Having attended Glastonbury only two weeks previously, it was hard to know what to expect from a festival where wellies and waterproofs are thrown aside in exchange for a cocktail dress and heels. The Henley festival opened my eyes to a completely unique festival experience where fine dining and contemporary art are seamlessly combined with popular music and the classic festival oddities such as raving grannies on trolleys and rowing boats punting along the grass.  

As a relatively seasoned festival attendee I have become accustomed to the more traditional muddy field, burger van, and portable loo set up. If the thought of this brings a shiver down your spine, here are the top 5 reasons to attend Henley Festival;

1.       Tex mex wraps and cheesy chips are replaced with lobster salads, award winning cuisine and some of the best chefs in the business (you won’t be greeted by Michel Roux Jr at every festival you go to).

2.       Black tie is a must. Offering one of the only opportunities to enjoy a festival experience looking fantastic with close friends.

3.       The surroundings are spectacular, located on the Henley waterfront with the headline act performing on a ‘floating stage’ surrounded by numerous stunning boats bobbing along in the sunset.

4.       The festival is an arts charity, meaning you are supporting a great cause while having the opportunity to enjoy some of the latest arrivals to the contemporary art scene with sculptures and paintings dotted around the site

5.       The audience are more likely to be found waving glasses of bubbly along to the closing numbers than spilling cups of Carlsberg over the crowd

The beach boys put on a spectacular performance of non stop back to back melodies of their hits including 'God Only Knows', 'I Get Around', 'Sloop John B', 'Good vibrations', 'Help Me Rhonda' to name just a few. The crowd knowing all the words sang along to the familiar tunes right through the night.

It was also fantastic to have the opportunity to see the Olympic opening ceremony performers accompanying the fireworks finale. A fantastic end to a truly enjoyable evening. 

Magical, extraordinary and unexpected the quintessentially British Festival that is Henley.