Top Summer Music Festivals on the UK Beach 2012

Best music festivals 2012 happening on the beach

Fancy a beach music festival this summer? We have selected the top 6  of UK’s music events taking place this summer on a beach near you. So what if there’s no Glastonbury in 2012? There are plenty of other music events to keep you entertained, from the beaches in Brighton and Cornwall to the Isle of Wight.

1. The Great Escape festival in Brighton (10th – 12th May)

The festival has established itself as the leading event in Europe for showcasing new talent from around the world. Returning for its seven edition, this year they are bigger and badder. The line up of acts is set to make the biggest impression on a music hungry city with over 300 bands playing in 30 venues. To view the full line-up, go to www.escapegreat.com

2. Big Beach Bootique 2012 (1st – 2nd June)

 Fatboy Slim holds his fifth Big Beach Bootique over two nights in Brighton, this time at Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s shiny new Amex Stadium. The party is being held on Friday 1st June, and on Saturday 2nd June 2012, and run from 3pm until 10:30pm.

Fatboy Slim will of course be appearing on both days. The event will also feature Carl Cox on the Friday, and Nero on the Saturday, plus Annie Mac, Luciano, DJ Fresh, Maya Jane Coles, 2 Bears, Jaguar Skills, Doorly, and Union, with over seven hours of dance entertainment each day. For more information please click here. 

3. Volksfest, Plymouth (1st – 4th June)

This unique festival combines the Volkswagen scene with top quality music and entertainment from all over the world. The idea of the event is to offer everyone a chilled out family-friendly weekend with lots of entertainment for all. They have two music tents, a comedy tent, children’s entertainment, stalls and more, not forgetting the Show’n’Shine VW displays. The events is held at Newnham Park on the outskirts of Plymouth. For more information visit www.plymouthvolksfest.co.uk

The festival is a mix of music, water sports and shopping in the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the North Devon coast at Croyde. Founded by South African brothers Shaun and Warren Latham, both surfing nuts, the idea was to set up a competition where if there were no waves there would still be enough going on to entertain everyone. Now in its 13th year, it includes all sorts of sporting competitions, 25 live music acts, and a trade village with bars and food stalls. In terms of sports there will be the opportunity for revellers to have a go at surfing, take part in a beach football competition or attempt the aquathon which takes the form of a run, swim, run. For more information and tickets visit www.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk

5. Beach Brake Live,  South Wales ( 14th-18th June)

Overlooking Polzeath Beach, one of Cornwall’s premier surf beaches, Beach Break Live is a festival exclusively for students. During the day revellers can relax on the beach or try their hand at surfing, canoeing, and abseiling before they can enjoy the pumping beats at night.  The lineup is first rate too, with acts such as Magnetic Man, Tinie Tempah, We Are Scientists, and Katy B.
The main stage hosts surf and ska bands on the first day, funk and soul the next before indie and punk bands draw the event to a riotous close on the final night. The DJ Marquee also genre-skips over the three days with electro, breakbeat, hip hop, drum n bass and soul all blasting from the speakers.
There will be student bands, theatre, and comedy with film screenings playing until the very early hours. The event takes place from Monday to Wednesday, but when you’re students it doesn’t really matter!

6. Eden Sessions, Eden Project in Cornwall (23rd June to 12th July)

The Eden Sessions are a series of one-day live music and comedy festivals held in the summer in the spectacular setting of the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. The beautiful site with its natural acoustics draws world-class artists to give amazing performances that many rregardsas among their best.

Through the Eden Sessions, the Eden Project hopes to encourage concert audiences to think about how they can reduce their impact on the environment. All profits from the Eden Sessions go towards supporting our educational charity and programmes. Full info available at  www.edenproject.com