The best of the summer fests

If you’re a festival fanatic, you’ll be most disappointed to hear there’s no Glasto this year. But never fear, there are plenty of other live music events to liven up your summer.

Whether you prefer rock, indie, jazz, dance, pop or a good old mix, you’ll be sure to find something to keep you swaying in the sun.


Here are a few of Liberti's favourite Christian and secular fests:

Christian events

Greenbelt

Greenbelt has attracted some pretty big names from the music industry over the years including: U2, Moby, Goldie, Jamelia, The Proclaimers, Daniel Bedingfield, Amy Grant, Athlete, Sixpence None the Richer and Delirious?. Although it started out as a purely Christian music festival, Greenbelt is now attended by believers and non-believers alike – 21,000 of them in fact.

Geeky festival fact

Greenbelt was one of the main catalysts for the Jubilee 2000 movement, which called for the cancellation of third-world debt.

Date and venue

August 24-27 at Cheltenham Racecourse.

New Wine

Participants at this year’s New Wine event will include: J John, Danielle Strickland, Francis Chan, Rosie and Tim Bunn, Carl Beech and Maggie Ellis. Fantastic entertainment has been planned for Gems (0-2s), Pebbles (3-4s), Groundbreakers (5-7s), Rock Solid (8-9s) and Boulder Gangers (10-11s) and this year will see the launch of a new evening celebration venue for young adults.

Geeky festival fact

Among its other great resources, New Wine has its own on-site radio station to keep visitors up-to-date at all times.

Dates and venues

July 21 to July 27 at Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet; July 28 to August 4 at Newark & Nottinghamshire County Showground, Newark; July 29 to August 4 at Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet.

Soul Survivor

Soul Survivor is a five-day event that attracts around 28,000 visitors each year. It primarily targets teenagers and young adults, but it’s fun for grownups too. This year’s speakers will include: Suzie Brock, Gavin Calver, Jeannie Morgan and Patrick Regan.

Geeky festival fact

There is also a Midlands-based soul band called The Soul Survivors so make sure you don’t get them mixed up.

Dates and venues

July 27-31 at Stafford Showground; August 7-11 at Bath & West Showground; August 12-16 at Bath & West Showground.

Secular events

Bestival

Describing itself as a “boutique music festival”, this three-day event is a by-product of Rob da Bank's Sunday Best legacy. It’s more eclectic than some of its predecessors and is well known for its fancy dress themes, Bollywood Cocktail Bar and Hidden Disco.

Those who don’t fancy camping might prefer Bestival’s Tipi, Yurt or PodPad accommodation options.

Geeky festival fact

Organisers recently introduced a Breastival baby area for new mothers.

Date and venue

September 6-9 (ok, so it’s not strictly summer!) at Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight.

Latitude

First held in 2006, Latitude is a relative newcomer in the festival arena. But what it lacks in history, it makes up for in fantastic music, theatre, art, comedy, cabaret, poetry, politics, dance and literature. Last year’s acts included Florence and the Machine, Ardal O'Hanlon, Simon Armitage, Vivienne Westwood, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Nash, Sigur Rós and Andrew Motion.

Geeky festival fact

Latitude is run by Festival Republic, which runs the Reading and Leeds festivals and is also contracted to run Glastonbury.

Date and venue

July 12-15 at Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk.

Benicàssim

Our favourite overseas secular event takes place on Spain’s east coast between Valencia and Alicante. The weather is likely to be a bit more reliable than at UK festivals and if (in the unlikely event) you fancy a break from the music, you can head to the beach. Among the acts at last year’s fest were: Paolo Nutini, The Strokes, LeFreak, Bombay Bicycle Club, Mumford & Sons, Arctic Monkeys, Tinie Tempah  and a load of European acts I’ve never heard of but I’m sure are awesome. 

Geeky festival fact

The name “Benicàssim” comes from the Arabic for “sons of Qasim” (whoever the heck Qasim is).

Date and venue

July 12-15 in Benicàssim, Costa Azahar, Spain. 

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.

Getting creative with the truth

Guest blog with Liza Hoeksma

Many of us are uncomfortable with our creative sides. In fact, some of you would probably even deny you’ve got one. The truth is, we’re made by the ultimate creator and we reflect his nature so, well, the jigs up: you are in fact creative.

So why do we find it so hard to embrace? I wonder if the fact that creativity rarely pays the bills means it get less of a look in than other elements of our lives. At school the curriculum often features music, drama and art, but unless you’re the one in a million who is destined for stardom in one of these areas, you’ll likely be nudged into a more ‘sensible’ career path. So by the age of 16 you’ve let most of those creative pursuits drop, thinking you weren’t really any good at them anyway and tucking them into ‘the school years’ file in your head.

That was pretty much my story, anyway. As a result, I spent my twenties trying to silence the creative person in me, allowing instead the much louder, logical voice inside me to take control. I wanted a straight career path; roles and responsibilities I knew I could do well in.

But more recently the creative voice has been getting louder in me. I realised that to be creative I had to deal with my fear of failure. GULP! I don’t like getting things wrong (who does?), but if I only ever do things I know I can get right the first time round, I’ll never get anywhere. Or at least not anywhere exciting.

As I’ve taken small steps to embrace and even cultivate creativity I’ve realised it impacts on almost every area of life. It’s taught me to be kinder to myself, to enjoy and appreciate things that are beautiful rather than just things that are purposeful. It’s given me freedom to express myself; to rethink what I value and the way I spend my time and my money. It’s opened my eyes to so much of the world that I had blocked out in my pursuit of the logical.

How much time do you spend pursuing and exploring creativity? I don’t just mean drawing a picture or writing a song – I mean anything creative from baking a cake to visiting the theatre; from taking a photograph to making someone a birthday present. There are many ways to embrace creativity, but we so often shut them out of our lives and in doing so we shut down a part of who we were made to be.

So this year I want to give it a shot. I want to be free to create ten rubbish pictures because the eleventh might be great. I want to try new recipes and not worry if they don’t turn out like Nigella promised. I want to sew my friends pretty pictures and hope they’ll forgive me for my raggedy stitching. And I want to learn from others whether that means going to the ballet or trying a new author.

And most of all I want to learn from the ultimate creator. I want to sit and watch the sea, calmed by its rhythm and in awe of its power. I want to stand in the middle of a forest and be amazed again at the level of detail God has invested in our world. I want to visit the zoo and smile at the fact that God created giraffes and hippos. The one who created the whole world out of nothing, He’s the one who will teach me – and you if you’re up for it – what it really means to live creatively.

Liza Hoeksma writes for Godculture, an online magazine that showcases Christianity in modern culture. For more articles on faith, creativity, technology, justice, music and more, visit Godculture.