festivals
In photos: The parade of giants, La Mercè festival, Barcelona, Spain
La Mercè is the annual festival of the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, and a major part of the festivities is the parade through the streets of papier maché “giants” …
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In photos: The Castellers and scarf-wavers of Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival
We were in Barcelona last year for the Monochrome Set show, and the next day we witnessed a host of fascinating public events taking place around the city centre as …
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In photos: The Monochrome Set at the BAM festival, Barcelona, Sept 2018
Last September, The Monochrome Set played the main stage at the BAM Festival in Barcelona and had a brilliant time of it. We were playing in front of thousands of …
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In photos: Winter Lights festival at Canary Wharf, London, January 2019
Running until Sat 26th Jan 2019 and now in its fifth year, the London Winter Lights festival showcases state-of-the-art light technology in a series of interactive and responsive artworks, installations …
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Zaragoza photos: Colours, life, street art, signs, architecture and The Monochrome Set
The capital of northeastern Spain’s Aragon region, Zaragoza overlooks the Ebro River and is famous for its Islamic and Gothic architecture. However, my attention was more taken by the vivid colours, …
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P’tit Faystival – where a tiny village in Belgium goes crazy for music, July 2018
Located in the tiny village of Petit-Fays, near Bièvre, in the south of the province of Namur in Belgium, the P’tit Faystival is one of the most unlikely places to stumble …
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WIN two tickets for this year’s Green Gathering Festival in Chepstow, Wales, 2nd-5th Aug 2018
A splendid four-day festival showcasing live music, spoken word, debates and skillshares, the Green Gathering has become a beacon for sustainability, with the whole event being powered by wind, sun …
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The fabulous La Ferme Electrique festival, Tournan en Brie, France, with The Monochrome Set, Fri 6th July 2018
La Ferme Electrique is a fabulously friendly small musical festival in Tournan-en-Brie, some 25 minutes from Paris via train, that runs over two nights in July. Small scale, alternative, fiercely …
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Festival security, drug searches and your safety – an insider’s guide, 2018 update
Three years ago, we posted up information about your rights when attending a festival, with straight talking advice on the potential pitfalls of smuggling in booze and drugs. The article …
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In photos: Lumiere festival 2018 – lights and interactive installations around central London
The UK’s largest light festival, Lumiere is produced by the London-based creative company Artichoke, and comprises of multiple standalone light art-installations across the capital. The festival also sees iconic buildings and …
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Green Gathering wins top 2017 UK Festival Award
At the UK Festival Awards in London on November 30, the Green Gathering’s team was presented with The Greener Festival Award 2017 for outstanding commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating …
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Boomtown 2017: a wander around the chilled out Whistlers Green on the top of the hill
Almost hidden in the woods at the top of the hill, the Whistlers Green area provided a relaxing alternative to the madness below, offering live music, food stalls and over 100 …
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Faces of Boomtown 2017: Seventy photos taken around the festival site
This year’s Boomtown Fair in Winchester, England, was once again a bloody amazing experience, and here’s the first batch of photos from the festival. Hopefully I’ve managed to document some …
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Green Gathering 2017 in Wales: Mixing it up in the wonderful 99% Bar – in photos
Here’s the second of four photo features from this year’s Green Gathering festival, which is set on a verdant hilltop in Chepstow, Wales. This time I’m focusing on my favourite part …
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Green Gathering 2017 in photos: musicians and performers, Chepstow, Wales, August 2017
I was lucky enough to be invited up to this year’s Green Gathering in Wales. Sadly commitments elsewhere meant it was something of a flying visit, but here’s the first …
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Photos from the Leigh On Sea folk festival: bands, beer, banjos, Morris dancers and crowd scenes
Established in 1992, the Leigh Folk Festival takes place annually at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, and I popped along on Sunday to catch the last day of the four day event – …
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Boomtown Fair festival sells out in record time
It’s long been urban75’s favourite festival of the year, and we’re not surprised to see that all 60,000 tickets have sold out this year in record time.
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In praise of the 1970s obscure: Press cuttings for Jackson Heights, Lee Jackson and Refugee
Even by my standards this is pretty niche stuff, but I thought it might be of interest to one or two people out there. When I was a kid, I …
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Boomtown releases first trailer for the 2017 festival
The organisers of the fabulous Boomtown festival have released their first video previewing this year’s festival, described as ‘Chapter 9: ‘Behind the Mask.’
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Winter Lights festival in Canary Wharf: crowds, selfies galore and disappointment
Last week we went along to check out the Winter Lights Festival at Canary Wharf. Sadly, we made the mistake of arriving on a Saturday which seemed to coincide with …
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A cracking Monday night in Edinburgh at the Black Bull, Oz Bar, Royal Oak and the Jazz Bar
We didn’t really expect to find too much happening on a November Monday night in Edinburgh, but the city proved us wrong and delivered a blooming marvellous night out. Booze was drunk, bands …
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Photos: In the magical woods of Boomtown Festival 2016
Boomtown has several stages and sound systems in the woods around the festival and they can make magical places to escape to after dark. Here’s some photos taken in the …
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The Wild West at Boomtown: courtroom scenes, gunslingers and hoedowns
Located at the top end of the festival, the Wild West remains one of our favourite city districts, with no shortage of ad hoc street performances, bars and live venues to keep …
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The Park Hotel at Boomtown 2016: bands, beer, pool, Eva Lazarus and ping pong debauchery
The Park Hotel in uptown Mayfair has always been one of urban75’s favourite parts of Boomtown, and this year we spent a fair bit of time checking out its many …
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More faces of Boomtown Fair 2016 – in photos
Here’s our second instalment of photos taken around Boomtown Fair 2016. We’ve got loads more to come, so please check back regularly or visit our Boomtown home page for a …
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Faces of Boomtown Fair 2016 – photos of people at the UK’s greatest festival!
Over four glorious days of August sunshine, Boomtown Fair delivered another wonderful, crazy, fascinating mix of music, art, performance and general mayhem.
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