The BBC at Festivals

With a breadth of media outlets attending the UK’s festivals each year, there is one broadcaster who stands in the forefront with the greatest presence at the country’s summer events. As one of the largest broadcasters in the world, the BBC is representing the British media worldwide, with their coverage of such events providing overseas viewers with a sense of our first-class festivals to rival the European and US counterparts like Snowbombing and Coachella.

As summer is fast approaching, the impending festival season is becoming increasingly anticipated, as it does year upon year. It is with no doubt that most of us will be unable to attend all of the festivals we wish to, resulting in relying on television, radio and online sources to provide us with all of the excitement from the events.

Over the upcoming four months, the BBC will bring us coverage of four of the top UK festivals, including what can arguably be described as the ‘Power 3’ of festivals.

Glastonbury, T In The Park and Reading & Leeds festival are undeniably three of the biggest music events of the calendar both in size and popularity. With multiple stages, there is something for everybody, with the BBC’s broadcasting outlets providing a sense of this.

In 2013 and post-Olympics Britain, the technological availability and advancements that the BBC are open to has allowed for an increase in output, which these festivals will make use of.

BBC Online was subject to a vast expansion in 2012 in order to show numerous events at the London Olympics. These capabilities will spread to this summer’s Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset from 26th to 30th June, with plans in place to have cameras streaming live footage on its digital media players throughout the entirety of the weekend.

A statement released from the BBC at the start of the year by then Acting Director General, Tim Davie said, “[Our] ambition this year is to offer music fans unprecedented coverage of live music.”

“On desktop, mobile, tablet and connected TVs, we will bring BBC audiences closer to the music they love by offering a full performance or festival-goer experience for those who can’t be there.”

Not only do the BBC deliver content to viewers, they also deliver in providing festivals with highly sought-after performers. The ‘BBC Radio 1 & NME Stage’ at Reading & Leeds Festival as well as T In The Park is a renowned attribute of the festivals’ line-ups, presenting attendees with an abundance of the artists that listeners are accustomed to hearing every day on Radio 1. Fans of Bastille, Skrillex, Alt-J, Jake Bugg and BBC Sound of 2013 winners, Haim, will be pleased to see such acts at Reading & Leeds on the Radio 1 & NME Stage on the weekend of the 23rd – 25th August.

The long-standing BBC Introducing scheme also comes alive during festival season, with Reading, Leeds and T In The Park holding a stage specifically for the programme, which seeks to highlight and support under-the-radar artists into the public eye.

The BBC’s festival coverage will all commence on in the last weekend of May, when Radio 1 take their annual Big Weekend to Northern Ireland. This year the event will take place in Derry-Londonderry and for the first time, the festival will consist of three days of music starting on Friday 24th May. Olly Murs and Two Door Cinema Club are the only acts announced so far, with the rest of the line-up being announced at the start of May. All we do know is that the Main Stage will focus on dance music, with other stages being run by Radio 1’s sister-station, 1Xtra, and In New Music We Trust.

From delivering a vast extent of coverage of the summer’s hottest festivals, to organising their very own, the BBC are the leaders in supplying the nation with the musical highlights of the year. Without them, we would be left very out of pocket in our quest to experience the musical moments that they manage to deliver to our eyes and ears through the media.

8 things that every festival needs

After an extraordinary summer weekend listening to your favourite bands and DJs at a festival, there’ll always be something that you consider could be different or improved as you walk away from the campsite. Whether it’s wishing your favourite artist had been on the line-up or feeling like there was something lacking once the main stage closed in the evening, there’s always something. So what features would you have at your perfect festival? Here is a list of 8 things that I would introduce as compulsory festival elements.

1 – Mobile phone charging stations

There’s nothing worse than looking at your phone to see you have 1% battery remaining, especially when you’re standing in the centre of a vast field with no idea of your whereabouts, let alone your friends’ whereabouts. Of course, some festivals do offer phone charging points in the main arena, but there never tend to be enough or the right port for you. Who wants to charge their phone in the main arena anyway? To avoid missing the day’s action, more charging stations should be added to the campsite for overnight use giving festival go-ers 100% battery and 100% confidence that they will be able to contact their friends throughout the day.

