Camp Bestival has long been a highlight of our year, for my daughter it’s better than Christmas! This year was our 8^th year and probably our last,  over the years as our daughter has got older we’ve said this many times and we just keep coming back. So what makes us keep coming back? First and foremost the atmosphere, it’s so friendly, relaxed and has a general air of fun, you instantly feel at home. The music is always amazing, although some research is needed to get the most out of it (in past years then unknown bands and artists such as Mumford & Son, Ed Sheeran, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Frank Turner and Clean Bandit have played Camp Bestival. Rob Da Bank and team really do know their music). The food, now the food at Camp Bestival is something special, it’s a food festival in itself. The Feast Collective tent boasts some of the greatest street food vendors in the country, the Local Farmers Market has the most amazing fresh produce and every step around the site offers up a superb array of different foods suitable for all diets. The kid’s activities are no longer a priority for us but in past years we’ve enjoyed many hours in the art or science tent, Dingly Dell and on the fairground rides. Now our daughter is a teen she has her own dedicated, no adults allowed area The Den. Finally, each year Camp Bestival add more and more to already crammed festival, this year was the addition of the world’s biggest bouncy castle, who wouldn’t want to have a go on that?

Arrival day is Thursday, allowing you plenty of time to set up camp, relax and have a wonder around without feeling rushed to get to see the bands. It’s was a great opportunity for us to get in early and sample the amazing wine at the Brancott Estate bar, which included an impressive Virtual Reality tour of their New Zealand vineyards.

Our first day of music kicked off with the always entertaining Kid Carpet in the Travelling Barn. A superb entertainer that bridges the gap between children and adult entertainer, great with the kids but the catchy electronic tunes keep the adults happy.

Next up was a very special moment for me, I won a DJ slot at the First Choice Holiday Island, finally fulfilling a lifelong ambition of mine. A new addition to Camp Bestival First Choice Holidays bought along their very own beach resort. Stick It On in association with First Choice ran a competition prior to the festival asking for people’s top 3 summer tracks, and mine were picked, along with many others (if you are interested I picked Daft Punk ‘Get Lucky’, Jocelyn Brown ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’ and Diana Ross ‘I’m Coming Out’) It was an amazing experience and it was great seeing the crowd dancing.

After the high of being behind the decks it was time to take some quite time at the Satin Lizard Lounge curated by Scroobius Pip in the Literary Institute, with spoken word from Joe Howell, Cecelia Knapp and Hollie McNish. Sitting in the sun listening to amazing poets is a staple of our Camp Bestival and as always the 3 performers were poignant, insightful and humorous.

We left Squeeze on the main stage to see a new discovery Alice Jemima. As the sun set over the Magic Meadow the beautiful sultry vocals of Alice filled the air, with a captivating bassline the crowd where entranced. Her single ‘Liquorice’ is one to look out for.

The worst clash of the weekend was Jesse Glynne headlining on the main stage and The Cuban Brothers at The Big Top. But really there was no contest, The Cuban Brothers ARE Camp Bestival and it would be wrong to not see them. It seemed a strange decision to put them on so late, over the years they have become a firm family favourite playing the afternoon on the Castle Stage. The set started out as any other with great banter and funky tunes, but it soon became apparent why the late night slot was perfect for them, the humour was blue and the skimpy outfits even smaller (Miguel strutted the stage in a swan G-string!) it was by far their best set I’ve ever seen, I walked away still crying with laughter.

Saturday the sun was shining and we spent the day meandering between the stages and food tents. Highlights of the day were DJ Tofu Meets Brass Funky, on The Castle Stage combing DJ set with funky brass accompaniment, a great early afternoon dance in the blistering sun. Django Django were a great last minute replacement to the much anticipated Arrested Development who had to cancel at the last minute due to ill health.

Camp Bestival know they have a varied audience and they ensure there is something for everyone musically. Katy B was a great act for this, and the Castle Stage was full of teens, kids and adults dancing along to the all-female performers.

The much anticipated Saturday night headliner Fatboy Slim did not disappoint, in fact he was very much the festival highlight, if not one of the best headliners I’ve seen at any festival. In all my years I have never seen The Castle Stage field so full with people on their feet dancing. The atmosphere was electric with young and old dancing with their hands in the air to tunes like Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat and They Know What is What. The AV and light show was astonishing and I’m sure for many (myself included) they were transported to the heady days before children. That was 80 minutes that I won’t forget anytime soon.

There was only one place to go after such an amazing DJ set but The Bollywood tent where Altern-8 carried on the late night dancing, they kept the mood high and the crowds dancing. Sadly the late night headline Sasha disappointed, whether that was because the PA had been turned down or the choice of tunes, but it wasn’t hitting the mark so we headed off to the Silent Disco that never fails to carry on the dancing (and really bad singing)

Sunday was a day to spend at The Castle Stage with a great line-up starting for us with Espa. Her beautiful soulful vocals, and R&B sound was a perfect start to a sunny day, another artist to look out for the future.

One of this year’s Festival Highlights for me were The Brand New Heavies and it was like we’d been transported back to the heady Acid Jazz days of the 90s. Playing all their hits, they had the Sunday afternoon crowd up on their feet dancing and singing.

Next up was KT Tunstall who just oozes sex appeal and looking every bit the rock star that she is. Taking too the stage in silver trousers and mirrored glasses she had the crowd in the palm of her hand. Playing track old and new the only place to be was singing and dancing down at the front.

I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Tears for Fears but I was looking forward to seeing them perform their old hits, but sadly the hits alone didn’t carry an entire headline set. There were big lulls and you could tell that a lot of the crowd were growing restless. I think the big problem was that after such an amazing Saturday headline that Tears for Fears were never going to compete.

Rat Boy was a fantastically energised end to Camp Bestival 2016. Playing to a packed crowd (of mainly teens) he had the Big Top going wild, including a brilliant session where he split the crowd in two to have them rush back together to mosh.

So will Camp Bestival 2016 be our last? Most definitely not. It’s been another amazing year filled with new and old music, food, fun and laughter. We have seen our daughter grow up with Camp Bestival and how could we deny her the chance to celebrate their 10^th Birthday in 2017. Camp Bestival, we’ll see you there, same time next year.

Review by Charlie Greenwood Photos Andre Merel