The sunshine came out to play for the fifth edition of this small and soulful festival
Words: Lizzie Frainier
The UK’s first camping jazz festival continues to hit the right notes for client entertaining, with a sophisticated atmosphere and plenty of VIP offerings in the Sussex countryside.
We’re happy to be sporting a Love Supremium wristband this year, which gives you access to a picket-fenced area next to the main stage with a full bar, seating and toilets. Three cheers for never having to queue for your next beverage between acts again.
This package also includes a camping spot closer to the action with proper loos and showers. We pitch up our own tent, but after a mosey around the glamping options like bell tents and bowtop caravans, we know what we would opt for next time.
It’s not just the premium areas that feel classy though, the whole festival feels more Pimms and prosecco in the park than anything else. In fact the main stage and bandstand is swarmed with blankets and deck chairs for most of the day, as people relax in the sunshine to the jazzy melodies. A brilliant performance from New Orleans’s The Hot 8 Brass Band gets everyone to their feet though, with its fun arrangements of big-time songs like Sexual Healing.
Another plus of the festival is that none of the stages or food trucks are more than five minutes away, meaning you can easily swing by different acts throughout. It’s worth mentioning The Lazy Bird Kitchen too – you can pre-books seats for family-style feasts delivered by the Disappearing Dining Club.
Other highlights of the line-up include jazz legend Herbie Hancock on the Big Top stage, and the rich baritone vocals of Gregory Porter who rounds things off as the sun sets on Sunday night. Pardon the pun, but the feeling of the crowd is pretty supreme.
Sound like your bag? Super Early Bird tickets for 2018 have already sold out, but
more tickets will be released in November.
Make the most of the summer before it’s over, and snag VIP tickets to one of the last festivals of the season.