Bestival is a music festival held every year since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wright in South of England. It is a four-day festival usually beginning on a Thursday and ending on Sunday or early Monday. Organised by DJ and producer Rob da Bank along with his wife Josie, it is an offshoot of his Sunday best record label and club nights. Initially attracting 10,000 people, the number grew to 55,000 by 2010.
Bestival has since won many awards such as ‘Best medium sized festival’ in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009, ‘Best Major Festival’ in 2010, 2012 and 2015, ‘Fan’s Favorite’ in 2012 and ‘Best Innovation’ in 2005. Interestingly, the Isle of Wight holds more carnivals per capita than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. A sister festival ‘Camp Bestival’ was launched in 2008. The Bestival then moved to the Lulworth Estate, Dorset.
Often described as a ‘boutique festival’ due to its non-corporate feel, it is also known for launching odd and innovative ideas like an
inflatable church’ where people can get married. A founding member of ‘Greener Festival Alliance’, this festival is also involved with a lot of social and environmental causes. Bestival supports many Isle of Wight based charities and youth organisations such as Rob da Bank’s Music Club, Isle of Wight Toy Appeal, Isle of Wight Youth Trust, St Catherine’s School and barter for Bestival. This festival also actively reduces its
carbon emissions and impact on the environment. It is done through small initiatives like exchanging recycling at the campsites for cups of tea, recycling and waste management, monitoring power usage, and limiting water usage with push button taps.
Bestival is famous for its fancy dress themed days, which is usually the Saturday of the festival. It won a Guinness World Record in 2010 for most fancy dressed people at one event. Bestival enforces a strict fancy dress code. It has a dress code every year, but no matter you can always wear your favorite costume. You can find as many sequins as you can and go as pure disco glam, or dressed up as somebody, like a sailor, a bunny or even a bath mat! If you want to look like a local, you can team a leather jodhpurs with high fashion African print top to fit right into the desert background.
For some great costumes, visit www.beverlyheels.com.
