Travel: Bestival, Isle of Wight

Published on Friday 20 August 2010 13:43

If an alien, headed for Earth, had landed in Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of White on 12 September last year, it might have thought its space ship's sat nav was on the fritz.

Being surrounded by 46,000 revellers dressed up as all kinds of intergalactic entities would have been a head-twister for most humans, never mind for a descendant of ET.

But not all of the above scenario is pure fantasy. At Bestival last year, 46,000 people really did paint their faces silver, pour themselves into vividly-coloured metallic lycra and dust down their deely boppers in honour of the festival's Space Oddity theme.

What started as a bit of fun now defines this boutique festival and makes it stand out from the crowd. Encouraging everyone to raid the dressing up box was the idea of founder and Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank. He hoped it would give the fledgling festival a USP when it made its debut back in 2004.

"The first year, we only expected a couple of hundred people to dress up out of the 4,000 people who came to Bestival, and on the Saturday afternoon, when I walked through the site, I saw that maybe a couple of thousand were going for it," he says. "It's gone from a Saturday afternoon thing to people coming down on a Thursday evening fully togged out."

Rob persuaded Basement Jaxx to headline that year. Leftfield, Grace Jones, Massive Attack and Amy Winehouse have been the big noises in subsequent years, reflecting Rob Da Bank's quirky, eclectic music taste. And Glastonbury was where Bestival first found its groove.

"We were doing bigger and bigger parties for Sunday Best and we did a little bit for a festival and then that progressed onto Radio 1 asking us to do a day of their stage at Glasto," Rob explains. "No-one was really doing anything different and we brought Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx out, who are household names now but at the time they were just becoming huge. We had them on this small stage playing party music as opposed to their usual sets and people were dressed up in weird stuff and that was what started it all really. We did a couple of years of that and then we thought f*** it, let's give it a whirl. I remember being on stage at the first one with Basement Jaxx, who I'd cajoled into doing it, and just thinking 'my God there are so many people!' "

Though it's billed as one of the 'Big' Festivals, Bestival still manages to retain a sense of intimacy and community. And while many other festivals have been seduced by the lure of filthy lucre, and have money rather than music pulsating through their veins, Bestival still has a unique, quirky feel. The festival's location, on the Isle of Wight, is a huge bonus. Sailing across the Solent, your everyday worries become a distant memory as you head towards three days of utter escapism on Fantasy Island, aka Bestival.

Josie Da Bank, Rob's other half, is the creative talent of the duo. She sprinkles magic fairy dust over Robin Hill Country Park, transforming it into a whimsical wonderland for Bestivallers. This year, the theme is The Year of The Fantastic and Josie has already had her unicorn outfit designed by a costume designer mate.

Rob tells me with real fondness that they regularly hear from groups of Bestival-goers who meet up every month during the year to design their costumes. He has also landed the band absolutely born to headline Bestival this year. Fronted by Wayne Coyne, The Flaming Lips are known for their love of flamboyant and surreal costumes and are taking to the main stage on Saturday night. Dizzee Rascal, Hot Chip, Roxy Music and Ellie Goulding are also on the play list.

But there could be a rain cloud looming on the horizon. With nearly 50,000 tickets sold this year - and a limited acreage in the Park - does Da Bank feel that the festival is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success?

"Never say never in my book," he says. 'Every time I think, 'right, that's it', then it grows a bit more. Demand outstrips the supply. But if it keeps leaving a magical feeling, we keep on going. I'll maybe put a lid on it when it starts to lose that vibe."

And Rob is already hatching his next big plan - to take the Bestival experience to foreign shores.

"We've just got to decide where - possibly Australia or India. But we are sticklers for getting things right," he says. "Argentina are really keen to do it and they feel that the fancy dress theme would work really well, too. But we are being a little cautious because the last two years have been tumultuous for festies in the recession. And next year is set to be tough, too, so we don't want to overstretch ourselves."

In the meantime, Da Bank has his sights set on landing some of the artists on his wish list, including Kate Bush, The Cure, Radiohead, Prince, and the woman known for her fondness for a sparkly outfit or two; Dolly Parton.

"She knows all about our show and we have invited her, so we will have to wait and see," smiles Rob.

I am polishing up my rhinestone costume already.

the facts

For more information, visit bestival.net Bestival takes place on 9-12 September at Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight. Sold out for this year.

This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, 4 September, 2010