Solfest '12

A non-commercial music and arts festival with a warm atmosphere set between the Solway Firth and the Lake District mountains in picturesque West Cumbria, as always it features a massive range of musical and cultural adventures.

The ninth Solfest is expected to take place over August Bank Holiday weekend from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th August, 2012 and offers something for everyone, with a main stage, dance tent, second stage with many smaller acts, and a children's area with workshops to amaze, educate and enthral kids and adults throughout the day.

Line-up

Latest acts are The Waterboys, Saint Jude, Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six, Yes Sir Boss, Tarras, Fiona Clayton, and Kitchie Wud.

They join Big Country, Adam Ant & The Good The Mad & The Lovely Posse, KT Tunstall, Billy Bragg, The South, The Duke Spirit, Transglobal Underground, and The Bootleg Beatles, Eat Static, System 7, Aberfeldy, The Baghdaddies, Belleruche, Bellevue Rendezvous, The Hut People, Man's Ruin, Roddy Woomble, This Is The Kit, Walsh and Pound, Bridie Jackson and The Arbour, Dub Jazz Sound System, Juba do Leão, Matt Stalker and Fables, Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra, and Solway Sunset, with seven stages of entertainment to be announced in total.

For the line-up details as available please click here.

Tickets

The early bird offer has ended. An adult ticket is priced at £95 and a young persons (aged 12-16 years) ticket is priced at £65. A Thursday camping ticket is priced at £10, a child (aged 6-11 years) ticket is priced at £25, and a child under 5 ticket is free, but they still need a ticket.

To buy tickets, click here.

Ethos

The festival policy is "to appeal to four generations of people, from the tiny babies through to the great-grannies and great-granddads (and everyone else in between) and have them all partying together at the same time – and lovin' it!"

Fancy dress

Saturday is fancy dress day at Solfest, this year's theme is "Characters from Roald Dahl's books".

On site

Solfest is expected to include free camping (quiet and noisy!); free parking (next to your tent); plenty of food from around the world; a licensed bar (or you can bring your own); sculptures; a healing area; adult workshops where you can try things such as belly dancing and wood turning; craft stalls; walkabout performances and theatre; a baby area; fire performances; an acoustic music session tent, and friendly and helpful stewards.

The Solfest Workshop programme offers a wide range of activities to educate and inspire.

For kids

Solfest has an action packed kids area for children of all ages, from the Baby Chill-Out with facilities for feeding, changing and resting.

Plus fun things like painting drop-in sessions, circus skills, musical workshops, craft workshops, ultraviolet sandpit, wood lathes and green woodworking, facepainters, songs and stories, Hula Hooping workshops, water play, bubbles, and other toys and activities.

For older kids and teens expect the return of the Trailer Trash Games Emporium, a mobile youth club featuring activities like table football, table tennis and other games and activities.

Early entry

Last year the 'Shoreside' field (Noisy Camping) was open for public access between the hours of 5pm and 10pm on Thursday evening. There was no access to the main festival field or any of the other camping fields until the Friday.

More information will be here when available.