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Who's there? The 2009 line up is really typical, with Marilyn Manson, Def Leppard and Limp Bizkit among the headliners.
T in the Park
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Who's there? Among the 2009 headliners, lots of the usual suspects and Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Blur, Lady Gaga, Manic Street Preachers, Pet Shop Boys.
Wakestock
And now, for something a little different. Wakestock attracts the wakeboarding crowd by combining top wakeboarding events(think water-sking on a snowboard with jumps and tricks) with groovy music and a chilled out campsite in Abersock on the coast of North Wales. The three day wakeboarding music festival, on Cardigan Bay, is Europe's largest. Organizers promise "hot, hot beaches, boardies and good times."Who's there? In 2009, Moby, Nerd, Dizzee Rascal, Super Furry Animals, Just Jack, Calvin Harris, Pigeon Detectives, The Zutons, Tynchy Stryder.
Latitude
Another boutique festival, Latitude at Henham Park, is in a lovely part of Suffolk, near the coast. Beautiful countryside, nice pubs and a festival that attracts about 50,000 for a really fine mix experiences. Music, comedy, theatre, film and poetry are featured on nine different stages.Who's there? Headliners range from electronic dance music makers Pet Shop Boys and disco icon Grace Jones to the unusual personal styles of Regina Spektor and Little Boots. There's punk, nostalgia, new wave and some great comedy acts on the comedy stage.
The Secret Garden Party
Not so much a music festival as a New Age weekend for sybarites - There are Boutique Bellboys for the campsite, art boats floating around the lake. Only about 12,000 tickets are sold and the stages and "scenes" have names like Music for Babylonians, The Sounds of Eden, Elysian Fields. Participation and artistic self-expression are encouraged.Who's there? Jarvis Cocker, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Freeland, Slagsmalsklubben, Evil Nine and Asteroids Galaxy were among the 2009 attractions.
WOMAD
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Who's there? On the 2009 line up - an amazing United Nations of bands from all the English speaking countries plus, China, Cambodia, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, France, Spain, Guyana, Senegal, Brazil, Cuba, Kenya, Mexico, Israel, Romania, Tibet, Sicily; wherever people make music in fact.
Green Man Festival
Folk, lo-fi and psychedelic rock are part of the relatively low key Green Man Festival in Wales' Brecon Beacons. This one's family friendly and mellow. It's been called an "indie-folk fairyland" and "the UK's hippest festival" by London papers. But it's not all new agers in la la land. In fact, NME, the UK's definitive music scene magazine said that the choice of music available "puts most other festivals to shame".Who's there? In 2009 - Jarvis Cocker, Animal Collective, The Amorphous Androgynous (AKA Future Sound Of London), Camera Obscura, The Aliens, James Yuill, Joe Gideon & The Shark, Peggy Sue, Wave Machines, Zun Zun Egui, Stornoway, Blue Roses, The Strange Boys, Mary Hampton, Cate Le Bon, Ruby Samba, Le B and Pagan Warrior Lu.
Loopallu
You've gotta go, if only for the great name of this two-day, Ullapool-based festival on the west coast of Scotland. It's indie through and through and features locally big names as well as up-and-comers. This one is really small and intimate - also possibly wet and cold, it being September in Scotland. So, while there's camping available, you might want to look into hotel and B&B accommodations in Ullapool.Who's there? Franz Ferdinand appeared in 2008. In 2009, among the acts lined up are The Lightning Seeds, The Dykeenies, Mumford and Sons, Kid British and The Family Mahone.
End of the Road Festival
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Who's there? One of the organizers is Swedish so, along with a variety of new and indie acts, a showcase of up and coming Scandinavian talent is featured. Swedish snacks are available and the Viking game of Kubb is played.
