Festivals in May 2008
Get details of all the great festivals happening in May.
Brighton Festival
What: Now in its 42nd year, the Brighton Festival boasts an exciting range of world-class art and entertainment.
Where: Castle Square, Brighton
When: The Brighton Festival runs from the Saturday 3 to Sunday 25 May.
Line up: Daughters of Albion, Manic Organic, Fanfare Ciocarlia and Miriam Makeba.
Cost: Each event is sold separately, and range from £4 to £22 (plus booking fee) depending on the type of event. You can save by booking multiple tickets and events at the same time.
Transport: Frequent direct trains run between London Victoria and Brighton. A special Brighton Festival late night train will be running. The site is approximately 60 miles south of London via the A23/M23.
Parking: NCP are offering a 50% discount on parking in the Theatre Car Park on Church Street from 6pm. Just validate your ticket at one of the events to receive discount.
Radio 1 Big Weekend 2008
What: The Radio 1 Big Weekend is back again with another great line up.
Where: Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent
When: Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 May
Line up: Madonna will be headlining the main stage on the Saturday, and the Kooks headlining on the Sunday. Usher, The Fratellis, Scouting for Girls, The Enemy, Fatboy Slim and Goldfrapp are also on the bill.
Cost: Free! Registration for tickets is essential, with people picked at random usually according to their proximity to the event. However registration is now closed.
The Great Escape Festival
What: If you love discovering the next great band, then this is the event for you. The Great Escape prides itself on being one of the biggest festivals in Europe for showcasing new talent from around the world.
Where: Various venues around Brighton City Centre
When: Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 May
Line up: There will be over 200 live acts, including The Futureheads, The Ting Tings, The Young Knives and One Night Only.
Cost: A three day pass to all venues costs £45, with a day ticket costing £18.50 for Thursday and £22.50 for Friday or Saturday.
Transport: Brighton is under an hour by train from London, and accessible by car via the M23/A23.
Parking: There is a Park & Ride available at Withdean Stadium to the north of the city, signposted from the A23.
Dot to Dot Festival (London, Bristol and Nottingham)
What: Various venues throughout each city host an eclectic mix of live acts.
Where: London, Bristol and Nottingham.
When: Thursday 22 May in London, and Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 May in Nottingham and Bristol.
Line up: The Nottingham and Bristol line up includes Dirty Pretty Things, Mystery Jets, The Holloways and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. The London line up includes Chrome Hoof, Dan Deacon and Eugene McGuinness.
Cost: For the London event a ticket costs £15, with a £1.75 booking fee. For the Bristol and Nottingham events, tickets cost £30 for the weekend, £20 for a day pass and £25 for a 14+ Weekend Standing ticket, with a booking fee of between £2.25 and £3.00.
Run to the Sun 2008
What: Set in beautiful countryside surroundings close to golden beaches, this event is an energetic mix of top dance and comedy acts, laser shows and visual performers, combined with the chilled VW cruise and Show n Shine event.
Where: Porth, Newquay, Cornwall
When: Friday 23 to Monday 26 May
Line up: Acts performing in the main arena include Fedde le Grand, Boy George, Mauro Picotto, Fergie, Adam Beyer and Lisa Lashes.
Cost: Ticket prices are £81 for adults and £41 for children. This includes entry to the Run to the Sun event and camping on Thursday and Friday.
Camping: Camping is included in the price of the ticket. Alternatively, you can hire a caravan for between four and nine people for an extra £19 per person.
Transport: The event is accessible by car, train, coach or aeroplane to Newquay Airport. Volksworld will be organising a cruise leading festival-goers from Reading services to Newquay.
Gatecrasher Weekend Summer Sound System 2008
What: The perfect event for all dance music lovers, with live sets from around 200 DJs across ten arenas, performing to an audience of around 60,000 people.
