinth of trees and glades filled with surprises. Working with leading icons and up-and-coming talent across a dizzying array of sounds and styles, the summer days and nights will capture a true representation of electronic music culture in its many facets.

Who: Dixon, Moodymann, Gerd Janson, Optimo, Mr G (live) and Éclair FiFi with many more to be revealed
When: 5th to 8th July 2018
Where: Bygrave Woods, Hertfordshire, SG7 5JX,
Tickets: £100 / £125 / £150 and instalment plan available
Farr festival website

Nozstock The Hidden Valley

Starting from very humble beginnings, its founding ethos remains part of the festival to the present, with Nozstock not only a genuine weekend of escapism far from the madding crowds, but also one which has kept the same flourishing spirit; it’s a festival with abundant heart, integrity and authenticity at every turn, as well as amazing fun across the beautiful site set on a working farm in Bromyard, attracting one of the country’s most wonderfully diverse audiences.

Curated by the father and daughter duo of Noz and Ella and a huge extended family who work across the entire festival, there’s a unique charm and energy to Nozstock unlike anything else in the country with an eclectic range of music from hip-hop, ska, punk, rave, drum and bass, folk, soul and more, matched by an equally vibrant crowd drawn from across the country. The festival also features a huge range of entertainment, activities and inspiration, with games, pop-up performances, and workshops at every turn.

Who: Artists TBA January 2018
When: 20th – 22nd July 2018
Where: Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire, HR7 4LS
Tickets: £115 for adults / From £95 teens / 12s and under free
Noztock website

Lost Village festival

A new kind of music festival, intimate in size and obsessive about detail, the concept was created with passion, first and foremost. In this, Lost Village has become a beacon for those longing for a weekend that combines an unrivalled programme of music, arts, food & drink, encompassed within an otherworldly theatrical experience.

Who: TBA
When: 23rd-26th August
Where: Lincolnshire
Tickets: £150 + bf
Lost Village festival website

Download festival

Download festival has today revealed further details of its 2018 line-up, which includes the likes of Bullet for my Valentine, Marilyn Manson and Asking Alexandria. The festival has also previously revealed that Ozzy Osbourne, Guns and Roses and Avenged Sevenfold.

Download festival prides itself as being a premier rock music festival and has welcomed icons of rock to its main stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Prodigy, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined previously headlined the festival.

Who: AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Prodigy, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine, Parkway Drive, Rise Against, Babymetal , Alexisonfire, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria , Neck Deep, Meshuggah, In This Moment , The Hives, Body Count Ft. Ice T, Mayday Parade , Dream State, Wstr, The Pink Slips
When: 8th – 10th June 2018
Where: Leicestershire
Tickets: £200 + bf
Download festival website

Kendal Calling

Set in the stunning surrounds of the Lake District, Kendal Calling is renowned for more than just music. Welcoming loyal festival lovers year after year, Kendal hosts an incredible 4 days of arts installations, gourmet food, kid’s entertainment and a real ale festival, all within the confines of what is widely regarded to be the most beautiful festival site in the UK. A week after the festival’s first announcement in 2017, Kendal Calling sold out.

Who: TBA
When: 26th – 29th July
Where: Lake District
Tickets: £145 +BF
Kendal Calling website

 All Points East

All Points East is a brand new ten day event taking place from 25 May to 3 June 2018 after Tower Hamlets Council last week announced the appointment of AEG to promote the festival in Victoria Park. It is a major part of Tower Hamlets’ bid to be London Borough of Culture.

Who: LCD Soundsystem And Björk Join The XX Lorde, Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Father John Misty, Phoenix,
Flying Lotus 3d, Glass Animals, Sampha, Richie Hawtin Close, Dixon, Mashrou’ Leila, Sylvan Esso, Alexis Taylor, George Fitzgerald Live, Rex Orange County And Agoria
When: 25th – 27th May
Where: London
Tickets: from £69.34
All Points East festival

So there you have our favourite festivals in 2018 covering a range of genres and budgets.

Sarah Bargiela
Sarah Bargiela
Sarah aka Bargi is the Assistant Editor and Music Editor for Entertainment Focus (EF).

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