[press invite] WMT were invited to come along and review Big Love Festival in gorgeous Wales, and Gabi went along with her friend Naomi to see what all the fuss was about.
(almost) ALL IMAGERY CREDITED TO ADAM TATTON-REID and BIG LOVE FESTIVAL – some of Gabi’s personal pics sprinkled in too
Intro
Hi I’m Gabi! 👋 Big Love is the kind of festival that left me torn between wanting to shout about it from the rooftops, or keeping it as a precious secret. The latter would just be far too greedy when it’s such a special place though, I only hope I can do it some justice.
Back in May, I decided I wanted to do things differently this festival season and check out some smaller more grassroots festivals, so when Jessi told me about Big Love, I bit her hand off. It was exactly what I was looking for. A festival where you can go hard (because I can’t do things in half measures), but not feel like I need a full week off work to recover.
Location – South Wales
The festival is really easy to get to by car. It’s roughly 35 mins from Bristol with decent road connections. Having set off from Oxford in my van, with charity shop CDs to soundtrack our journey, we travelled through winding countryside roads that had views for days. Dramatic woodland, lush Welsh valleys, it was the perfect start to the weekend.
A train/taxi combo is doable too. Naomi travelled back to leeds by train from Newport Station which was only 20 minutes away, so splitting a taxi from the station is an option if you are without car.
The site, which has only been used by Big Love since 2022, is nothing short of stunning. The type of place no phone-snapped pics will ever do justice. So beautiful in fact that my mate and I initially thought we had put the wrong post code in, before turning the corner and being greeted by a fluttering of bunting, and a big handmade ‘Welcome’ sign.
The stewards that waved us through set the tone for the weekend, enthusiastic and genuinely happy to see you. Likely because they knew the joys Big Love had in store for us. It’s worth noting that the car park ticket is only £5. So when you pay for your festival ticket, you don’t have to stress about being charged a small fortune for a car pass.
Campervan Field
We drove straight through to the campervan field and had our choice of where to park up. To one side, was uninterrupted views of the rolling hills, to the other, the festival site. As an able bodied person, it took me about 3 minutes to walk from one end to the other, so if you struggle with mobility but still want to stay in your van instead of in the accessible camping field, this could still be an option.
Camping
When I say the campsite is close to the car park, I mean like 200 metres close. So heatwave or downpours, you’re not going to be a drenched mess before even pitching up your tent. There was also ample space, meaning you don’t have to stress about getting there first thing to be able to camp with your friends.
Boutique camping
Officially the most affordable boutique camping I’ve ever come across. I have considered this as an option in the past at other festivals but it’s just not been viable without having to sell all my worldly possessions. Big Love Festival has boutique options that start with bell tents from £70 per person and go up to Luxury Moroccan Themed Bedouin Tents from £217 per person. When you consider how cheap the festival ticket itself is, you can get entry and the most expensive and luxurious accommodation available, for only a few quid more than a Glastonbury ticket. Pretty tempting!
Accessible camping
In addition to the above, there is also a small accessible camping area available that is slightly less sloped. Mindful that people will likely want to camp with friends, they allow each person with accessibility needs to have two friends stay in this area too. I would recommend dropping the team a message if you have any questions about accessibility though as they are by all accounts, blooming lovely people and will try to give you as much advice as possible around this.
Music and stages
Each of Big Loves 5 stages, offer a completely different setting which we loved!
The First Love stage came in the form of a circular cabin type structure, which allowed for a really intimate vibe and a perfect space to sit (or lie) down and soak up each note played by the musicians on stage. The musicians that played there seemed to really enjoy the closeness that this stage allowed them to have with the audience. It was easy to forget you were in the middle of what is usually a working farm.
Tucked away between the main site and where an ancient fort once stood, the Woodland stage hosts Electronic music, while scores of miniature hot air balloons blow about in the breeze as we danced below. Sadly, health issues meant dance legends, The Orb, had to pull out last minute, but hopefully they will be able to blast ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ through the woodland in the future. The Woodland Stage area felt like the lovechild of a festival and a scene from The Hobbit. Being surrounded by trees while dancing to some absolute tunes with your friends is good for the soul.
