200 acts, 10 stages, and three days of fun

The Lindisfarne Festival, headlined by the Happy Mondays and The Levellers, runs for three-days at Beal Farm, with more than 200 acts set to star on 10 unique stages.

Some 4,500 people are expected at the over 18’s event, which in its fourth year is set to be the biggest and best yet following a six-week crowdfunding campaign that led to an extra £75,000 investment.

Founder Conleth Maenpaa said: “The programme of music, entertainment and workshops we’ve got this year is absolutely incredible.

“For a small, independent festival, the amount of stuff we have going on is, quite frankly, insane. Our line-up is right up there with some of the big festivals on the circuit this year.”

Along with the music acts, the event will present comedians, poets and fire dancers, as well as holistic therapists and debaters.

There is even an on-site Turkish steam room, while helicopter rides will offer festival-goers the chance to take full advantage of the stunning location overlooking Holy Island, with views from Bamburgh Castle to Goswick Sands.

The festival supports the Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) campaign.

Gates open at 5pm for the all-ticket, dog-friendly event, and it is expected to be a sell-out.

Friday night sees the Happy Mondays headlining the Shorefields main stage, with other acts on the night including Dub Pistols, Ferocious Dog and Mad Dog Mccrea, plus local stars Dansi from Newcastle and Berwick’s own Warehouse Announcement.

Emerging six-piece group Social Room, from Sunderland, who were crowned winners of the 2018 Lindisfarne Festival and Musicians Against Homelessness Unsigned Band Competition, will also feature.

On Saturday it’s The Levellers turn for Shorefields, while Holy Moly & The Crackers will headline the Dingle Dell stage, and Bombskare are at the Viking Brewhouse, sponsored by The Alnwick Brewery.

BBC Music Introducing will be putting the spotlight on up and coming talent, taking over the main stage on Saturday afternoon with a line-up including Statik, Ghost//Signals, Talk Like Tigers and Talent Show.

And a new MAH Stage will showcase numerous unsigned acts.

Conleth said: “We have invested in every area of the event to make it the best end of summer party imaginable, including bigger headline acts, more emerging artists, improved facilities and décor, a wider range of food vendors and non-music entertainment.

“When we launched Lindisfarne Festival in 2015, we could only have imagined where we would be today as we embark on what promises to be our best event yet.

“Our ambition was always to create a festival the region could be proud of for many years to come so it was important to build organically from the ground up, gaining people’s trust, rallying support and building partnerships across the region to make this a true Northumbrian festival, with a global appeal.”

He added: “We’ve pulled out all the stops to make Lindisfarne Festival 2018 the most epic small festival the UK has ever seen.”

For more see https://lindisfarnefestival.com