Where: Turweston, Aerodrome, near Brackley, Northamptonshire
When: Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 May
Line up: Headline acts will be the Prodigy on Saturday and the Chemical Brothers on Sunday. Other acts include Dizzee Rascal, Simian Mobile Disco, Paul Van Dyke, Paul Oakenfold and Armand Van Helden.
Cost: A weekend ticket with camping costs £115, while a day pass costs £59.50.
Camping: Camping is available to those who purchase a weekend ticket.
Transport: The nearest train stations are Northampton and Milton Keynes, where there will be shuttle buses connecting you to the site. Booking for the shuttle bus is advised to guarantee a seat.
Parking: Extensive, security patrolled parking is available for a fee of £5.
The Isle of Skye Music Festival
What: Nestled amidst stunning Scottish scenery, this event brings you a host of big names, as well as some smaller acts, providing a diverse mix of contemporary, alternative, dance and traditional Celtic artists.
Where: Near Broadford, Scotland
When: Friday 23 to Saturday 24 May
Line up: To be announced
Cost: Weekend tickets cost £85, including camping and onsite parking. Day tickets cost £50, including onsite parking.
Camping: Camping is available and is included in the price of a weekend ticket.
Transport: A free local bus runs every twenty minutes between Kyle and Broadford. Two main bus routes run from Inverness and Glasgow to the Isle of Skye. Skye can be reached by bus or rail from either Inverness or Glasgow airport. Skye can also be reached by ferry from Mallaig or Glenelg.
Parking: Onsite parking is provided and is included in the price of the ticket.
Liverpool Sound City
What: This four day music festival and conference features a host of international signed and unsigned artists as well as industry debates and events.
Where: Various venues around Liverpool.
When: Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 May
Line up: Artists include The Wombats and DJ Yoda.
Cost: A ticket providing full access to all events plus VIP entry costs £140 (£120 early bird). Other entry passes with varied VIP and show access are available for £60 and £30.
The Sunrise Celebration
What: Considered to be one of the UK's leading independent sustainable festivals, this is a great event for the environmentally conscious. This festival provides an inspiring mix of alternative culture, music, shows, workshops and forums.
Where: Near Glastonbury, Somerset.
When: 29 May to 1 June 2008
Line up: Music includes performances from The Orb, The Beat, Dub Pistols, System 7 and Baka Beyond.
Cost: Prices are £88 for adults, £25 for children aged five to fifteen years inclusive, and £200 for a family ticket of two adults and two children. There are a limited number of Teen Tickets for 16 and 17 year-olds priced at £55 for all four days.
Camping: Camping is included in the ticket price. Alternative living accommodation in Pod Pads, Tipis, Yurts and Caravans is available for an additional fee.
Transport: The site is easily accessible from the A303 in South Somerset. A shuttle bus, costing £3 each way, will run from Yeovil Bus Station and Yeovil Pen Mill Station.
Parking: Parking is provided on site in a designated field for a set fee of £12.50.
Wychwood Festival
What: Over 100 music and comedy acts on four stages, and a whole host of workshops for all ages. This event has been described as "An excellent hybrid of The Big Chill, Womad and The Cambridge Folk Festival." - Time Out.
Where: Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire
When: 30 May to 1 June
Line up: Acts include The Proclaimers, The Divine Comedy, The Blockhead, The Imagined Village and Duffy.
Cost: An adult weekend ticket costs £100, youth and concession tickets cost £75 and children under 12 (up to two per adult) go free. An adult day ticket costs £35 (£20 youth/concession) for Friday, £50 (£35 youth/concession) for Saturday and £40 (£25 youth/concession) for Sunday.
Camping: All weekend tickets include camping. Day ticket holders may camp overnight but must leave by midday the following day. Tipis and Yurts are available for hire.
Transport: Cheltenham Racecourse is situated at junctions 10, 11 and 11a of the M5. Cheltenham Spa is the nearest train station. National Express runs journeys to Royal Well Bus Station, Cheltenham, from most major cities.
Parking: Parking is available.
