Words and pix by Daryl Daryl
With the adulation of the latest Bloodstock Festival all over the press (even the Grauniad), it’s finally made it to the main stage. Now it’s time for the 10 things you need to know:
- The Sun. Being held at the height of the British summer gives visitors more than a small chance of seeing the shiny gold disc in the sky. While metal goes hand in glove with black clothes and pale skin, the sun is not your friend. Prepare to bake, and slip, slap, and slop on some lotion.
- The Music. Five stages of carnage, and you can’t be in five places at once. While the lineup may feature bands where I’ve wondered if it’s even music, the clashes are still tough to manage. Good job there’s an app for that.
- The People. Be prepared, there are more divergent people here than anywhere else, so you’re going to fit in. And the rest of the crowd are likely to be the kindest, most helpful, interesting people you’ll ever meet. It can be challenging to deal with such goodwill and openness. You’re going to make friends and talk to strangers. Every year I see more and more festival-friends. How can I cope with that, find moments of peace, and still see bands? It’s a challenge, I tells ya.
- Queues. This one’s real. With Bloodstock being the biggest of the small festivals, it’s reached the point where between-band queues are bigger than your typical small event. This includes the toilets and, if you’re that way inclined, the showers in the campsites. Given all those friendly people, it’s yet another chance to make new friends, but it’s still a bind.
- The Ground. Catton Hall is farmland. That means some areas have tyre tracks that could catch you out mid-pint. Take care.
- Showers. As mentioned earlier, the showers are more than just a queue: they’re an imperfect experience that costs money. Grass on the floor, water pooling, and a temperature that swings between hot and cold. Not unique to Bloodstock, but it could be improved. Another shower block in the campervan area would not go amiss.
- Crowd Surfers. Down the front, the squeeze can be tricky to manage. Fortunately, there’s a constant supply of circle pits to escape into, and the way out is never more than a couple of excuse me’s away. The tougher thing to handle is the stream of crowd surfers overhead. Some struggle to move forward, and gravity is a pressing concern when accompanied by studded jackets and belts. Expect the odd boot to the head, especially at night when it’s hard to see anyone not dressed as a banana — yes, that happens.
- Prices. Bloodstock may be small, but the lineup is stellar, and they need to pay for it. Beer and food come with big festival prices: in 2025, £7 a pint and about £14 for food. The merch is expensive as always, but that’s your fault for not buying albums anymore.
- Inclusion. The festival makes a genuine song and dance about being inclusive. There are stalls for LGBT support, mental health, sexual health, and well-being. It’s not just the crowd where diversity is visible; it’s built into the facilities with care and honesty. The attitude is reflected in the people there, and they even advertise a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who isn’t on board.
- Location. It’s unlikely to grow much because the location is close to capacity. Not only that, it’s thousands of miles and several flights away from some parts of the world. That said, it’s worth the travel. I’ve met people from Brazil, Japan, Norway, even Cheltenham, and they all said the journey was worth it.
Bonus Round – Memories. I know this is cheating just to make up the numbers, but you will make loads of great memories. The problem comes when you’re trying to work out which year it was. Life is hard. Bloodstock is a break from that. Do it.
