Festivals! There’s good, there’s great, then there’s The Glade. Smaller now but perfectly formed and even more perfectly peopled. The only other festival I have found that is so friendly is Shambala and this was largely the same crowd, everyone you sit next to or bump into has something nice to say, a big smile on their face and is probably wearing something insane. Festival goers of all ages melt together to have a fabulous time.
Now set in the beautiful grounds of Houghton Hall, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, there are stunning views across the grounds and plenty of space for all the nonsense going on. Slap bang in the middle was the Dance Off- held in a boxing ring, compared by a nutter and surrounded by onlookers dancing on hay bales, hapless festival goers vied with each other in various states of fancy undress to win a massive cheer from the crowd - madness! There was the usual attention to detail with wonderful things to behold in the trees and hanging in the dance tents, something colourful and magical wherever you looked. Various dance tents and stages great and small dotted around the perimeter could not help but grab your attention as you drift by and when you do go in the music is all! Make no mistake this is a festival for those who love dance music to extremes. The attention to detail goes on during the DJs sets and live shows with amazing laser shows and what seem like 3D graphics leaping out from the stage to dazzle the eyes.
So though my mind was being lost and my eyes were being dazzled what were the rest of the facilities like? There was a good choice of food, the bars were well run though it was hard to tell the difference between who was serving and who was waiting to buy a drink. The toilets were pretty clean and there were no long queues. There should have been more water taps around and somewhere to wash your hands. Bearing in mind one year we all nearly passed out with sunstroke and there were not enough taps then there really should have been more and I did resent having to buy bottled water at my camp site because there was no tap at all. Although it did rain the site drains well so there should not be a repeat of the terrible mud of 2008. There is space for the Glade to grow a little here without being overcrowded like the Matterly Bowl, the vibe was very chilled and friendly without a rough element that has been present in previous years. I did not see any police or ambulances, I was not worried about my tent being robbed, security were there and were very thorough but managed to stay very low key and relaxed while doing their job.
There were less massive dance tents this year, only two and a stage interspersed with smaller ones and of course the Rabbit Hole! The outdoor Psy-trance Stage was kicking as usual from morning until night and I'm sure everyone got lost in it at least once but The Glade Stage had an array of acts on across the weekend and The Overkill stage held onto the dark heart of dance music. What a treat to see Dreadzone Live I’ve been waiting many years and I was not disappointed. Its very hard to pick out individual acts because of course you cant see everything, acts that stood out for me were Sub Focus, Krafty Kuts, ELite Force and Dub Pistols. Look out for Concrete Disco who’s mad mix of mash ups and original live stuff is sure to get you moving although seeing how much they love the music themselves is enough to make you want to dance with them! Even if you are not mad about dance music don’t be put off there really is something for everyone and plenty of live music as well as Djs.
The Glade is an adventure to be had, a playground for grown up kids, its that Christmas feeling you had when you were small, you knew it was going to be magical you just didn’t know exactly why. So the sun shone, the rain rained a little, but the flags fluttered, the people danced and if you managed to get a drink in the Rabbit Hole you are a better man than me! I will be back next year and bringing everyone I know - this was the best Glade ever!
Published on 15 June 2011 by Cathi Moore
