Shambala Festival 2023

[PIggywhiskers]

Anyone going, been before? What's the festival like? Any tips?

I've never been, but very excited - we're hoping this will be a Secret Garden replacement.

[incident]

It's different from every other festival, mostly in a good way.

SGP is the closest comparison (that I've personally seen at least) out there, and parallels can be drawn, but Shambala isn't as out and out hedonistic. It's more about creativity, sustainability, with the music sometimes feeling like less of a focus. You're not going to see any big name acts, and possibly even not anyone you've heard of, but that shouldn't be a negative - for example despite being approximately the same capacity as Beautiful Days, there's about 20 times more things to do and see because they've spent the money on small and interesting things that rather than paying extra to get bigger name acts.

[PIggywhiskers]

That sounds great!!

I don't mind not knowing acts, I think the past three Boomtowns i've just coasted along. Though with BT, I missed the more small and interesting things, which they seemed to have shaved away last year - also, I think I just need a break from that one and go a bit smaller.

[Old_Johno]

Shambala is my favourite festival, the people that go all share the same ethos, there is basically zero litter anywhere for example, someone chucked a can on the floor last year and instantly someone ran over and was like ‘hey we don’t do that here’. you can walk around barefoot without worrying about your feet. 

Plenty of naked people cutting about the place, lots of group fancy dress, there’s big themes on Friday and Saturday. 
 

Fridays used to be ‘fruity friday’ where everyone cross dressed, but it’s now freedom Fridays which is more inclusive, everyone dresses to the max (mostly gender swapping but also carnival/ sparkly/ hardly any clothing), if you’re not wearing something completely outrageous you will stick out like a sore thumb. They don’t advertise it as much as they used to, some of my mates didn’t realise last year and had to buy stuff when they got there. 

Not as much EDM as secret garden party, there is still plenty of late night areas that go on til 3/4am but it’s generally more chilled, the full line up is on their website. 

Much more of a family vibe, if anything they allow too many kids tickets, spent half of last year tripping over some conked out toddlers being dragged about the place in those massive trolleys. 

Lots of small stages/ areas that only hold a couple hundred people, there are some pretty big acts playing this year, Congo natty, the go team, Dutty moonshine will be banging, think A skillz is playing somewhere. 
 

As for the adult crowd it’s a lot more shrooms and weed, chilled people, rather than teenagers on ket and pills looking to fight people.

loads of workshops/ yoga/ dance classes/ interactive stuff.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I've been to Shambala a handful of times, but not recently. I have also once been to SGP. As has been suggested, SGP was a complete drugs fest as far as I could gather. That didn't bother me at all, given that I was indulging myself. However, Shambala has much more character to it, in a hippy, eco friendly, let's party 'together' kind of a way. In addition Shambala never used to (it might have changed now, but I doubt it) limit the alcohol that you can take into the festival with you - wherase SGP was gestapo like in its measures to not let you get more than the small amount that they allowed. You 'will' enjoy the festival. There is no moodiness, just party friendly people. And now I want to go too, having whet my appetite thinking about it.

[Old_Johno]

5 hours ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

. In addition Shambala never used to (it might have changed now, but I doubt it) limit the alcohol that you can take into the festival with you - wherase SGP was gestapo like in its measures to not let you get more than the small amount that they allowed. 

Shambala last year snuck something into the terms and conditions about having a 10 can limit but they waved me through with a 20L cider box and like 3 crates, didn’t even question it. Gave most of it away to random people because carrying a 20l bag around is a ballache. One of the benefits of everyone having a re-useable cup

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

12 hours ago, Old_Johno said:

Shambala last year snuck something into the terms and conditions about having a 10 can limit but they waved me through with a 20L cider box and like 3 crates, didn’t even question it. Gave most of it away to random people because carrying a 20l bag around is a ballache. One of the benefits of everyone having a re-useable cup

I'm surprised that they have gone down the 'limit alcohol' route - even if it's not enforced. To my mind's eye a good festival is one that doesn't do the fascist groove thang with alcohol. Not that SGP was successful on that front with me - I managed to get the equivalent of 7 or 8 bottles of red wine in to that festival - and they thoroughly checked my bags (as they did every single person entering the festival ie. it was a 100% check policy). Where there's a will, there's a way.

[Old_Johno]

5 hours ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I'm surprised that they have gone down the 'limit alcohol' route - even if it's not enforced.

I think it’s imposed on them by the council as part of their license? I don’t feel bad because I always end up spending a fortune at the bars and traders.  Having loads of cans allows me give them to random people. 
Some new people last year gave me a can of hard seltzer when they over heard me saying how much I fancied one, and they’d only brought 10 in each so I like to have loads to give away. 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

5 hours ago, Old_Johno said:

I think it’s imposed on them by the council as part of their license? I don’t feel bad because I always end up spending a fortune at the bars and traders.  Having loads of cans allows me give them to random people. 
Some new people last year gave me a can of hard seltzer when they over heard me saying how much I fancied one, and they’d only brought 10 in each so I like to have loads to give away. 

Wild thing, I think I love you! By which I mean, it's very decent of you to do such a thing for others benefit. You do know, don't you, that it's people like you that make other people happy!? Know that the Daily Mail hates you! Wear that badge with pride. 

Nearest I've come to that is when some young women were camped next to us on their first Glastonbury. We said our hello's , wishing each other a great fest, and then we (Emperors of the Night)headed out for the evening, night, etc. Anyway, when we woke up the next day it was to find these young women crying. They'd left all their money in their tents when out the night before, and had got robbed. We (my mates and me) all had a whip around and matched their losses. We had actually found them packing up to leave when we arose. 