2 – Festival essentials stalls

With an abundance of stalls and festival markets selling UV body paint, performer merchandise and of course that infamous flower headband that almost every female appears to wear at a festival, there appears to be a gap in the market and it is the simplest gap to fill. With the unpredictability of the British weather, you can never be too sure about what to pack, with many essentials going a miss. A rain poncho and sun cream can be fundamental necessities that every visitor needs depending on the weather, but it can be impossible to find them for the copious amount of stalls selling straw hats and Jesus bracelets. With a scattering of essential stands around the site, or perhaps even portable walking sellers, this difficulty can be greatly minimised.

Una Healy sporting a typical festival accessory that we've seen enough of!

3 – An element of glamping for the ladies

There are two types of people at festivals: festival veterans who are understanding of the common festival conventions, a lack of showering and dodgy toilets; then there are those who are attending a festival for the first, and probably last, time. Stereotypically, this demographic is mainly female and for these ladies, they require an element of glamour-camping, or ‘glamping’, at a festival. For these festival newbies, hairdryers would be preferable, mirrors to do their make-up, but perhaps a hair straightening stand would be a step too far.

4 – Food stands

Gourmet grub is quickly becoming a common festival feature, with some outlets charging between £10-20 for their deluxe burgers or fish-and-chips. When you’ve already spent hundreds on your ticket and transport, spending such extravagant sums of money on food seems barbaric. For one weekend, there seems little sense in being too health-conscious so just indulge in a cheap, greasy burger or portion of chips.

Snacks are extremely underrated at summer events, with noodle bars and burger shacks taking precedence. Sometimes it can be easier to stock up on crisps and sweets which are rarely available. A mini supermarket-style retailer may be a very successful business prospect within the campsite arena for people to buy a plentiful supply of snacks for the day.

5 – Water filling stations

If you’re fortunate enough to have a space in the crowd close to the front, you may be in with a rare chance of being given a small plastic cup of water between each performer. However, even this is hard to come by and it is even harder to remain hydrated if you don’t have this position in the crowd. Whilst there may be a handful of water fill points around the arena, they are often very busy or positioned very close to a leaking row of portable toilets and don’t pose the most sanitary hydration location on the site! With a greater number of better-placed stations, it could be suggested that there would be a lower risk of dehydration in the heat of certain summer festivals.

6 – Clean toilets

There’s nothing worse than feeling the need to ‘spend a penny’ on the final night of the festival, knowing the doom that awaits you at your destination. The physical state of the ‘portaloos’ as well as the aroma that surrounds the perimeter of the stretch of cubicles is unlike anything ever experienced and should be avoided at all costs. If the toilets were cleaned more regularly, troublesome incidents like these could be prevented!

7 – Night time entertainment

The main stage may close at 11pm but the fun need not end here. Every festival needs a late-night schedule of activities once the action in the main arena has shut down. Silent discos and movies are a visitor-favourite but this is often where the entertainment ends. The night-time agenda should be viewed almost as important as the main line-up, with DJs to play in dance tents and artists booked to play acoustic twilight sessions.

8 – Line-up

Although clean toilets and plenty of food stands are an important feature of your festival experience, there is no doubt that the biggest pulling-power of an event lies in the line-up. Every festival needs a spectacular line-up to draw in spectators to purchasing a ticket. Depending on the genre, size and typical audience of the festival, the line-up will vary. For the likes of Reading, Leeds, Glastonbury, V Festival and T in the Park, worldwide stars are key in attracting your audience, with smaller indie festivals needing to catch the latest upcoming talent to entice pundits. The power relies in the performers and a fantastic line-up will always lead to your ultimate festival enjoyment.

Britain vs Europe - The Battle of the Foreign Festivals

As 2012 draws to a close and we reflect on the year, it seems that the UK has really shined in terms of cultural events. It goes without saying that not only our nation, but nations across the world, have gathered to watch the UK this year more than ever – the Brits really know how to do it best.

