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August Outdoor Events 2008
August Outdoor Events 2008
This is traditionally the hottest, driest month of the year, but that doesn't stop London's maddest athletes launching themselves into a triathlon, or London's youngsters from making a massive outdoor party of the final Bank Holiday weekend.
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The Big Chill
Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire, London, HR8 1RL1st August 2008 - 3rd August 2008
Eastnor Castle is the most stunning festival site in the UK - a Robin Hood fantasy of rolling English parkland and mighty oak trees. The festival itself is also one of our favourites, establishing a laid-back vibe that's a world away from the rampant commercialism of Reading, or the punishing excesses of Glastonbury. If this means putting up with a certain number of hummus-munching Hampstead fashionistas, it's a small price to pay for a weekend surrounded by so many smiling faces. There's an easygoing atmosphere, which means you can strike up a conversation with anyone, it's on the - habitually - hottest, driest weekend of the year and there's a broad selection of music from the coolest corners of the world. There's an increased emphasis this year on the non-musical aspects, with loads of kids' activities, theatre, comedy and art.
Innocent Village Fete
Gloucester Green, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4NR2nd August 2008 & 3rd August 2008
A second year for Innocent Smoothies' version of a village fete, which includes all the things Londoners think go on in the country: barn dancing, ferret racing, duck herding and the unspeakable horror / jolly folk spectacle that is Morris dancing. There's a folksy line-up of musicians, including the James Taylor Quartet, Imelda May, The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain and Earl Okin. There's also a huge range range of kids' activities. A farmers' market, smoothies, massage and a reading area complete the picture of a thoroughly relaxing day in the park, and though it's not free, you can hardly go wrong for seven fifty a ticket.
Carnaval del Pueblo 2008
Burgess Park, Albany Road, Camberwell, London, SE5 0RJ3rd August 2008
This loud, colourful fiesta of all things Latin American is a celebration of their roots for expat communities in the capital, and a massive party for the rest of us. Proceedings usually kick off at about noon when a procession of brightly-coloured floats wind their way from City Hall down to Burgess Park, where revellers enjoy regionally-themed food, drink, music and, of course, dance. There are a number of different stages offering everything from traditional folk music and flamenco to the freshest reggaeton and Latin hip-hop. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend.
Sanctuary Festival
Matterley Bowl, Matterley Estate, Alresford, Winchester, London, SO24 0HY8th August 2008 & 9th August 2008
With Homelands finally gone the way of Tribal Gathering, those who want a day of dirty raving in the Hampshire countryside should probably check out the Sanctuary Festival. It's hosted by Slammin' Vinyl, which means that the focus is exclusively on hard dance, with Friday based round a D'n'B stage headlined by Bukem and Conrad, as well as four tented arenas. Things really kick off on the Saturday, with multiple outdoor stages, sixteen tented arenas, and musicians including DJ Hype, Friction, Andy C, Alex Kidd and dozens of others. As you can probably tell from that list, this is not an event for the faint-hearted, but on the plus side, this is the kind of crowd who laugh in the face of the British weather, and this is going to be a storming party, rain or shine.
Underage Festival
Victoria Park, Old Ford Road, London, E3 5SN8th August 2008
I'm probably not the only twentysomething in London who finds the idea of a festival aimed at fashionable 14-17 year olds pretty disturbing. Shouldn't children that age be sitting on benches smoking cigarettes and failing to communicate with members of the opposite sex, rather than doing stuff that's actually cool? The star performers will be Gary Glitter and Jonathan King... only joking. We've actually only heard of four of the bands on the line-up - The Horrors, Foals, Bonde Do Role, the Maccabees - but that's almost certainly because we're old fogies who don't understand MySpace, rather than because there's anything wrong with the other acts. There's strictly no alcohol allowed, and by all accounts the kids at these events are more concerned with music and fashion than with drinking Strongbow and losing their V-plates. Bizarre, but probably a lot of fun if you're 16.
Beijing 2008 Olympics on the Big Screen
Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DS8th - 24th August 2008
Catch the live action from the Beijing Olympics on a big screen at one of London's three sporting hubs this August. Temporary screens will be erected for the 2008 Games at Canary Wharf, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square as the best worldwide athletes compete on track and field. With the Olympics taking place just once every four years and watched by around 1.5 billion people, the atmosphere at these public screens is sure to include some nail biting moments as well as euphoric celebrations as medal winners dig deep to secure their place on the podium.
On 24th August live coverage of the London 2012 Party on The Mall, just next to Trafalgar Square, will be shown on the big screen along with footage from the closing ceremony in Beijing. The handover officially marks the beginning of the four-year build-up to London hosting the 2012 Olympics.
Field Day
Victoria Park, London, E3 5SN9th August 2008
While most of the London outdoor music events are crowded and highly commercial affairs, Field Day goes against the grain, attempting to capture the laidback sunshine-and-cider vibe of a small, rural festival. With 5000 visitors fitting very comfortably into Victoria Park, it describes itself as a psychedelic village fete. This seems to mean folksy electronica joined by a coconut shy, a tombola, and a welly-throwing competition, with some harder beats as the sun sets. Last year it was desperately badly organised, but the idea is a good one, and hopefully it'll all run a bit more smoothly second time round. Confirmed acts so far include Fionn Regan, Foals, King Creosote, Mystery Jets, Richie Hawtin and Simian Mobile Disco.
