Solfest 2008

Solfest is 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.

Solfest has something for everyone, with a main stage, the Dance Tent, the Dry Stone stage with many smaller acts, and a children’s area with workshops to amaze, educate and enthral kids and adults throughout the day.

The main stage line-up includes Dreadzone, Supergrass, Roisin Murphy, Alabama 3, The Bees, Chas & Dave, The Pipettes, The Duke Spirit, Oojami, Leslie Dowdall, Misty's Big Adventure, Global Kryner, Nizlopi, Tarras, The Sweetbeats, The Mordekkers, Stars Of Track And Field, The Black Velvet Band, and Ella Jarman-Pinto. There's also the Drystone Stage, the Dance Stage with Michael Dog, Subgiant, Digitalis, Mr Psik, Fulibulbus, and more, and the Bar Stager - for the line-up details to date please click here.

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!" Solfest will be hosting Cumbria's biggest fancy dress party (no theme) on the evening of Saturday 23rd August.

Solfest includes: 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); beautiful 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.

Tickets for 2008 have completely SOLD OUT. The ticket price was £80 and a Child (under 12) ticket is £15. Under 5s Free but require a pre-booked ticket.

The Solfest Workshop programme offers a wide range of activities to educate and inspire. This year, Solfest’s pink Workshop Tent will be supplied by The Greenfuse and powered entirely by the wind. Workshops include yoga sessions suitable for beginners and those with a bit more experience, Tai Chi, African dance, drumming, hula hooping, laughter, meditation, a drop-in knitathon, rag rug making, willow work work, green woodworking, holdahand, singing, and Beatboxing.

Solfest has an action packed kids area for children of all ages, from the Baby Chill-Out with facilities for feeding, changing and resting. Tumble Tots play equipment for young festival-goers to get physical in a safe environment. Yoga Bugs with sessions suitable for different ages. The Ruffled Feathers tent will be making bird masks and wings in preparation for the parade on Sunday afternoon. Plus 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 there's the Trailer Trash Games Emporium, a mobile youth club featuring table football, table tennis and other games and activities. Plus a Beatboxing workshop.

The 'Shoreside' field (Noisy Camping) will be open for public access between the hours of 5pm and 10pm on the evening of Thursday 21st August. There will be no access to the main festival field or any of the other camping fields until Friday. It is hoped this option for campers will reduce some congestion and make getting on site a bit easier for people who arrive on Friday.

More information will be here when available.

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