Jousting, goblins and furries: Dispatch from a UK renaissance faire Life&Style Renaissance fairs are booming in America, now they're on UK soil too. Anna Moloney dons a doublet and investigates.
Lost Village festival review: is this posher than Wilderness? Life&Style Wilderness in the Cotswolds boasts a nanny service. You won’t be surprised to hear that it is the only music festival in the country to offer such a luxury. Admittedly, there is no such thing at Lost Village, although festival insiders refer to the Lincolnshire based event as the “Wilderness of the north” owing to [...]
Boomtown 2026 review: Surely the best party in the world Life&Style Boomtown 2026 review and star rating: ★★★★★ Pirates are squaring up to one another, clenching their jaws as they prepare to strike blows. Hundreds are jeering around the ring, where the crowd have been whipped into a feverish mob. Villagers are peering from the rooftops to get a glimpse of the fight. But before long, [...]
City festival with comedy and line dancing arrives in Square Mile June 24, 2026 Line dancing, comedy and a panel discussion entitled “Shit I’m in my 30’s: What’s the plan for retirement?” are some of the events taking place at the Leadenhall Building this summer, as the annual Leadenhall Live festival returns. Running 23 June – 16 July, the festival programmes more than 30 events over the course of [...]
Dua Lipa and Olivia Dean drive UK music boom despite fragile backdrop December 31, 2025 The UK recorded music industry chalked up an 11th consecutive year of growth this year, thanks to a new generation of British artists breaking through at home and overseas. The sector wins come despite mounting pressures that threaten its grassroots foundations. Figures published by industry body BPI show total recorded music consumption rose 4.9 per [...]
Mud, music and magic at End of the Road festival 2025 September 3, 2025 On Thursday night at End of the Road, the couple in front of me in the queue for food turned to each other and said: “We’re back in the best place in the world.” A handful of other festivals might complain, but there’s no doubt that EOTR is vying for the crown of the UK’s [...]
We Out Here festival review: Dorset isn’t supposed to be this cool August 19, 2025 We Out Here festival programmes a line-up of jazz-inflected music. Its diversity is exciting, says Adam Bloodworth Over fifty festivals have shuttered in the past year. Shockingly, turning a patch of rural grass into a temporary metropolis for the weekend doesn’t chime well with the cost of living crisis. For a midsize event, upfront fees [...]
Wilderness festival review: silliness and beauty combine to offer five-star escapism August 7, 2025 Around a quarter of the people who attended Wilderness festival this year glamped, swerving the surely horrifying idea of pitching their own tent, and they quaffed champagne at banquet feasts and from lakeside hot tubs. There is no getting around it: Wilderness attracts what the festival likes to call a “bouji” crowd (bosses don’t like [...]
A massive burger festival is coming to London – and you can vote for the UK’s best bun July 31, 2025 “London, get ready to loosen your belts,” is the message from the team at Burger Fest UK, taking place at Signature Brew in east London on 13 and 14 September, with dozens of traders showing off what they believe are the UK’s very best pattys in buns. So far, nine revered burger makers have confirmed [...]
The Bowls Club is the best summer event in the City June 25, 2025 If ramming the car full with tents and wellies and trekking the countryside sounds like too much hard work, stay in the City this summer for a dose of festival spirit – the new Bowls Club in Finsbury Square feels like the City’s own little music festival. There’s a live DJ every night, and some [...]