Mazda London Triathlon
ExCel Exhibition Centre, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL9th August 2008 & 10th August 2008
The triathlon is fast replacing the marathon as the event of choice for testing your body to the limit, and the London Triathlon is the world's largest event of its kind. Over 8000 people participate in a punishing program of running, swimming and cycling, while 40,000 are expected to visit the Triathlon Expo. There is a strong focus on raising money for charity, with £1 million usually donated each year, and media celebrities, major sporting figures and some of the world's best triathletes all expected to take part. Taking place around the ExCel Exhibition Centre, the Docklands setting is idyllic on a sunny summer weekend, and the Thames hopefully not too cold for the brave athletes. It's a great spectator event too, with the chance to see some of the fittest sports people do battle across three gruelling disciplines.
V Festival 2008
Hylands Park, Chelmsford, London, CM2 8WQ16th August 2008 & 17th August 2008
While other festivals specialise in certain types of music, or in creating a great atmosphere, the V Festival exists for only one purpose - getting as many of the biggest names in music together as possible. There's little musical focus, with pop, rock and urban groups happily jumbled together. Still, in spite of the casual attitude to programming, it's hard to imagine that there will be anyone under thirty who won't find something to appeal. With around a hundred major acts booked, there's simply not enough space here to start listing highlights. It may be a thoroughly commercial enterprise, but if it's big name musicians you care about most, this is probably the festival for you.
Beachdown Festival
Devil's Dyke, Brighton, London, RH17 5NU22nd August 2008 - 25th August 2008
Perhaps the best line-up of any boutique festival is this new three-day party near Brighton. Alongside the usual indie suspects (Reverend and the Makers, Lightspeed Champion, The Young Knives, The Maccabees) there's a focus on international musicians, with Jazzy Jeff, Horace Andy and Nouvelle Vague among the highlights, and Roy Ayers keeping his fingers crossed for the weather when he launches into his biggest hit. The line-up seems to be gaining and losing acts all the time, so perhaps it's not a great idea to book solely in order to see a favourite musician, given that new boutique festivals are unreliable in their scheduling at the best of times. But it's a great location, which apparently is guaranteed mud-free - the rainwater just drains away from the chalk soil on the South Downs, leaving it permanently dry underfoot. With shuttlebuses running all day back and forth from Brighton, this is a festival that it's very easy to dip in and out of, though they're still expecting most of their 15,000 visitors to camp.
The Carling Weekend Reading
Reading Festival, Richfield Avenue, London, RG1 8BJ22nd August 2008 - 24th August 2008
For rock fans, the Reading Festival has an absolutely breathtaking line-up. There are plenty of acts still to be confirmed, but huge names like The Killers, Metallica, Queens of the Stone Age, The Fratellis, Bloc Party and Tenacious D are already signed up. None of this, however, saves this festival. The miserable venue, the crowds of aggressive drunks, the constant rip-off prices and the incredible weight of advertising for Britain's wateriest lager all add up to an exhausting and soulless experience. The day tickets are a good deal, with so many top bands playing, but this is not a place you would want to camp for three days.
South West Four
Clapham Common, London, SW4 0AA23rd August 2008
The biggest names on the jet-set superstar DJ circuit play at this massive open-air party, including Carl Cox, Erick Morillo, John Digweed, Fedde Le Grand, Sven Vath and a dozen more. Complaints from residents do mean it's not quite as loud as you might want it to be, but the hands-in-the-air outdoor raving experience more than makes up for that - and the Bank Holiday on Monday gives you a couple of days to recover. If you can't be bothered with afternoon raving, it's well worth checking out the many official and unofficial afterparties going off in Clapham and Brixton later in the evening.
Get Loaded in the Park
Clapham Common, London, SW4 0AA24th August 2008
Putting your festival in direct competition with Notting Hill Carnival - Britain's biggest street party - is a bold move by anyone's standards, but Get Loaded in the Park has proved a great success over the last few years, filling Clapham Common with seas of revellers. Originally a Madchester reunion, the remit now seems to have been extended to include any bands with lots of charisma and serious drug problems. Iggy and the Stooges headline this year and there are also sets from Supergrass, Soulwax, gypsy punk Gogol Bordello and Gossip, and about twenty others.
Notting Hill Carnival 2008
Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, and Westbourne Grove, London, W10 5QZ24th August 2008 & 25th August 2008
Carnival sets London on fire in a blaze of Caribbean spirit as extravagantly costumed dancers, calypso and soca musicians, giant soundsystems and steelbands are joined by over a million revellers of all ages. Held since 1966, and originally a local affair for west London's homesick Caribbean community, this has evolved into Europe's biggest street party. Sunday is officially Children's Day, but there are loads of kids on both days enjoying the bright colours of the floats and the dancers' feathered costumes. Adults can shake their battys at dozens of stages: our favourites are Channel 1's booming dub, and the jazz-reggae at Gaz's Rockin' Blues, but there are tunes for all tastes, from house to hip-hop. It's a huge area, and can get very crowded, so be prepared for an exhausting day out, but for anyone who loves a party, Carnival remains the absolute highlight of the London summer.
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