Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, CA10 2HN…read more Warning this a lengthy review - hope it has some useful information. Just spent a lovely weekend at Kendal Calling. A small (8 thousand) independent festival in a great location on the edge of the Lake District. A great time seemed to be had by all and we left the site on Monday afternoon having drunk deeply at the well (and the bar!) but feeling strangely rested and well fed!! Long drive back to Nunhead but no pain no gain. All credit to the organisers who put together a really beautiful well run site, which was kept on an even keel by a polite but efficient security team who appeared to have some sense of how to keep everyone happy and safe. Music - headliners on the Saturday The Doves played an epic set which was a joy to behold. Calvin Harris and The Coral were less successful. The Badly Drawn Boy played a blinder on the Sunday afternoon and you could feel the collective goose bumps ripple through the crowd when he brought his daughter on for a duet. As ever much of the best stuff was to be found in the smaller tents. Crossiant Neuf hosted the Kaylied tent which had a good rotation of folky, rootsy type acts during the day and a more ska, funk and house vibe in the evening. Ideally located next to the pub!! The Glow tent was the main dance area but on the few occasions I visited seemed a bit dull and lacking in volume. The House Party tent got my vote; properly decked out kitschy front room to chill in during the day and old school house party at night. Dave Haslam's balearic set was highly uplifting and typical of the music policy. A very excited Craig Charles finished the whole thing somewhere around 3 on Monday morning in the Kaylied tent with a good time funk and soul set which had the walls dripping and the crowd raising the roof. Other stuff - plenty of jazz, juggling, karaoke, very amusing and inventive fancy dress, Cumbrian olympics and a bit of theatre, Howard Marks etc, etc. Food and Drink - excellent range of small independent stalls with not a burger van on the whole site. Lovers of Mexican food were particularly well served and the Turkish chicken casserole from Johnny Baghdad was very tasty. Plenty of veggie options too. In general most main dishes were priced around £5-6 and seemed great value coming from London. Plenty of the bog standard festival bars selling Tuborg etc dotted around the site but for beer lovers the place to be was the Holy Quail pub which had an excellent selection of local ale including a Hawkshead Pale which was drinking so well it was gone by Saturday lunchtime. The Hawkshead bitter was a good alternative and was also drinking very well and ran out on the Sunday afternoon. By that time a cheeky vodka and red bull was starting to seem like a good idea anyway!! Camping - it might be small but get there on the Thursday to secure a tasty pitch. Quiet field was lively, friendly and reasonably well spaced out. The main areas were slightly chaotic but seemed to suit those who fancied being up all night. Family area was quiet and worth considering just to be able to get your car on site as it was a long hike to the camping areas. Toilets and showers - must admit I thought the toilets looked inadequate for the crowd but they seemed to be cleaned reasonably often and were still fine on the Monday morning. The thought of freestyling did not seem to enter anyones head. The 6 Eco friendly showers seemed even more inadequate but at £3.50 a go we never queued for more than 10 minutes!! The punters - pretty much all tribes welcome and a very mixed bag with a healthy dose of harmless 17/18 year olds who tended to camp in groups of about 20 and sit around all day and night drinking Fosters. Plenty of 20 to 50's with or without children. All very friendly and many thanks to our neighbours who roasted up a fine joint of lamb for all in the vicinity and passed on a top tip for how to get my car on site on the Monday morning - love those cheeky Northern monkeys.

Great bike rally, attended by a couple of thousand bikers, some good headline bands over the years…read more 21st anniversary this year (2011). Good facilities provided by the castle ie showers & proper toilets. Organised by MAG NE. I have been for the last 6 years & intend to continue. Safe & family friendly.

This vibrant monthly event is by far the best find in Newcastle showcasing the best local…read morefood,drink,music and art! Hosted in a refurbished warehouse tucked away behind Central Station I would highly recommend this event for all fellow foodies out there. Local street vendors will have you spoilt for choice with my personal favourites being Fat Hippo and Papa Ganoush or if I have a sweet tooth La Petit Creperie! You can indulge in some local ales from Wylam Brewery for a post-work drink or come along to soak up the array of entertainment from local musicians. Perfect for families on a Saturday afternoon as it tends to be quieter and the free entry before 4pm makes a daytime visit attractive! There is outdoor catering and space for those many beautiful days we have in Newcastle. On entry and inside the boiler shop you need to exchange your money for tokens if you want food but you can pay cash for drinks. It can be expensive but it is worth every penny and I think everyone should experience this event at least once......as for me I will be back every month!

