The last bank holiday in August marks the end of the summer season in the UK. But that doesn't mean the end of music and performing arts festivals as well. As the days get a bit shorter and the weather a bit cooler, the music festival atmosphere just changes a little bit. Instead of the huge camping mudfests of rock and pop music, the scene is more mixed and a bit more grown up. Jazz, folk, blues, theatre, comedy, classical festivals pop up all over the place - often a mixture of all those different forms in the same festival. And, instead of muddy fields, there's lots of glamping and indoor venues as well. These are some of the best.
1. Bestival
Described as a boutique festival, this early September event on the Isle of Wight is a curated, eclectic mix of indie and commercial music with a creative approach to things to do and experiences to have. In 2012 Bestival promised a Bollywood cocktail bar, a Wishing Tree Stage, a mass costume/fancy dress party and a roller disco. Bestival also pioneered the concept of festival glamping, with premium camping areas for celebrity campers and those with celebrity aspirations.
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2. Birmingham Arts Fest
Courtesy of Visit Birmingham
The biggest free arts festival in the UK takes over Centenary and Victoria Square, Brindley Place, Chamberlain Square and Cathedral Green as well as concert halls, theatres, museums, libraries, shops, cafes, arts centers, pubs and clubs all over Birmingham, the second weekend of September. There are dozens of events - tours, plays, comedy, music, dance, Bollywood. In 2012, it all kicked off with "Mandala" a 3D son et lumiere promising "sizzling music and breathtaking special effects" on Birmingham Town Hall in Chamberlain Square.
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3. Windsor Festival
Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Mid Septebmer, the Royal town of Windsor, dominated by Windsor Castle, is the scene of a multi-arts festival featuring classical concerts, literary events, family entertainments, theater, walking tours and exhibitions. The venues are amazing, with events taking place in the magnificent Waterloo Chamber of Windsor Castle (I'd book a ticket just to listen to music in there), the Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park, St George's Chapel and the Vicars Hall. More tony venues inclue Eton College Chapel and the Music Schools as well as the local Parish Church and Windsor's shopping precinct.
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4. Canterbury Festival
©VisitBritain / Rod Edwards
The Canterbury Festival started out as a play in the Cathedral in the 1920s. It became a full blown multi-arts festival in the Cathedral and Cathedral precincts in 1929 and has been going strong (with time out for a World War) ever since. It has become on the the major arts festivals in the southeast of England. For 15 days from mid to late October, the town is alive with it classical music, world music, comedy, theater, dance, artists' open houses, literature talks and events and family activities. There is also a science festival with demonstrations, talks, a science cabaret and more. The festival even has its own fringe.
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5. Manchester In the City
In the City, in mid-October, is a combination music business trade event and indie music festival. For three days, producers, A&R men; well known figures from the music and film businesses, photography art,new media and gaming meet to debate, discuss issues, take part in panels and workshops. Then at night,indie musicians - the best emerging talents from all over Britain - get a chance to showcase what they can do before the public as well as industry movers and shakers. It's a really unusual opportunity for indie music fans to share the talent spotting with the professionals.Find out more
6. Stratford on Avon Music Festival
©Ferne Arfin
Shakespeare's hometown hosts a week of concerts and events in October. Classical, jazz and folk music and family events fill churches, clubs, civic halls and other venues around the town. There are lunchtime concerts and quite a few free events. In 2012, the festival was set to kick off with specially composed fanfare on the steps of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Featuring a bell ringers; trumpet, trombone and French horn students from the Birmingham Conservatoire and church bells from three Stratford churches, it was described as a "unique piece of sonic art."
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7. Tenby Blues Festival
In November, this seaside resort on Carmarthen Bay in Wales, welcomes serious blues men (and a few women) for three days of down and dirty blues. Weekend rover tickets allow access to all the events, in pubs, clubs and cafes around town for a reduced price. There is also a Blues Trail with 17 free gigs. At one time, most of the musicans were British but in 2012 top blues players from the USA, Australia,Iceland, Ireland the the Netherlands were also in the lineup. This very popular event has been reeling in the punters since 2006.
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8. Brighton Early Music Festival
© Ferne Arfin
In it's tenth year in 2012, the Brighton Early Music Festival has grown from a handful of concerts at one venue to a world class event over more than two weeks at the end of October through the first week in November. It attracts an audience of thousands to Brighton for ancient choral music, Italian Baroque and Renaissance music. In 2012, Burning Bush brought ancient Jewish music to the event with klezmer music, Sephardic ballads and music from the old Ottoman world.
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9. Derby Festé
Derby goes wild for international street theatre in September. After six years, the festival attracts some of the worlds most exciting outdoor acts turning the city into a colorful performance carnival for two days. In 2012, festival goers were set to see giant seaguls, giant bouncing kangeroos on powerskip stilts and a mobile piano being driven through the streets by a nun. The planned kickoff was the premier of QUAD's Derby Soap Opera, described as "one of the world's largest mass participation film projects." And for more mass participation, an outdoor Jive Party was scheduled for Market Place.Find out more
