News

The Gruffalo Comes To Camp Bestival

• 18th May 2010

With just over ten weeks to go until Lulworth Castle on Dorset's Jurassic Coast provides the fairytale setting for our third Camp Bestival, featuring Friendly Fires, Madness, Calvin Harris, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Bill Bragg, The Fall and Lee Scratch Perry, the Besti crew are still working overtime adding bountiful bohemian pleasures to our family festival paradise. And have we got some super exciting news lined up that is guaranteed to get your tots in a tizz plus there's myriad musical treats to help the weekend go with a bang!

A starry-eyed Rob da Bank says: 'Anyone with a child younger than 4 or 5 will know the story of The Gruffalo … in fact most of my mates without kids know it better than Dickens or Shakespeare which is kind of worrying yet also proof that we needed this show hot off Broadway to come to the Camp! With two shows over the weekend so no-one need miss it, this will be a highlight I'm sure. Add in the hottest tipped artist of 2010 Ellie Goulding, my old mates Zero 7 DJing, Tinie Tempah rippin' it up and ukuleles, folky beards and rave synthesisers it's all shaping up rather nicely'.

We are over the moon to be able to announce that The Gruffalo, recently voted most beloved bedtime story by BBC Radio 2 listeners is coming to Camp Bestival! Adapted from Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler's best selling book and performed by Tall Stories whose unique brand of physical story theatre has taken them around the world, the show will bring to life the amazing story of the clever Mouse's journey through the forest as he beguiles the creatures who'd like to eat him with tales of his friend the Gruffalo's terrible tusks and terrible claws, until he encounters the Gruffalo's terrible teeth in his terrible jaws for himself. With two shows over the weekend, one on the main stage and another in the Big Top, you definitely don't want to miss this irresistibly magical musical take on a classic that has sold out on tours across the UK and even on Broadway and is the perfect family entertainment.

We have plenty of jaw-droppingly good live acts who will be joining the party including BBC Sound of 2010 and BRIT's Critic's Choice Award winner Ellie Goulding, Plumpstead's finest chart topper Tinie Tempah, perfect precision pop from David E Sugar, chill wavers Summer Camp, surfer-blues three-piece The Martin Harley Band, chip tune warrior Unicorn Kid, teenage tearaway Charli XCX, award winning multi-instrumentalist Jim Moray, post-folksters Spindle & Wit, alternative soul from Woon, the inimitable Dulwich Ukulele Club, meditative riffing from Flux Ache, boy-girl dream pop duo Visions of Trees, the Isle of Wight's Cooly Haste and nu school disco crew Soft Rocks. Putting the needle to the records will be a cavalcade of selectors including Zero 7 who will be playing a soul and boogie set, the boundary busting Balearic Brothers, Dub Pistol kingpin Barry Ashworth, Sunday Best's very own Fear of Theydon and proto-house spinner Tosh Ohta.

In our continued effort to bring power to the people we can also announce your chance to enter Folk Idol, so hey nonny nonny come get your folk on! The are but three rules:
1) Wear a false beard and/or folk costume.
2) Sing a classic folk song.
3) Get judged by a panel of folk experts.
If you fancy a bit of that you can enter here: link

And remember Folk Idol: Britain's got beards!

Finally for now, we have more edifying entertainment from Tangled Feet who present 'I Confess' a one-to-one storytelling piece set inside a confessional booth in the Dingly Dell. Gaining audience and critical acclaim in its Edinburgh and London runs, 'I Confess' promises a revelatory and life affirming experience. One not to miss!

Bestival has already sold out and tickets are flying for Camp Bestival so make sure you get it together and come and join us at a fairytale castle by the sea for a weekend of magical mayhem and family fun!