As I walked down the gentle hill into Good Vibrations Society I entered another world. With each step I left my everyday hassles further behind and sank irresistibly into the oh-so-seductive arms of Ashdown Forest. This Winnie-the-Pooh forest is a magical setting for a festival and Good Vibrations – ‘a weekend of music, ecology and wellbeing’ – does its best to live up to it.
It's a small festival, with approaching 8,000 people attending over the weekend, and you can walk its entirety in fifteen minutes or so. It’s set out like a tree, with the main stage (one of three), children’s area (there’s loads put on for kids), dance area, and main bar (a little on the expensive side) spread out at the top. The trunk – ‘High Street’ – is bordered by stalls of all sorts with a branch leading to a smaller venue and Stop and Flop hammocks, and the roots comprise a chillout yoga/singing/breathwork/fitness/performer venue, a spa, some well-chosen food stalls and a talks tent.
Nouveau-hippy is the general vibe. Indeed, for a delicious moment as I mooched my way along the ‘High Street’ I was transported back to Arambol beach, but sadly – and all too soon – the unseasonally August chill and lack of warm sea disabused me of my fantasy. No matter though, Good Vibrations may not be Goa but there were still many wild, wacky and wonderful things to get my teeth into.
At its heart Good Vibrations is a local festival with many of the acts and activities having their roots in the area, but over the past five years its reach has grown organically, and now a decent proportion of attendees and acts come from much further afield. Founder Johnny Scratchley of Gentleman’s Dub Club (their set is an annual highlight of the festival) explained that the personality of the festival is what is says on the tin –‘Good Vibrations’ – and it’s hard to argue with that.
If I have a minor gripe, though, I would have liked to have felt more of consistency with the musical line up. Having said that there were some major highlights for me, not least the aforementioned Gentleman’s Dub Club (great for a dance), Malawian musical duo Madalitso Band (wonderful), Caitlin (a to-me unknown lovely surprise), and the super chill and melodic Carrie Tree. Other acts that brought in the crowds included The London African Gospel Choir, So Solid Crew, Soul II Soul, and General Levy.
Worth a paragraph on his own though was the genuine, humble and super-charming FaceSoul, a London-based Somali. His act was spellbinding, a real heart-opener (and I dare say breaker), with a voice you could die for. He even managed to get all – and I mean all – of the horizontal yoga tent punters up off the floor and dancing, with an impromptu and spontaneous conga at the end of his set no less. For me he was the number one highlight of the weekend. Look him up.
Another highlight for me, I’m a sucker for the nature/ecology stuff, were Ash Walmsley’s talks about the history and the birds of Ashdown Forest, and Emma Thorp’s ‘what the forest teaches us’. I would have hung around for more of these excellent talks, but my feet were itching for a dance. Talking of which, the festival boasts a rustic and rather beautiful bale-surrounded DJ area with dancing going on late into the night. I am told the quality of the DJs was a bit mixed unfortunately, but I can’t say first hand as I was tucked up with my Horlicks by then. It was after 11pm for heaven’s sake! In my defence I’d had a heavy week.
What else? Let’s get prosaic: the loos were fine (albeit, as ever, there were queues) and situated only at the far ends of the tree. I would have liked a midway option too as from the ‘High Street’ they were a bit of a walk, but it was a minor issue and the potential smell is obviously a consideration; the camping areas were beautifully situated and there was plenty of space for everyone; and, lastly, for me an excellent innovation was giving out free recyclable pint cups at the entrance, avoiding the irritating £2 cup surcharge you get at most festivals.
All said and done Good Vibrations Society is a lovely little festival. It’s a beautiful place and way to spend an early August weekend. If the stars align I’ll most definitely be back again next year…
Published on 05 August 2025 by Neil del Strother
