I love a festival, the atmosphere, the music, and of course, the food. Kendal Calling is a masterpiece of an independent festival.
I’ve been going to Kendal Calling for four years now, so technically I’m still a ‘rookie’ compared to some!
Every year I have left on such a high, and this year (their 20th birthday) was no different – pure Northern vibes.
This year didn’t disappoint. For me, the highlight was looking around at the crowd on Saturday night for Fatboy Slim’s set and seeing such an eclectic mix of people, young and old, having the time of their lives – the place was bouncing.
I bumped into him after his headline set, and he’s one of the nicest artists I’ve ever encountered.
He’d just finished a near two-hour set, and still made the time to have a craic and credited the Cumbrian crowd as being awesome and up for a good time, before being whisked away in his van.
My only comment is never let Scouting For Girls and Fatboy Slim clash – SFG have to be one of my favourite bands that do the festival circuit.
Liverpool’s The Wombats are always a must-see at a festival, hit after hit, their catalogue of classic tunes never disappoints, especially before a stellar set from Friday headliners The Courteeners.
Badger’s DJ set in the Parklands on Saturday kept the party going into the early hours; fair to say we were all just running on adrenaline by the time 2am came around.
You see so many people at Kendal, it’s like a bit of a school reunion too, bumping into people you haven’t seen in years. I bumped into my English teacher, Miss Savage, who was there with her young family – I hadn’t seen her in nearly a decade!
Young ones with their friends at their first festival, families with their campervans in tow, die-hard indie fans and our local favourite Helen Skelton, who we bumped into at the bar – everyone is there!
I think I eat more in one short weekend at Kendal than I do during a typical week – Yorkshire puddings, curries, crepes, Barnaby pies – we tried it all this weekend. There is almost too much choice for someone indecisive at meal times!
You can see the organisers’ vision at every turn, from the quirky stages and decor, to the plethora of local grassroots talent, the collaboration with BBC Introducing and local charities, and bringing world-class artists to the Lakes – lots of Northern twang on those stages too!
I love that they call the promoters’ backstage area ‘Little Arnside’ as a nod to where they were brought up – true Cumbrians and a team of true music lovers.
The Prodigy closing the festival last night was the perfect ending to a Biblical weekend. I’ve never seen anything like it.
The production, fireworks, the interaction with the crowd, the energy; everyone was completely fixated on that mainstage with the fells in the background.
The line-up has evolved over the years, once known as an almost exclusively indie festival, now has something for everyone.
If you don’t mind walking up lots of hills and a bit of mud, then it’s worth bagging a ticket for next year, if you haven’t been before!
