Thursday 19 July 2012

Here comes the muddy bride at 2000 Trees


If you were one of the lucky (if not a little muddy) revellers that attended the 2000 Trees festival last weekend you may have come across a large group of over excited girls and a bride to be.

No, it wasn’t a misguided dress-up attempt - the festival’s theme was video games so I’m not sure where a bride would fit in - I was on a hen do. Being chief bridesmaid I was very aware that the thought of mud, no showers and toilets-that-have-seen-better-days might send shivers down the spine of even the most hardened gig-goers, so I decided to make sure our accommodation at least was a little more comfy than a lilo and a plastic sheet.

With this in mind, I booked three ‘bell tents’ from the lovely folks at Karma Kanvas. These consisted of three clean, large yurts each with three double airbeds, sheets and some twinkly fairy lights, between 18 of us. The festival consisted of a swamp for most of the weekend, so the grassy area around the tents was a welcome relief. We also had a nice table and chairs which is a life saver when you can’t sit on the ground. These tents are recommended if you’re more into ‘glamping’ than camping, without them I think some hens may have flown home…



Musical highlights for the festival, on Upcote Farm, Withington, Gloucestershire, included the Futureheads - I have been humming ‘Hounds of Love’ ever since - and Dog is Dead, who included a saxophonist, which always gets bonus points from me.



Although I kept away from the Cave stage (too much screaming) and preferred the chilled out vibes of the Greenhouse and the Leaf Lounge, I could see the festival caters for all tastes and most of the hens seemed happy with this. Even the pop lovers got a treat with the brilliant silent disco that took place once the music stopped.

The toilets, by festival standards, were pretty amazing - loo roll and hand sanitizer! There was a great selection of food and with a modest capacity of 4,500, you didn’t have to queue for very long. The organisers should also be commended on their green credentials, there were lots of recycling options and locally produced food.

What made the festival for me was perhaps related to the humble size. The bride to be - and the rest of us - had to do rather a lot of silly dares which I expected to be met with stony-faced snobbery. But in fact, everyone was very friendly and we even got some marital advice from a pair of festival goers that have been married 40 years.

It was: “Do lots of things together and lots of thing apart.” Sound advice I say, if one of those things includes 200 Trees Festival 2013.




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