The festival season was rounded off in brilliantly bonkers style as over 40,000 revellers donned their wellington boots and made their way to Robin Hill Country Park in Downend for Bestival 2010. Here, for four action-packed days, they were able to enjoy a superbly diverse mix of music mingled with a wide range of innovative off-the-wall recreational activities.
Renowned for its eccentric themes, 2010 was dubbed “The Year of the Fantastic” with bestival-goers strongly encouraged to exert their fancy-dress imagination and enter into the wacky world of fantasy. As the grand fancy-dress parade thundered through the Fire and Bollywood fields and into the Fantasy field on Saturday afternoon, the dark rain clouds rolled aside to reveal an impressive array of costumes and make way for an afternoon of brilliant sunshine. Many of the creative ideas could later be seen on the catwalk, as fictitious characters from The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Willy Wonka and King Arthur were given the opportunity to strut their stuff and battle it out against one another for the chance to win a number of hotly contended rosettes presented by singer and DJ Elly Jackson from electropop duo La Roux.
The party got underway with Island band Level 42 arriving on stage, themselves in fancy-dress, to a brilliant reception from a packed crowd. Friday’s line-up included Hot Chip and rapper Dizzee Rascal who brought the house down with a spectacular live version of his party anthem Bonkers. Saturday headliners The Flaming Lips guaranteed a night to remember as a series of smoke and tickertape-fueled explosions engulfed the stage whilst front man Wayne Coyne strode out above the heads of audience members in a giant see-through zorb ball. This magnificent performance was proceeded by English rock group Roxy Music, folk rock band Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding, who also embraced the Fantasy fancy-dress theme with band members dressed as characters from both Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter. Earlier on in the day iconic Australian Rolf Harris (and his wobble-board) delighted crowds surrounding the main stage.
In addition to a day of absolutely glorious sunshine, Sunday also brought with it a whole host of artists including Echo & The Bunnymen, Chase & Status and festival favorites The Prodigy. The band were joined by a giant bonfire and firework display in the Magic Meadows field in bringing the weekend to a close.
Throughout the four-day event hundreds of talented musicans played on a number of stages across the site with the big top and cabaret tent offering some strong alternatives to the main stage. Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank is the mastermind behind the event and has helped grow the festival into an established part of the late summer calendar.
Proving that it’s not just all about the music, Bestival 2010 went pink for Breast Cancer Campaign’s Isle of Pink fundraising initiative and helped raise more than £5,000 over the three-day period for breast cancer research. A pink star was designed by the Bestival team to illuminate the Isle of Pink fundraising stall, where festival-goers could buy a range of pink goods, such as wigs, wands, whistles and wings, as well as get their face painted in support of the charity, to help turn the event as pink as possible. Pink cupcakes made by Abigail’s Kitchen, Newport, were very popular amongst the revellers. As were the specially designed pink charity wristbands, which were snapped up after Ellie Goulding wore one during her performance on the main stage and Rob da Bank himself was also spotted wearing one.