With this year’s Bestival fast approaching for a second time at its new home in Lulworth on the beautiful Jurassic Coast, I’m excited to do a quick round up of some of the must-see acts on this year’s colourful circus stages.

There’s a great mix of big names and up-and-coming artists across all of the stages this year. I feel we must talk about Diplo and Mark Ronson’s exclusive festival appearance as Silk City. These two have collaborated with their new debut single ‘Only Can Get Better’ which is currently set to be the soundtrack of the summer. Both made huge names for themselves in their own right, with both DJs having collaborated with a huge range of pop stars in the past, so I think it’s safe to say we can expect good things from such a strong duo. They’ll be headlining the Castle Stage on Friday night; the best way to kick off your Besti weekend.

The Big Top is housing some of the latest up-and-coming artists this year. Jorja Smith will be headlining on Thursday night, kicking off the weekend with her beautiful jazz-inspired voice. If you’ve not heard of her yet, her chilled out music takes inspiration from the likes of Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys and Adele. She’s really hit the ground running in 2017 working with Drake, and after a show-stopping performance at the Brit Awards this year, we’re now very excited to see what she brings to Bestival 2018.

Keeping those chilled summer vibes flowing is First Aid Kit, a Sweedish folk duo that is bound to put a smile on anyone’s faces. Starting out at just age 14, the two sisters who both do vocals as well as guitar are seriously talented and have already released four albums since they started touring in 2010. Following their set at Coachella in April this year, the pair is now set to make an appearance on Bestival’s very own Castle Stage – watch this hippy space!

Jorja Smith

First Aid Kit

Another artist I am super excited about is Mura Masa, a Guernsey-born singer-songwriter and producer, who recently topped the Spotify charts with his song ‘Lovesick.’ Known for his electronic music, Mura Masa has gained recognition in the charts for other singles such as ‘What If I Go‘ and ‘Firefly‘ but jumped further into the spotlight after co-writing Stormzy’s ‘First Thing’s First.’ He’s now up there on the Castle Stage warming up for some other big names; be sure to get a good spot to hear more from him as I’m sure he’s going to be doing big things in the near future!

If you’re into your EDM, house, techno or DnB, then there are plenty more artists worth seeing at the Temple stage. CamelPhat, known for their single ‘Cola‘ will be performing, followed by Solardo, topped off by a DJ set from Rudimental– so if you’re looking to get your stomp on, this is the place to be to take you through to the early hours! I am also very excited to see Agoria live at the Big Top- this year’s Bestival is all about the rave!

I’m an indie girl at heart, so those looking for something a little more alternative need not panic as we’ve got you covered too! Black Honey is one of the latest indie-rock bands on the scene and they’ll be performing songs from their up-and-coming album, self-titled Black Honey. The four members from Brighton founded in 2014 and threw together a magical mix of hauntingly good vocals and classic indie backing tracks, which people are describing very particularly as Lana Del Ray meets Lush. They’ve been quietly simmering beneath the surface for a few years, but with their album due for release in September, we’re excited to be present at the gig that could potentially send them soaring into the indie charts very, very soon.

There really is something for everyone this year, and aside from the great array of music on offer, there will be great food, great people and great weather (we hope)! Bestival takes place at the earlier time of 2-5^th August this year, so we’ll see you there for what’s set to be a scorcher of a weekend!

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

Written by Sarah Butcher
Photos are PR provided or taken from official social media