a muddy Sunrise Celebration is still peaceful, fun-filled and with a community spirit

We arrived Friday evening to a sea of mud after a two day down pour, incoming vehicles were being redirected to firmer, flatter ground. Having pitched our tent and settled ourselves in we headed to the main site, armed with wellies and waterproofs. The festival was in full swing, nothing dampened the spirits of the merry makers.

Slip sliding down the hill, Chai Wallahs was our first port of call for a pint of your finest and a good stomp, or more accurately mud splash, to Local Posse. Led by Ralph Maccio, a mix up improv set of changing musicians and instruments. To the usual guitar, bass and drums was added a mix of kora (African two necked stringed instrument), harmonicas, decks and three times champion beat box, Bella Trix, which set the pace for the evening.

This is what music is really all about, one big jam session, what a perfect way to start our weekend. Mud skating through the ubiquitous festi stalls of trinkets, crazy clothes, coffee and food vendors and generally brightly coloured stuff, for a quick boogie in the Dragon of Love dance tent and Earth Heart Cafe, before heading to the main outdoor stage. The lower field, with the Carnival stage (main stage), was a wash out.

Although the stalls and cafes here may have faired badly, the music listeners were unperturbed. A fair crowd had gathered to listen to some outstanding Slavic folk provided by two violins, double bass, hammered dulcimer, bass drum and percussion, with some spine tingling three part harmonies in the form of Poland's Warsaw Village Band. Slipping into the Bimble Inn for the cheapest pint on site, the decor time warped us back a few centuries into a warm and cosy atmosphere, with plenty of acoustic folk music from around the globe.

Dinner at Grill Wallahs, the best cheese burger and array of salad out topped off with a warming cup of brandy chai, before settling in for a night of skanking ska and hip- hop at Chai Wallahs. King Porter Stomp picked up the beat at 9pm, having first seen them three years ago at the Bell in Bath and tracked their progress since, what a professional performance they put on for Sunrise. Musically tight, this seven piece ska/hip-hop band have honed their performance to create an amusingly choreographed act.

Great audio-visual entertainment, nice one guys. One last early morning boogie in the dance tent before heading to bed to prepare for a fun packed Saturday.

Saturday saw the sun tentatively sneak through the clouds and with a pleasant wind the mud began to dry a little, into a sticky glue consistency. There was plenty of activities to engage children of all ages; slate carving, metal working, wood turning on traditional pole lathes, face painting, leather working, rocket stove making and much more. Plus talks and demonstrations from wild food gathering to Sufi dancing. The Healing field provided a variety of relaxing treatments for the city weary and weather weary soul.


Lunch time at Chai Wallahs started with the Lund Quartet, catch this band if you get the opportunity. A mix of genres adroitly played on drums, double bass, decks, piano and theremin. I've never heard a theremin so masterfully played, not even by it's inventor. The Bimble Inn provided a laid back afternoon with some very talented solo acts, before heading back to Chai Wallahs to catch DJ Switch. At this point the heavens opened and a torrential down pour ensued for the rest of the night, but from here on in it was dance, dance, dance and no-one cared. DJ Switch blew us away with his nimble fingers on the decks.

Followed up by skanking reggae from Laid Black and more wicked dance tunes from Mungos Hi Fi. Throughout these sets I had the pleasure of dancing with a very pregnant young lady who informed me that her waters had broken. Having been there myself three times, I can't think of a better way to go through labour, and what a beautiful way to bring a being into this world.

It was an honour to watch this wonderful lady dancing her baby into life. I hope the birthing went well and you are in possession of a beautiful, healthy baby. We all wish you and your baby a life well loved. Coda brought up the tail of the night, trombone, guitar, bass and drums, with an excellent rendition of Prodigy's 'Twisted Fire Starter'. Last stop before bed was Benji Vaughan who lit up the dance tent at 3am.

After a night of torrential rain the mud was flowing in rivers, but the sun was out and the sky began to clear to create the perfect Sunday. Some inventive fella had found two planks of wood and a couple of sticks to improvise mud skis. For some of us big kids, the slushy mud was the perfect playground for a sunny afternoon. Chai Wallahs' lunch time set was taken by Cocos Lovers, percussion, banjo, fiddle and saw, for some very danceable folky jigs. By mid afternoon the skies had cleared and the sun was out in full force, the dance tent gave the perfect back drop to dry out the bones and dance away the aches, with a little help from a massage canoe. As the evening rolled in a brief stop at the Bimble Inn for a chill down to Afro-Caribbean sounds, before a final fair-well at the stone circle as the sun began to sink.

Sunrise is one of the final bastions of a real festival, it has kept the faith without being swallowed by commercialism and major league TV and Radio stations. Well organised and sensitively run. Litter was collected regularly, recycling stations were copious, compost toilets were kept clean and well managed. The atmosphere of the whole festival was peaceful, fun-filled and had a mindful community spirit.

Latest Updates