All good things come to those who wait. This premise rings particularly true for this year’s eagerly anticipated Beacons Festival at Funkirk Estate, Skipton in the hilly Yorkshire Dales. Running from Friday 17th to Sunday the 19th August, the festival will welcome visitors from all over the world in classic Yorkshire style, with lusy greenery, beaming smiles and Whitelocks ales aplenty.
In what was supposed to be its debut year, last year’s event was a victim of quite literally drowning in a sea of its own heavy expectation (and valley flooding due to inclement weather from the North Sea). Extenuating circumstances aside, this year’s Beacons promises to more than make up for last year’s adverse conditions; the event organizers have been keen to reassure any fretting campers by spreading Instagram-med photos of a sunny festival site across various social networking sites.
Combining local talent with a call list of virtually every young rising British producer, this year’s line up a monster any which way you look at it. Mirroring last year’s grand designs, the North Yorkshire pastures will be graced by the likes of Mount Kimbie, Pearson Sound, Kwes, XXXY, Lunice, Jam City, Bok Bok, Disclosure, Oneman and Maya Jane Coles, that is tempered by more diverse names like Peaking Lights, Wild Beasts Roots Manuva and Junior Boys.
A celebration of everything Yorkshire and country, Beacons is not just limited to music. The three day event will also be equipped with a ‘Healing Quarter’ for any festival-goers who fancy a bout of aerobics or yoga in between the musical festivities. Equally, there will be art installations to cast your eye over, cabaret and performance workshops for those of you with a penchant for the stage, as well as spoken word, jazz, films and documentaries in the surrounding woodland. For the little ones, there is a kids and parents breakfast club, fancy dress games, parades and kids cabaret.
A festival that is proud to function on its own terms, Beacons abounds with an intimate, lounged aesthetic; its capacity of 2,500, and its particular emphasis on communal activities, makes it a truly unique festival in its combination of friendly family-orientated fun with on-point artists for music-heads to feast over. You are most certainly getting bang for your buck this year. Be sure not to miss out.