With summer just around the corner we thought it was about time that we put together a list of open-air music festivals in London for 2013. As ever, the festivals get more and more popular each year so you’ll need to get in there quickly in order to secure tickets – if you’ve already missed out, thankfully you don’t have to go down the ticket tout route. I’ve just discovered an alternative – StubHub, which is the online ticket marketplace from Ebay that offers fan to fan ticket sales for all kinds of events that are otherwise unavailable – check it out.
Without further ado, here’s our list of what we think are going to be top five festivals to attend in 2013, two of which are in a rather surprising location:
Field Day – 25 May
Returning for its seventh year, Field Day, the one day festival marked by its unique ‘village fete’ feel, takes over Victoria Park with a forward-thinking and imaginative line-up featuring the best in indie rock and folk. With headliners including the surreal Bats For Lashes and Baltimore-based experimental rockers Animal Collective, it should be a mind-expanding experience that gets you in the mood for more as the summerapproaches.
Hard Rock Calling – 29 & 30 June
Marking the first use of the space in anger, this year Hard Rock Calling is abandoning Hyde Park for the new surroundings of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over in Newham. This is one of the big boys on the festival scene, so it’s bound to test the ability of the park to cope, particularly on Sunday when none other than Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be headlining. Top of the bill on Saturday will be Kasabian, so if you like rock and you want to see what they’ve done to the park since last summer, Hard Rock Calling is one for the calendar.
Lovebox – 19 To 21 July
Taking place at Victoria Park once again, Lovebox is going to be the place to party during the summer. With Azealia Banks headlining on Friday, Plan B following along on Saturday and Goldfrapp closing the festival on Sunday, this year is going to be really something. Lovebox is all about the experience, so there are other stages to visit if the main event isn’t your thing, there’s a fairground, chill-out areas and lots of other distractions to help you make it through to Monday…
Wireless Festival – 12 To 14 July
With Hard Rock Calling having worked out the kinks, the Wireless Festival also makes use of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in mid-July. Wireless always has quite a commercial mix of live acts, so it won’t surprise you to hear that Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg and Jay Z are headlining across the festival’s three days. On Sunday, the festival takes a ‘Legends Of The Summer’ theme, and will see both Timberlake and Jay Z on stage (possibly together?) alongside a host of fresh talent.Although they’re no longer available through the festival website, you should be able to pick up Friday and Saturday tickets for Wireless online here.
South West Four – 24 & 25 August
Set within the confines of Clapham Common, South West Four will be London’s big name dance music festival in 2013 – on the bill on Saturday are Armin Van Buuren, Carl Cox and Paul Oakenfold, while Sunday sees Example, Groove Armada and Nicky Romero on stage. Now where did you put those packets of glowsticks and that whistle…
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