The London 2012 Olympics have been acclaimed and praised, with many saying that it is the greatest Games ever. Not only was the organisation of the events at the Olympic Park a roaring success, but also that of our British Olympians, with a marvellous medal haul of 65 in the Olympics and a triumphant 120 in the Paralympics.

Shortly before this was of course the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in June. As a country we were reminded of the prestigious British title that we all so proudly adorn, taking delight in the spectacle of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, whereby over 1000 boats assembled around the centrepiece of the Royal Barge, whilst the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh sat in their velvet red thrones. However, cast your mind back to this very day – whether you stood on the bank of the Thames or watched the BBC television coverage, one element that will certainly be remembered is the terrible, yet typical, British weather.

Of course, it was an extra-long Bank Holiday, and it would not have been the same without a downpour, but is it occasions like these that are transporting our British festival go-ers abroad?

Whether it’s Ibiza Rocks or Mallorca Rocks in their respective destinations, or perhaps Sonar or Benicassim in Spain, you can be guaranteed that the sun will be shining upon your weekend of live music, which of course seems much more desirable than a boggy, flooded field in Somerset.

Glastonbury Festival is renowned for the climate that seems to attack it year upon year. As the festival took a fallow year in 2012, the rotten weather had to be passed on to a festival peer, with the Isle of Wight Festival taking the brunt. Across the weekend of the 21^st to the 24^th of June, Seaclose Park in Newport became waterlogged with the torrential rain that had battered it, turning the park into what can only be described as a mudbath.

Isle of Wight campsite: Tents surrounded by thick mud

Isle of Wight Festival: Tents floating on flooded water

Some people may not be too fussy about rain hammering down whilst watching their favourite bands; after all, in a packed crowd only your head and the top of your shoulders will get wet! However, it is the camping element whereby the European climate can be a clincher. The photos from these flooded festivals show tents almost floating upon the surface of the water, with attendees waging through mud and knee-deep puddles to escape from the campsite. Travel to Spain or the Canary Islands and the weather is much more camper convivial.

Hannah Jacques, winner of BBC Radio 1’s Superstar DJ Competition 2012, won the chance to open up Radio 1’s legendary Ibiza Weekend at the iconic Ushuaia Beach Hotel, and therefore knows a lot about the attraction of foreign festivals. Hannah says the thought of the chance of rain nowadays is something that would put her off attending a British festival.

“I am not one who can sleep in a muddy tent, and if I am cold and wet I know I can’t enjoy myself no matter how drunk or how good the artist is!”

“The thought of going away to a summer festival abroad does really appeal to me. The fact that it would be guaranteed good weather takes away any worry.”

Hannah Jacques

Not only is the weather becoming an issue for British festivals, but also the price tag attached to their tickets. Glastonbury, V Festival, as well as Reading & Leeds have gradually increased their prices year upon year, with the 2013 Glastonbury tickets burning a gaping £213 hole in a visitor’s pocket. With that comes an expensive train ticket and even more extortionate food and drink prices.

Although not all work out as cost-effective, some European festivals can work out cheaper, allowing for the equivalent festival experience with a summer holiday abroad also included. Benicassim tickets for 2013 cost just £130, with the cheapest return flights for these dates from London to Barcelona costing just under £80 with EasyJet, leaving just enough money to spend on a pint in the park to equal out the cost you would have spent on your Glastonbury ticket alone!

For some, the pull may not be in the weather, nor in the price, but the line-up itself. Whether it’s your favourite British band, US band or perhaps a European group, the festival bill will always be the biggest confirmation on whether to buy tickets for that gig. However, if you are willing to travel abroad to see your favourite band, DJ Hannah Jacques warns that you have to be prepared for everything else that comes with it.

“Foreign festivals would have lots of local people as support acts, so you might have to listen to lots of artists you don't have a clue who they are!”

Despite having the ultimate weather conditions for a weekend outdoors, the hassle of going abroad is not for everybody. Plus if you can't afford a flight to Europe, don't be worried that you're missing out completely. The Brits still know how to throw a party, with our festivals being just as good as any others. Some of the biggest artists from all over the world come to the UK to perform to packed out crowds, with both the performers and the fans returning year upon year, so the organisers must be doing something right to battle with the uncontrollable climate that they face.