A freezing cold long foggy drive to Skegness, we finally reach our destination Butlins, for what must surely be one of the last UK festivals of 2008.
We arrive at the entrance to be met by numerous security guards who ask us for our wristbands, as we are collecting tickets at the venue there was some confusion amongst the security as to how we would be allowed in, eventually however we are allowed through the gate. Only to be stopped by another member of the security team and have to explain again that we are collecting tickets from the guest services, eventually after getting the previous security to confirm we are allowed in the gate is raised and we do indeed enter Butlins.
At guest services we are quickly allocated our chalet keys, along with a lanyard containing the whole weekend's schedule. The lanyard is a quality item with black ribbon emblazoned with Big Reunion Weekend.
We have been allocated one of the new chalets on the camp, this has nearby car parking, three bedrooms, six beds, lounge, kitchen, 26' TV, microwave, kettle, oven and hob, this is how to do a festival. I am not missing having to put up the tent and carting all the gear for miles to the campsite.
We use the kitchen to make some dinner and get some quick shut eye before the festival starts properly at midnight and finishes at six in the morning. We get ready & make our way to the Reds venue, this is a typical Butlins stage set up, huge room with huge stage, surrounded by numerous bars, pint of lager is £3.
First DJ of the night is ex Big Brother winner Kate Lawler who like many previous reality TV winners & z lister celebrity has taken up a career as a DJ, playing commercial chart music, although she was actually DJ before her TV appearance. Lawler spends more of the set searching though her small CD collection than actually mixing or deejaying. She is surrounded by dancing Star Wars stormtroopers, at one point she even manages to switch of the sound completely and has to be rescued by Radio 1 DJ Dave Pearce, who gets the show back on the road.
Dave Pearce has been on the dance scene for what seems like an eternity and soon gets the Reds floor bouncing, as the venue fills up to almost full capacity. We then take a walk to the Skyline to the Centre Stage to catch Pimp Your Ride star Tim Westwood. On the way to the Skyline however we notice the strong smell of vomit and notice there are patches everywhere urghh, could this be to the lack of outdoor toilets, i.e. zero toilets!!!
This is more like a city centre Saturday night with binge drinking under 25s scattered everywhere. We finally get into the Centre Stage to catch some Westwood but after 10 minutes have had enough and make our way to Jaks to catch some real live music. Jaks does not have much of an audience inside but the music from Fabio with 2 vocalists / rappers who get right into what they do & are actually pretty good, the crowd certainly likes them.
We decide to take in some food, being Butlins there are no catering vans to choose from, we are left with Burger King, a fish & chip shop the name I don't remember and some other Butlins fast food outlets, we settle for a burger, deciding that must be the best out of the limited choice.
We make our way to Centre Stage under the Skyline to catch DJ Ironik. Backed by a DJ & DJ Ironik is flanked by dancers, dressed as forge metalworkers. Armed with angle grinders & metal rods they send sparking metal grindings all over the stage & crowd. The topless, jean clad Ironik has a washboard stomach with bulging arms no wonder the front row is full of ladies.
He then decides to take five ladies out of the front row to dance with him on the stage, but this quickly degenerates into a vote for the best looking girl competition which takes up an enormous amount of time. But it works a treat with the girls screaming for the lead singer and the lads left leering at the five girls on stage. A winner is chosen & the set quickly draws to an end. We make our way to Reds where we spend the next few hours drinking & dancing to the pulsating beats from the numerous DJs.
Finally it's five am & we are done in, it has been a long day, so we make it back to our chalet through the frost laden ground & cold November air brrrrr....
eFestivals t-shirts, vests, hoodies, fleeces, mugs, tickets
As well as being the UK's most popular festivals website, eFestivals sells its own range of clothing and other goodies. There's a range of t-shirts and vest-tops, and hoodies and fleeces, all featuring the eFestivals 'dancing man'.
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