Chasing the music

I woke up in a damp tent with two snoring friends and a blow-up dinosaur wedged between us. I could hear laughter and shouting, the crackle of beer cans being opened at lunchtime. It was Day 2 of Bestival 2016 and I didn't believe I would make it through to the end: there were simply too many musical acts I wanted to see, too many activities I wanted to do, too many hours I didn't want to sleep. I hugged my new dino friend and prepared myself for the sheer density of fun that awaited me.

For the past 12 years, thousands of people from Britain and around the world have flooded the quaint and idyllic Isle of Wight to attend Bestival, known unofficially as the final party of summer. The early September weekend of mayhem has, in previous years, included a massive bouncy castle, falconers, a 1930s jazz club hidden within a nearby forest, a giant robot and some of the best professional hula hoopers you've ever seen. This is before we even get to the music.

Britain is famous for its rock 'n' roll festivals in Glastonbury and Leeds, old established events that have been going strong since the seventies. Bestival is just one example of a whole crop of festivals that are redefining the very possibilities of what a weekend of music can entail.

For instance, Boomtown (Aug. 10-13, 2017) in Winchester sets itself up as more than a festival; it is a fictional experience, with visitors welcomed into a fully constructed artificial city usually in the midst of a revolution that will come to a head over the course of a weekend of music. Previous years have seen Boomtown taken over by dictators and invaded by aliens. A teaser trailer suggests that this year the town will fall into anarchy (while amidst this chaos, the Specials and M.I.A. will perform).

If that all sounds a bit too much like HBO's Westworld for you, consider Latitude (July 13-16, 2017) in Suffolk county. Known as the ultimate family-friendly festival, Latitude offers a full lineup of events that cater to more than just music lovers. Previous years have seen lectures by esteemed writers such as Hanif Kureishi and poetry readings by Kate Tempest. There's a kids area with art workshops and yoga sessions that take place beside the lake. The festival even has pink sheep that roam across the grounds, munching on the grass in their perfectly harmless and naturally dyed party outfits. Let's hope that this year's headliner, Fleet Foxes, doesn't scare them away.

If a smaller crowd is more your thing, Truefest (Aug. 4-6 , 2017) in Hay-on-Wye is wonderfully low-key. Hosted in an old aristocratic manor house, Truefest pays tribute to new and emerging bands. Late-night DJ sets in the mansion will redefine the possibilities of the English drawing room.

One can find a myriad of food choices at these weekends in the woods. The typical fast-food staples are there: hot dogs, hamburgers and chips – but these are just the basic options. Like everything else, these summer festivals are becoming a cultural hub for world food and cuisine. Bestival created its own artisanal-food specialty tent called the Feast Collective, where last year you could delight in chickpea rendang (a slow-cooked Malaysian dish made with coconut milk and chili paste), Vietnamese pork sandwich buns or a buttermilk fried chicken burger (and those are only a few of the options available). In the morning, if this was all a bit too exotic for your sleep-deprived soul, you could head over to one of the café vans and get yourself a full English breakfast stuffed entirely into a cardboard takeout box.

Most young festival-goers bring their own tents and camp out on the grounds. But for those who don't want to rough it in the bush or haven't lugged their camping equipment across the ocean, there are usually boutique camping sites available. These areas come with prepitched tents and private washrooms with shower facilities.

As more and more festivals emerge across the country, some events are struggling because of the competition. On Dec. 15, 2016, the BBC reported that Bestival was moving off the Isle of Wight. According to DJ and festival organizer Rob da Bank, it all came down to "boring economics." It was simply too expensive to move all the equipment needed from mainland Britain onto the Isle of Wight. While many are mourning the move, there are reasons to be excited about the new location, Lulworth Estate in Dorset. It's hard to imagine a stranger venue for a modern-day music festival than a 17th-century mock castle and heritage site, yet with British summers currently full of pink sheep and fictional cities, it shouldn't surprise anyone.

Music festivals and sustainability

By the end of most weekends, a festival ground typically looks as if it's an apocalyptic wasteland of litter and clogged porta-potties. Multiple initiatives have been started to offset these problems. Both Bestival and Boomtown add a £10 ($16.70) "EcoBond" to each ticket purchased, which can then be refunded when a bag full of trash or recycling is brought to a special collection tent. Latitude, similarly, provides campers with a waste kit upon entry, meaning that before one even sets up their tent, they're already prepared to take it down and clean up their surrounding mess. To minimize the amount of litter, Glastonbury plans this year to introduce a reusable stainless-steel pint cup that can be refilled over and over to your heart's content.

The other environmental issue with these festivals is carbon emissions. The British festival industry creates around 100 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Eighty per cent of that number is created by thousands of people driving to festivals. Carpools and bus travel are now much more heavily promoted.

These initiatives display a growing awareness of the environment and a collective movement toward better green policies within Britain's music-festival scene. These colourful weekends of music are slowly becoming more than just about peace, love and rock 'n' roll – but about the planet as well.

Glastonbury is sold out, but as of press time, tickets are still available for these music fests.

ENGLAND

Bestival, Sept. 7-10
Lulworth Estate, Dorset
Headliners: the XX, A Tribe Called Quest, Pet Shop Boys, Justice
Tickets from £150 (about $250); bestival.net (£181)

Boomtown, Aug. 10-13
Matterley Estate, near Winchester, Hampshire
Headliners: the Specials, M.I.A., Cypress Hill
Tickets from £195; boomtownfair.co.uk

Latitude, July 13-16
Henham Park, Suffolk
Headliners: 1975, Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes
Single-day tickets from £77.50; latitudefestival.com

Leeds, Aug. 25-27
Bramham Park, Leeds
Headliners: Kasabian, Eminem, Muse
Single day tickets from £72; leedsfestival.com

WALES

Truefest, Aug. 4-6
Baskerville Hall, Hay-on-Wye
Headliners: TBA
Weekend ticket £75; truefest.co.uk

SCOTLAND

TRNSMT Festival, July 7-9
Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Headliners: Radiohead, Kasabian, Biffy Clyro
Single-day tickets from £59.50; trnsmtfest.com