Preview: Beacons Festival 2014

Beacons Festival is gearing up to bring its mix of music, film and arts back to Yorkshire in August, marking its third year. Building on the success of its 2013 installment, the event has added more artists and more entertainment from home and abroad. Four years after its launch, the no-longer fledgling festival is proving it can play with the bigger boys.

Darkside, Daughter, Action Bronson and Jon Hopkins head a line-up that kicks off with an exclusive performance from British Sea Power. The Brighton five-piece are set to open the main stage with a live soundtrack to award-winning film From The Sea To The Land Beyond. Neneh Cherry will continue her jampacked festival agenda in the Yorkshire Dales alongside Rocketnumbernine, while Beacons veterans The Wytches, East India Youth, Hookworms and Andrew Weatherall are making a comeback to the fields.

Dan Snaith, aka Caribou, is set to appear in his Daphni incarnation; Galaxians, iconic Glaswegian DJs Optimo, former Fence Collective founder King Creosote, Daniel Avery, Joan As Police Woman, Sheffield’s 65DAYSOFSTATIC and Girl Band round out the impressively eclectic line-up that has become the hallmark of the weekend.

This year sees a wider arts programme, with the newly-added Hunters Field, which includes an outdoor stage, having previously contained most of the music inside inevitably-crushed marquees. After strengthening the wider entertainment on offer last year, revellers can expect a return of Into The Woods, with film, comedy, dance performances, yoga, lectures and vintage fashions on offer. A host of locally-produced food and booze will keep visitors fueled, while there’s family-friendly entertainment for the kids for a second year in the form of the pithily-named Diddy Rascals.

With an impressive agenda already confirmed, and further announcements expected, there’s just the Yorkshire weather to worry about.

Tickets:
Weekend: £109.45 (face value: £99.50)
Saturday & Sunday: £82.50 (£75)
Friday/Saturday/Sunday: £55 (£50)/£55 (£50)/£49.50 (£45)
Available from greetingsfrombeacons.com