Under slept and over cumbered, I tread carefully across a suspended footbridge; boarding the Isle of Wight catamaran. The low hum of the vessel’s engine coupled with gentle movement from the surrounding body of water sends me into a half-conscious state; my vision fixated on the horizon. Bestival is a highly anticipated 4 day festival held at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight. Only accessible by boat, and deemed ‘The Last Festival of the Summer’ by UK residents; this festival boasts an impressive 60k+ attendance in recent years. Curated and Co-Founded by English DJ ‘Rob da Bank’ – this festival provides it’s attendees with an eclectic mix of artists; there’s something for everyone. We arrived at port, jumped into a pre-booked taxi (pre-booking is a must) and headed outbound towards Bestival. With the windows rolled down and the country air filling the people carrier, we all took a moment to unwind – but before we knew it; Bestival was upon us. Day one, and we’d spent an hour battling high winds to pitch our tents in the artist camping lot. The day passed quickly, and we were all pretty zapped from the outbound journey, so we drank into the evening and got some much needed sleep. Main stage hosted a solid lineup over the duration of the weekend, with acts such as: Charlie XCX, Duran Duran, Missy Elliott, Flying Lotus, House of Pain, The Chemical Brothers, The Jacksons and more. Bestival was Missy Elliott’s first UK show in 6 years. And needless to say; she nailed it. With a great stage production and an entourage of dancers dressed in full tracksuits and bucket hats; the performance was a real throwback to the Missy Elliott videos I remember watching back in school. Aside from the Main Stage, I found myself spending a lot of time at The Big Top watching artists like Tame Impala, Action Bronson & FKA Twigs. This tent also rocked a pretty solid artist area w/ a bar backstage. A great place to be after hours. The final day of the festival was just a downpour of rain. I felt sorry for the people who hadn’t brought wellies or a spare change of jeans – as the site turned into a mudslide by nightfall. We left the festival in no hurry the following day to avoid the astronomically long queues for the buses + taxis. I always leave Bestival on an unnatural high. This year was no exception.
Pictures and words by Liam Simmons