Next up is the On Fire and Rescued stage. A converted Fire Engine on top of which houses all manners of djs, from DnB and Jungle, to Funk and world music. Every time we were there, people were dancing (with mates and new friends), embracing with happiness and just having a blooming lovely time of it! There’s some cover to protect you from the rain (or blazing sunshine as it was last year), and loads of space to dance as freely as you like – a hugely understated bonus, if your dancing resembles part jelly fish, part octopus, like me, or if you struggle with crowds and cramped spaces. Highlight at the Fire Truck had to be Mr Pacho who got Saturday off to the best of vibes. Be sure to check him out as part of his solo set or part of his bands The Bomo Swing, and Pacho Vibes over the summer.
How many festivals allow you to dance your heart out in a Disco Barn (which is actually a working barn when the festival isn’t on)? This space was so much fun! The latest running of all the venues, the barn saw DJ’s playing banger after banger, with the final night in particular turning into a raucous celebration of Big Love and all the joys the weekend gifted us.
Right, we need to talk about Cerys Hafana. Performing on Saturday afternoon on the beautiful Love Live stage, the triple harpist sang in Welsh throughout and had the entire crowd enraptured. Being there and witnessing her performance was so special. A real ‘moment’. She was also the perfect example of how Big Love hand selects some of Wales best performers, some more established, others just starting out in their career. For me, it’s one of the core parts of this festival that sets it out from the rest. Other highlights on the Love Live stage included Funke and the Two Tone Baby (Work All Week is my new favourite festival song), Nubyian Twist and their phenomenal talent and absolute festival staples, The Skints who deliver absolute vibes every time.
Away from the stages, I had the pleasure of choosing a poem to be read to me from the poetry menu of the eccentric and talented walkaround performer, Rich Butnotfamous. All sorts of wholesome.
Two incredible performances by Barracwda drew crowds in to the centre of the festival for a roaming 20+ (lost count at 20) people, brazillian inspired ensemble of fun! A particularly special moment was when the heavens opened and everyone stayed out to dance along with them in the pouring rain. Having also performed in 2022, I really hope to see them there next year too.
Food and stalls
The food was deelish! Inkeeping with all things Wales, the food stalls at the festival boasted locally sourced Welsh produce from primarily independent welsh businesses. The Neapolitan pizzas made for perfect hangover cure, soaking up the previous nights sins; there were handmade beefburgers with veggie options to boot; the Creperie saved me on the Monday morning with their scrumptious savoury goodness. But it was Cardiff based Keralan Karavan who were the star of the show. Like all the stalls, they had a good mix of veggie, vegan and meat options, all of which were delicious.
There were only a couple of stalls at the festival, but I did buy a completely gorgeous blanket/throw from one place (name TBC- tracking it down), a stall that is partnered with local communities in Mexico to support local groups. I am going to find a link to their page and update this asap.
People
Do you remember when you used to go to festivals and be guaranteed to meet some of the absolute best people? Maybe its just me, but I feel like that dwindled off at some point and that some festivals had lost a bit of their warmth in that respect. Well Big Love brought it right back and filled my heart right up. We both spoke to so many people over the weekend (100+) from short chats at the bar to meeting the most wonderful group of Big Love veterans (who adopted us into their crew for the weekend). Big Love is just brimming with the goodest of eggs.
True to form, I woke up one morning without my phone, bag and poncho. It’s a testament to the culture that Big Love has created and everyone there, that I didn’t even bother looking for it for a couple of hours. Because I knew I would find it, either exactly where I left it, or that it would be handed in. Sure enough some kind person had hung it up out of the rain at the On Fire Truck for me to find (thank you, whoever you are. I owe you a pint!).
Prices
Feel weirdly excited to get to this bit and be able to tell you all about how much tickets are. If you buy them now, you can get early bird tickets for £99!!! This makes Big Love super accessible and they even have an option of spreading the cost across 3 months for those of us currently teetering close to our overdrafts! NHS Worker? £50 off your ticket price! Info is on the website.
If this sounds like your type of festival, I really encourage you to snap up those early bird tickets while they are still available. Independent festivals rely on people buying tickets early so that they can start booking acts and getting planning. The future of small festivals like Big Love really do depend on this.
Finally, a huge thank you to everyone involved in putting Big Love on, the organisers, the stage builders, the decorators, bar tenders, litter pickers, toilet roll replenishers.
The whole festival was like one big Welsh cuddle that I never wanted to let go of. You have created something really special and I can’t wait to come back next year!
BOOK YOUR £99 EARLY BIRD TICKETS TO BIG LOVE FESTIVAL 2024 NOW HERE