The Boiler Shop Steamer is definitely *the* way to kick off your month!…read more Held in a superb industrial warehouse setting (part of the former Stephenson works which gave us the first locomotive engines - one for you history buffs there), you will find a plethora of different street-food vendors, local breweries, great live bands or funky tunes from the DJs - a general good-time buzz echoes around the place. We were there on a Saturday (seemed to be free entry before 3ish this time) as it was a bit quieter - this particular weekend was the BSS's 2nd Birthday, so the Sunday was going to be quite an extravanganza. When you arrive it is worth just having a wander about to see what is on offer and plan your attack - the line-up changes from month-to-month, so there is bound to be something to tantalise your tastebuds. On this occasion I was in a meaty mood. Round one was a delectable feast from Longhorns BBQ Smokehouse - pulled pork, smokie, beans, fries, doused in BBQ sauce and served up in a brioche bun, simply superb! Washed down with a pint of Dognobbler, a light ale from the Wylam Brewery (one of my particular favourite local breweries), the afternoon was starting very well indeed. Later on, I came across the Fair Game stand, a newbie to the BSS event according to their website. This time, I opted for the Venison burger, which came hot off the griddle with a lovely cranberry sauce and crisp salad in the bun. The quality was second-to-none, so far I was having a very good foodie feast. Another pint of a different Wylam beer soon followed, this time it was Spring Thing, yet again it went down rather well. The only little gripe I have is that prices can be a little steep, not really fitting the traditional 'street food' ethos of getting something quick, cheap and cheerful. You can quickly drop £20 without thinking about it (e.g. one token is £2, the burger was two tokens); nevertheless, for the quality of the food I experienced it was worth it. The BSS gets busier as the afternoon blends into the evening, so if you really want to make the most of what is on offer, would definitely recommend going early, just so you've got some space to move and get stuck into the great food and tunes on offer. So, get yourself and a few mates down to the next event, have a bite to eat and a beer or two, and soak up the great atmosphere provided by the BSS!

I am not really into folk but it is such a fun atmosphere I am sure anyone can enjoy it…read more This long-standing celebration of the traditional music, dance and song of the British Isles has taken on the trappings of a tradition in its own right. With over 600 events covering workshops, concerts, singarounds, dances, sessions, street entertainment and the extensive 'fringe' events that blossom spontaneously The famous Whitby Folk Week. The approx. 600 events on offer range from public dance displays to major dances and concerts. Full programme of workshops in most folk related topics / instruments / types of dance, both at beginner and higher level. Extensive children's programmeSeven days of dancing in the streets, music and singing in the pubs, concerts and dances until late into the night, and a whole lot more. Seven days of meeting old friends and making new ones. Altogether, Whitby Folk Week is a good reason for heading to the north east of England in late August each year and exploring Whitby too. Expensive to mind my though unless you are really into it. Price: £128 - Adult season ticket, £96 - Senior/Student season ticket, £64 - Junior season ticket

An excellent review - this is the second year I've missed the Whitby Folk Week and I'm having…read moreserious withdrawal symptoms. Anyone interested in good music, good dancing and enjoying themselves should visit at some point. As to the cost - the season ticket covers you for all workshops throughout the week and every concert you can get to - possibly saving more than you paid for it! The workshops are interesting for all - My first visit, I started to learn to play the fiddle, never having touched one before. Also bear in mind that all the street entertainment and pub singing sessions are free.

The meet takes place mainly on the bank holiday Monday but throughout the weekend events take place…read moreon the field down by the river. Live music & comedians Saturday & Sunday afternoons with food & beer tent available. Some seating is provided & porta loos also. On Monday a procession of floats leaves the glaxo area at the top of the town & then winds it's way down the main Rd through the town to the show field. A nice family day, weather permitting, it has been known to be cold windy & raining but it's the true British spirit that makes us attend.

Knaresborough turns pink in August for The Knaresborough Festival of Entertainment and…read moreVisual Arts (FEVA) feva 2009 will run from Friday 14 to Sunday 23 August Check out the website for more info http://www.knaresborough.co.uk/festival/