Greetings from Beacons!
Beacons is a cutting edge music and arts festival that takes place in the picturesque setting of Funkirk Estate in Skipton situated in the Yorkshire Dales amongst the dry stone walls and rolling moors. It was formally known as The Moor Music Festival until the name and the location of the festival were changed in 2011. Beacons gives any festival lover the chance to leave behind vast crowds in stadium-sized stages, and instead allows you to experience intimate performances in traditional marquees for half the price and double the fun. The festival is brought to you by a collective of tastemakers who for years, have been bringing the best music to well-known Northern venues such as Leeds’ Nation of Shopkeepers and Brudenell Social Club and Sheffield’s Bungalows and Bears, Club Pony and the Shipping Forecast.
Vibes n' Pretty Things
Beacons offers good positive vibes to its attendees as it is
surrounded by green and fresh mountainous hills. The festival is capped at a
capacity of 7,500 people, which is much appreciated as many describe it as
having a ‘lovely large garden party feel’. A host of interactive light and sound installations, hand crafted structures and flag installations are positioned throughout the site. Large sculptures and
art visuals that have been donated to the festival by various artists are
dotted around the festival vicinity adding a unique and special touch to the
surroundings of both the campsite and arena.
Sound Selection
Music-wise, the festival supplies you with the latest
bass star next to an acoustic indie hero, as dance music and guitar music
collide. Beacons is viewed as the perfect festival for indecisive or
‘open to all’ music fans as the event covers genres from electro to folk.
Whilst covering every genre, the festival considers its main genres to be
electro, indie, reggae, rock and trip hop. Although the line-up is some-what
smaller than the average music festival, the bands and artists are carefully selected
so there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Scran, Booze & Shindigs
Aside from the music stages, there are also endless amounts
of workshops, an exclusive cinema programme and children’s entertainment;
making the festival appealing to all ages and family friendly. The festival is
also well known for its wide variety of wholesome food and drink stalls such as
Reds True BBQ, Skipton Pie and Mash, The Whiskey Lounge and many more which all
offer something far nicer than your traditional camping food; ie bland pot
noodles and boring tins of baked beans.
Frontiers of the Future
Beacons is also well known for ‘Fancy Dress Friday’ which
also comes with a theme; this year being ‘Frontiers of the Future’ which
invited attendees of the festival to come dressed up as space cadets, daft
punks, disco robots and various other extra-terrestrial beings. For those who
were not aware of ‘Fancy Dress Friday’, the festival also has a ‘Beacons
Boutique’ tent, supplying you with everything from costumes to cosy camping gear
if you may be in need.
Your Home Away From Home
Beacons offers a wide range of different camping options for
visitors such as family camping that is supplied with climbing frames, arts and
crafts and activity tents with cartoon showings for the kids throughout the day
and evening. Quiet camping is also available for those who require their full 8
hours sleep at night as this campsite minimalizes the disturbance of nearby
party-goers. Luxury accommodation is also available including beautiful tipis
and bell tents that are available for hire for groups up the six people. This
will supply you with the ultimate boutique experience with your fully carpeted
and equipped tent fit for a king or queen.
Beacons Family
In comparison to other music festivals, Beacons does not
seem to attract many rowdy or obnoxious youths. Of course, the primary
attendees are young people, but this does not threaten the appearance of older
people. With such a diverse range of ages and cultures, everyone at Beacons
seems to get along well. Strangers become friends, and friends become family.
The good vibes of the festival make everyone feel so ecstatic and joyous that
speaking to a stranger seems only the norm. The festival reps and members are
staff are surprisingly so friendly and helpful compared to larger festivals
where they all just look bloody miserable throughout the weekend. This is what
prevents uncalled for bad behaviour at the festival, as there is no need for it
if people feel comfortable with the people around them.
Bea-Prepared!
- If you want to get to the front of the crowd for a certain band you love, you might have to see one or two of the bands in the line-up ahead of that band. You might be lucky enough to already know their music, but if you don't, it might be a good idea to research these artists and get to know their music. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it, if not, you make the decision to endure the music you may dislike.
- Open yourself to the music too; Beacons offers a wide range of artists and bands that suit to all different tastes and preferences. Make a list of the ones you would want to see before you go, then you can easily find out the set times by purchasing one of the Beacons programmes on arrival.
- Music is only half of the enjoyment of Beacons, or any music festival for that matter. Your enjoyment at the festival will double if you’re with good company or make new friends. At Beacons, the fun and excitement is never-ending all weekend, but if you’re on your own and don’t make friends, it could possibly be difficult to make the most out of the festival if you don’t have people to share the experience with.
- If you’re shy, pluck up the courage to talk to people who are camped around you, or people you are stood with in a tent as you evidently have the same music tastes! As said before, everyone at Beacons is friendly and helpful and it is very easy to make friends. Festivals are one of the greatest forms of escapism and Beacons supplies you with that perfectly. If you’re able to forget about anything troubling you that is going on in your life for the weekend, you’ll have the best time of your life.
- Enjoy yourself! Don’t fuss if you haven’t had a shower in a few days, don’t be bothered about having to pee outside and don’t worry if you smell a little! In the end, everyone is in the same boat as you and all that matters is having a great time with no worries.
Locally, Beacons is becoming well known for its unscripted interludes, which usually occur during the evenings, after the crowds are ushered to bed for early sound curfews, and, unwilling to be confined to their tents for the night, take to creating their own entertainment. An unavoidable aspect of the festival for some is the early ending times each night. Considering the amount of partying and full days of music that Beacons has to offer, 2AM does feel like an incredibly early time to be wrapping up, especially at a music festival. However, this is a positive aspect to the festival regarding the families and those who love a good night’s sleep, but this also has an interesting effect on the party-goers who attend the festival. The early finishing times at the arena means that those who want to stay up late can enjoy the other on-site activities in the early morning hours and brings an almost classy feel to the atmosphere and proceedings. This is one of the things that differs Beacons from other music festivals, as it isn’t such a big crazy party, but it is a great place to listen to some amazing music with top notch sound.
