We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Barn on the Farm Festival isn’t like most other festivals.
In fact, scratch that: it’s not like any other festival.
Okay, so other festivals have amazing line-ups. The likes of Download Festival and T In The Park are packed full of more megastars than a BRIT Awards after-party, and it’s hard to beat Glastonbury Festival’s all-out attack on the senses. Yes, Barn on the Farm may have booked Ry X, but V Festival’s got Rihanna. They may have convinced Jack Garratt to play in a barn in Gloucester, but V Festival have managed to persuade Justin Bieber to perform in a field near Telford.
Other festivals take place in great locations, too.
Hell, there’s one in Iceland that took place in an actual live volcano. We can’t really expect Barn on the Farm to compete with that, though. Do correct us if we’re wrong, dear reader, but we don’t think that there are that many live volcanoes in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside.
There’s one thing those festivals are missing
So, other festivals have equally brilliant line-ups, and they take place in equally beautiful locations. This is all very well, but do you know what they don’t have? They don’t have the heart of Barn on the Farm.
It’s hard to explain, but we’ll do our best
Barn on the Farm Festival is a special place. Not only does it boast one of the strongest line-ups of new and upcoming talent anywhere in the country, but it’s also packed full of people who really, genuinely love music. We mean, where else would you see a band who are playing the festival’s Main Stage stand on a bench and play an impromptu acoustic set, just for the hell of it?
There’s nowhere else quite like it
Yes, it’s got established stars, but that’s only half of Barn on the Farm’s appeal. Where else would you get a line-up that’s been so lovingly handcrafted, where you can walk over to any stage at any point in the day and be sure that you’re going to find somebody amazing?
A casual Friday night trip to the Wooden Barn Stage introduced us to the powerful pipes of the fantastic Aaron Rowe, while a mid-afternoon wander to the festival’s Main Stage ensured that we left with a new-found love of danceable funk-poppers Fickle Friends. We didn’t expect to see those acts at the festival – we just happened to stumble across them. Since then, we’ve had them on repeat. To put it simply: if an act’s playing at Barn on the Farm, you know for a fact that they’re going to be brilliant.
If we’re being honest, our highlight of the festival wasn’t even the music.
Sure, there were some standout acts – Jack Garratt’s ability to effortlessly play five instruments at once is something that really does have to be seen to be believed, and Gavin James’ headline slot on the festival’s gorgeous Wooden Barn Stage was enough to convince us that he’s going to be a household name by the time next year’s festival rolls around.
It’s hard to pick a highlight, but we’ll try
So, our highlight of this year’s Barn on the Farm Festival wasn’t the music.
It wasn’t the location, or the quaint little ale bar in the corner of the main square. It wasn’t the friendly campsite, it wasn’t the home-made pizza, and it wasn’t the fact that there’s an ostrich living next to the main entrance.
No, our highlight of this year’s Barn on the Farm was just the festival itself.
It’s a music festival unlike any other
It’s a festival where everyone’s friendly, and everyone’s equal. It’s a festival that bridges the gap between the artist and the fan, and one where you may well end up sitting around a campfire with a band you watched on the Main Stage earlier that day. It’s a festival with a heart, it’s a festival with soul, and it’s a festival that should be at the top of your wishlist for next summer.
We think that it’s a special festival, and we’re sure that you will too. Mark the dates in your diary – you don’t want to miss out on Barn on the Farm Festival.
