I’ve always claimed to hate festivals and camping, even though I’ve never experienced either. So when the opportunity to go to Festival no. 6 came up I was a little hesitant. However, I’m always up for new experiences, so I roped in my (equally skeptical) BFF for the weekend, and off we trotted on one of the discounted trains that Virgin put on as a partner with the festival. (First class – this is my kind of festival).
Only four hours away from London lies Portmeirion, a small village built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. This alone is worth the trip. The whole place is like a toy town, with some of the buildings being just façades. It’s like walking around on a real-life film set. Portmeirion overlooks a stunning port, where you can swim, take body-boarding lessons or simply sunbathe.
Festival no. 6 is only three years old, and with it being such a young festival it’s surprising how many great names they had performing (Hello Pet Shop Boys!).
There are events throughout the day to suit anyone and everyone; dance classes, talks gigs and activities for Kids. This really is one of the most diverse festivals out there. But take my advice and plan, plan, plan or you may miss something wonderful
The organizers have catered for everyone: we learnt how to dance the Charleston, grooved to Northern Soul, got involved in a heated debate about drug licensing laws, watched London Grammar and even danced the night away on a secret floating dance floor.
To keep you going, there are is a huge range of food trucks, including Piggy Smalls (a hot dog truck with a sense of humor) and deep fried halloumi bites (not for the faint hearted). And to keep you partying into the night there is a gin bar, a rum bar, beer bars and a Veuve Clicquot Champagne bar. Hangover included…
Of course, given we were camping virgins we couldn’t possibly manage with a standard tent. Instead, a luxury bell tent (complete with blowup mattresses and Egyptian cotton sheets) was our home for the weekend. Prices start at £400 – believe me, it’s worth every penny.
At night the town and festival came alive with the main stage hosting a whole range of acts including The Pet Shop Boys and Kelis, which kept the crowd dancing until the early hours. Young and old partied together in to the night, until the less hardcore of festivalgoers (read me and my BFF), stumbled back to our luxury tent and fell in to bed, ready to do it all over again in the morning...
I’m officially a festival convert!
Photos courtesy of Danny North and Festival no.6
*Book your first class train tickets at *Virgin Trains