The August bank holiday weekend means several things to different people; a three day weekend, the Brighton Mod weekender for the Quadrophenia generation but for those who noticed the title it means only one thing; Reading/Leeds Festival. As ever, the lineup has something for everyone with bombastic headliners as well as an eclectic range of dance and comedy acts. Whilst the lineups broaden, the sites remain the same with Richfield Avenue hosting the Reading leg and Bramham Park as home to its Yorkshire equivalent.
This years headliners include My Chemical Romance and Muse with the final slot shared by The Strokes and Pulp. Many will have earmarked the much awaited return of Pulp to top of the bill back in their home county of Yorkshire whilst The Strokes will take headline status in Reading. For those wanting to escape Main Stage heroes there are stellar acts ranging from the madcap mixing of 2ManyDJs to the hedonism of Jane's Addiction via Liam Gallagher's new outfit, Beady Eye on the NME/Radio 1 Stage. Take a deeper delve into the lineup and there are untold treasures including the brooding stomp of The Horrors, the classical Anna Calvi and the mouthy Viva Brother on the Festival Republic Stage. The Lock Up Stage will play host to the likes of Descendents and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones on the Friday and Sunday whilst The Dance Stage, headlined by UNKLE Sounds will take its spot on Saturday. Even if the music doesn't grab you the comedy is well known with performances from Lee Nelson and Tim Minchin, out of their comfort zone and into a tent.
For the fourth year, Festival Republic will be presenting the BBC Introducing stage which showcases emerging talent sourced from the BBCs own Introducing shows, promoters and competitions. The stage has provided a platform to such acts as Florence and The Machine, Everything, Everything and Pulled Apart By Horses before seeing them rise up the bill. This year will include a 'Welcome To Leeds' party on Thursday night; hosted by Leeds-based record label Dance To The Radio, with the likes of Young Knives, Dog Is Dead and We Are Losers performing.
After successfully hosting V Festival at the Temple Newsam site, the Leeds leg of the festival was introduced in 1999. Initially to cope with demand from the Reading site, Leeds Festival then moved from Temple Newsam to Bramham Park in 2003 where capacity has since grown to 75,000. Getting there is pretty simple with the M1, A1 and M62 all within easy reach. Should you opt to carshare (and you are encouraged) you could even win a free upgrade to VIP camping. For those wanting to leave the car at home there are also shuttle buses which make regular return trips from Leeds' coach and train stations to the site. There is also a service which will run from York Station on Thursday and back to the station on Monday. Want one simple return journey? Then there are coach packages available which are operated by National Express.
The festival regularly sells out with weekend tickets at £192.50 and day tickets for £82.50. For those staying for the long haul it helps to choose which campsite before you arrive and you have plenty to choose from. Leeds Festival now has 9 distinct campsites; Brown (which includes campervans), Green, Purple, Orange, Red, Funfair, Blue Valley, White Village and Yellow Bubble. Something for everyone.