Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up, Bestival, the greatest show on the south coast is back, and in a new August slot. The ringmaster Rob Da Bank has this evening announced the first wave of acts who will be performing at this summer’s festival.

Castle Stage headliners on Saturday and Sunday will be London Grammar and MIA along with support over the weekend from Django Django, First Aid Kit, Stefflon Don and Plan B. Legends of the game Chaka Khan, Jimmy Cliff and Grace Jones will be there along with new blood Jorja Smith, Mura Masa, IAMDDB, Mabel and Idles.

Along with the live performances you can expect DJ sets from Rudimental, Giles Peterson, Faithless, Jaguar Skills, Hot Chip Mega Mix, Norman Jay and Craig Charles just to name a few.

And there are psychedelic sideshows and extraordinary attractions to satisfy the soul in eye-popping venues including Temple, Bollywood, HMS Bestival (AKA The Port), Stacey’s, AmbientLand, Caravanserai, Club Dada and a magnificent charm of stages and immersive micro-venues scattered across our boutique campsite wonderland.

As ever Bestival goes far beyond the music, and this year’s circus-themed arcadia is no exception featuring an array of tableau and temptation with Fat Gay Vegan, Feast Collective, Free Haircuts, Slam Poetry Yurt, Gong Healing, 5k Campsite Run, Dubstep Dodgems, Black Light Forest Party, Yoga Nidra With Rob da Bank, Human Ball Pit, Musical Vegetable Orchestra, Wood Fired Hot Tubs, the WI, the World’s Largest Confetti Cannon & Disco Ball, Fireworks, Witness The Fitness Tent, Lit Tent, Loop Sessions, the Love Bot, Rainbow Astronauts and much more.

I’ve also spotted an interesting booking, Vic Reeves appears to be hosting a reggae set in Club Da Da.

“We are so excited to be coming back to Bestival this year! Our show there back in 2014 was one of our favourite shows we have done on home shores. I’ve been going along for years as it’s such a magical festival and this time we get to headline!” Dot Major (London Grammar)

This summer Bestival and sibling festivals Camp Bestival and Common People will be banning plastic straws, and are working to make the practice a UK festival standard. The initiative will then extend to include all single-use plastics, including drinks bottles and bar cups.

Following a successful trial at 2017’s Bestival, when biodegradable paper straws replaced plastic, promoters Josie and Rob da Bank are launching The Final Straw campaign to purge plastic straws from the festival landscape. Northamptonshire’s Shambala, Kendal Calling and Cheshire’s bluedot have already signed up, and now Josie and Rob are urging fellow festival promoters to join them.

Early Birds tickets are available for £149 until 2 pm Thursday. Find out more over on their website which can be found below.

Website: bestival.net
Facebook: facebook.com/bestivalfestival
Twitter: twitter.com/Bestival
Instagram: instagram.com/bestival

Photos by Eliot Lee Hazel and Bestival