first acts announced for Solfest

Solfest 2016

Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August 2016
Tarnside Farm, Tarns, nr Aspatria, Cumbria, CA7 4NQ, England MAP
£99 for the weekend (+booking fee)

Daily capacity: 5,000

Last updated: Wed 20th Jul 2016

Craig Charles, The Mouse Outfit, Dreadzone, Baka Beyond, Riot Jazz, Zion Train, K.O.G & the Zongo Brigade, Inner Terrestrials, and Sonny Wharton lead the first line-up of acts has been announced for Solfest which returns to Tarnside Farm, Tarns, nr Aspatria, in Cumbria.

The three day event will be held from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August, 2016, August bank holiday, as a slightly smaller event but still retaining the key features that have made it so popular over the past 12 years. Offering an array of entertainment across practically every musical genre. If you don’t hear something that you like move along to another venue - stages include the Drystone Stage, The Solway Bar, Unity Sessions, Lost’n’Found, Loungevity, The Love Shack, House Of Joy, Melodrome and Stylus featuring everything across the musical spectrum from folk to house, hip-hop to reggae, dub to soul, ska to Afrobeat.

Also confirmed are King Bee, Resonators, Iration Steppas, The After Hours Quintet, Radical Dance Faction (RDF), Hallouminati, Lyons and La Zel, Jenna & the G's, King Yoof, The Firepit Collective, The Hey Down Treaders, Tanante, La La & the Boo Ya, Rory Connor, A Man About A Dog, Phil Saunders, DJM, The Righteous Bees, China Shop Bull, Supa & Da Kryptonites, Kathrine Ashcroft, Silicone Soul, Graeme Reedie, Hardwicke Circus, Bushrocker Hi Fi, Skayaman, Dolphin Boy, Bad Transmission, Blast Furness Carnival Band, John Player Specials, The Most Ugly Child, Jambeater, Red Eye Hifi, Gemma Furbank, Kryso, Axis Sound System, 10 Foot Wizard, and Blanty.

For the line-up details as available see the Solfest line-up page.

Solfest bounced back on a smaller scale and with a new, fresher attitude last year after taking a one year break the first since its inception in 2003. Solfest wanted to 'return to our roots' with a more intimate event, but retaining the key features that has made it so popular over the past twelve years. And of course it worked with glorious music, fantastic weather and 2015 weighing in as one of the most successful and enjoyable Solfest’s to date.

Solfest director Tom Kay explained, "Last year we made a conscious decision to distance our festival from more commercial events, moving away from big headline names in order to put our resources into giving people the best festival experience over a full weekend rather than just a couple of hours each evening. As always we aim to keep prices down, avoiding hidden extras like over the top booking fees, extra charges for vehicles and camping. We’ll still allow you to bring your own booze and still charge sensible prices at our bars, which means that you get a fantastic weekend without breaking the bank.

"Solfest is a festival run by festival goers, between us, we’ve seen it all, from huge events with hundreds of thousands of people to tiny first time parties with just a few hundred revellers. We like to think this gives us a unique insight into what makes a great festival tick."

Run by a dedicated team and a small army of volunteers, Solfest has stayed true to its anti-corporate roots. This means that art and decor take the place of ubiquitous advertising and the international big names don’t drown out the voices of the hidden gems.

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Tickets are priced as follows:
Adult Standard - £89
Young People Standard (age 12-17) - £55 (Must be ordered with at least one adult ticket)
Child Tickets (age 6-11) - £15
Babies & Toddlers (age 0-5) – FREE but still need a ticket
Thursday Camping (per adult ticket) - £10
Live in vehicle pass £10

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