[Karlhippy]

Shambala 2011 - an immersive weekend😎

[Skip997]

On 6/25/2023 at 1:37 PM, PIggywhiskers said:

Anyone going, been before? What's the festival like? Any tips?

I've never been, but very excited - we're hoping this will be a Secret Garden replacement.

Simply the best UK festival that I've been to

Made very special by the people who attend, both crew and punters.

[joeltg]

My first time this year and really excited for this one. It's been on my radar for a while and can finally make it happen. 

Has massively taken the edge off of missing Glastonbury this year, and I am looking forward to a more relaxed vibe given the smaller scale.....

Also have Boomtown to look forward to, August is going to fun!

Edited July 4, 2023 by joeltg

[PIggywhiskers]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:01 PM, Old_Johno said:

Shambala is my favourite festival, the people that go all share the same ethos, there is basically zero litter anywhere for example, someone chucked a can on the floor last year and instantly someone ran over and was like ‘hey we don’t do that here’. you can walk around barefoot without worrying about your feet. 

Plenty of naked people cutting about the place, lots of group fancy dress, there’s big themes on Friday and Saturday. 
 

Fridays used to be ‘fruity friday’ where everyone cross dressed, but it’s now freedom Fridays which is more inclusive, everyone dresses to the max (mostly gender swapping but also carnival/ sparkly/ hardly any clothing), if you’re not wearing something completely outrageous you will stick out like a sore thumb. They don’t advertise it as much as they used to, some of my mates didn’t realise last year and had to buy stuff when they got there. 

Not as much EDM as secret garden party, there is still plenty of late night areas that go on til 3/4am but it’s generally more chilled, the full line up is on their website. 

Much more of a family vibe, if anything they allow too many kids tickets, spent half of last year tripping over some conked out toddlers being dragged about the place in those massive trolleys. 

Lots of small stages/ areas that only hold a couple hundred people, there are some pretty big acts playing this year, Congo natty, the go team, Dutty moonshine will be banging, think A skillz is playing somewhere. 
 

As for the adult crowd it’s a lot more shrooms and weed, chilled people, rather than teenagers on ket and pills looking to fight people.

loads of workshops/ yoga/ dance classes/ interactive stuff.

Ahhh, that's good to know for Friday sparkle - i'll have to work out something special!! I know furniture is the theme this year, but guess that's the Saturday.

[Old_Johno]

18 hours ago, PIggywhiskers said:

Ahhh, that's good to know for Friday sparkle - i'll have to work out something special!! I know furniture is the theme this year, but guess that's the Saturday.

Yeah Saturday is the parade day, for the furniture theme. They messed up the start of the parade last year and left half the people behind.

Dont know if I’ll bother making an outfit for it this year, will probably get fomo if I don’t though. 

[PIggywhiskers]

We weren't too keen on the theme, really wanted the through the ages one - can't remember the actual name.

This one is okay, just most things are pretty bulky to take in and wander around in. I'm going as a flower pot, which I think I can get away with.

[Neil]

On 7/4/2023 at 11:01 AM, Skip997 said:

Simply the best UK festival that I've been to

Made very special by the people who attend, both crew and punters.

you're not that special skip. 😛 

[Old_Johno]

I suspect this year there will be about 5000 people wearing lampshades as hats for the furniture theme 

[incident]

2 hours ago, Old_Johno said:

I suspect this year there will be about 5000 people wearing lampshades as hats for the furniture theme 

There'll be a fair bit of that for sure - but I'd also bet that plenty of people manage to come up with a much more creative interpretation than I'm capable of.

If there's one thing certain about Shambala, it's that people take their fancy dress *very* seriously.

[Old_Johno]

52 minutes ago, incident said:

There'll be a fair bit of that for sure - but I'd also bet that plenty of people manage to come up with a much more creative interpretation than I'm capable of.

If there's one thing certain about Shambala, it's that people take their fancy dress *very* seriously.

For sure!

My fave last year was some people who made a group outfit fruit machine and they span around and gave out sweets! 
 

All of my good ideas involve copious amounts of cardboard and I can’t be bothered to lug that around again. 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

On 7/12/2023 at 12:23 PM, Old_Johno said:

 

My fave last year was some people who made a group outfit fruit machine and they span around and gave out sweets! 
 

That reminded me of Bestival (on the Isle of Wight) when a load of people had poles with large scrabble letters on them. They would constantly re-form to create new words as they wandered the festival. 

[svphie]

Me and my friend are thinking of trying to get Oxfam spots as they come up. ive not done Oxfam for any fest before (nor have I been to Shambala). anyone done it at Shambala??

[Skip997]

On 7/20/2023 at 10:15 AM, svphie said:

Me and my friend are thinking of trying to get Oxfam spots as they come up. ive not done Oxfam for any fest before (nor have I been to Shambala). anyone done it at Shambala??

I volunteered with Oxfam at the mini Shambala (Shambino) a couple of years ago.

Lovely experience, well looked after, decent camping area inside the fence, teas/coffees, phone charging etc.

I highly recommend it. Wonderful festival, you won't have to deal with any idiots.

[Skip997]

Anyway just found out I’ll be going

😃

[PIggywhiskers]

Folk who've been, what's the camping situation like, do places fill up by a certain time? Just working out when to venture up, how crazy the queues are and that.

[incident]

11 minutes ago, PIggywhiskers said:

Folk who've been, what's the camping situation like, do places fill up by a certain time? Just working out when to venture up, how crazy the queues are and that.

Assuming it's the same layout as last year, Green and Pink camping were packed in, Purple (which was newly introduced and many people didn't seem aware of) had huge amounts of empty space. If things were spread evenly it would have been fairly comfortable throughout.