Last night I swung by the Big Chill House in Kings Cross to hear the official line-up of the 16^th Big Chill Festival. I was interested to see what this well established ‘boutique festival’ was doing to lure revellers to it’s field in the current climate of doom and gloom. I’ve never been myself but I’ve been informed by several seasoned festival goers that the Big Chill can be a little too ‘chilled’ for them. However, I sensed from last night’s grand unveil that this year there was change afoot with this family friendly gathering. As the line-up was announced it became clear they’re pulling no punches with this year’s vision and the big names, nay even those from ‘urban’ genres, kept coming. I’ll not keep you in suspenders any longer, here’s a few I’ve cherry-picked from the long list of artists: MIA, Kelis, Roots Manuva, Massive Attack, Alice Russell, Dam-Funk, Easy Star All-Stars, Foreign Beggars, Layo & Bushwacka!, Joker, Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Toddla T & Serocee, Bebel Giberto, Giles Peterson, Roy Ayers and more.

Alongside the music elements there will be lots of magical and fantastical offerings to escape to when everything else gets too much. Loose yourself in ‘The Enchanted Garden’ (the festival within the festival), chill out eating popcorn and watching flicks in the Cinema tent, swing by Mr Scruff’s Tea Tent for a cuppa and a boogie or enter the bizarre world of Jellymongers, Bompas & Parr who are creating a Ziggurat of Flavour in the shape of a fruit vaporised pyramid installation complete with exit via a grand slide overlooking the lake no less! Artist Spencer Tunick will be creating a new living (ie people in the buff) masterpiece, calling on festival-goers to get naked and volunteer to be part of his living sculpture.

I think I can no longer delay the inevitable; I may finally have to go and buy myself a tent and some wellies and hop on the festival freight train this year.

The Big Chill 5^th -8^th August 2010

Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8

Adult weekend tickets: £155 + booking fee click here

Tags: Alice Russell, Bebel Giberto, Bompas & Par, Dam Funk, Easy Star All-Stars, Foreign Beggars, Giles Peterson, Joker, Kelis, Layo & Bushwacka, Massive Attack, MIA, Milly Cundall, Plan B, Roots Manuva, Roy Ayer, Spencer Tunick, The Big Chill Festival, Tinie Tempah, Toddla T & Serocee

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