Yes, that’s right! It’s coming around to that time of year again; Everyone is freezing cold, had enough of the shite English weather and wondering what they can possibly organise so that their lives have, at least, one event to look forward to in the near future.
Well, I can tell you now, this is the festival to put in your diary… The Benicassim Festival in… well… erm…. Benicassim. Located in between Barcelona and Valencia, although much closer to Valencia, people are booking flights to almost any airport on the east of Spain.
The festival is going to be held from the 16th until the 19th July 2009. You can camp on the site from 13th July, for all of you hedonists out there that fancy warming up before the music kicks off, until the 21st of July, if you’re the kind of person that prefers to take a slow descent back down to Earth after the peak. Akin to speedballing in many ways, but I think that’s more of an East London scene, far from the delights of Eastern Spain.
Anyway, I (along side my sidekick / photographer) will be the lucky person that’s covering this event. I’ll be keeping you up to date with the latest and greatest news, as and when it occurs. All of the updates, which include line-up announcements and a full review of the event, will be available right here on http://www.britishhiphop.co.uk.
For those of you that don’t want to wake up in a scorching tent at 6 in the morning, there are hotels available in Benicassim and the surrounding areas. Hotel prices are sky high during the festival and they are being booked up by the minute, so be quick. I paid £500 to stay in a very average hotel in Castellon for 4 days. Make sure your hotel has air con!
Some sites to visit to find out more information and buy tickets are:
Check out last year’s line-up and pictures here:
- http://benicassimfestival.co.uk/benicassim-line-up-2008/
- http://www.carling.com/music/festival/information/benicassim-spain/
As you may have noticed, Heineken sponsors the Benicassim festival and is available at any good alcoholic beverage outlet…. In fact, every outlet in the whole of the festival. Get ready to drink litres of lager instead of pints though, and at around 8 or 9 Euros a drink I’m sure people will be finishing every last drop.
One small bit of advice that I can give you is that you drink plenty of water, buy a hat and get some nice cold showers on a regular basis. Partying in the blazing sun can take its toll. Luckily the main event is held mostly during the night so people like me can survive the party from start to finish. If I can survive it, anyone can (I’m so pale that I am almost translucent).
It is the 15th anniversary of the festival this year so make sure its one to remember!
If you want to know anymore about this year’s festival please don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected].
By: Kris Drew