As we headed along to Standon Calling on Friday, it was a day ready to be enjoyed in full sunshine in a large field in Hertfordshire. Despite the clouds and a short drizzle, the festival provided joy in abundance. Catching the likes of Azure Ryder, Sugababes, Annie Mac, Billy Nomates, Anne-Marie and more, the festival delivered on its promise to hit the keychange pledge with a gender balanced line up.
Here’s 5 things we learnt while at the festival.
Women should be headlining festivals more.
Pledging to make sure the festival had a gender balance in performers, Standon is onto a winner here. With many festivals forgeting that women in music actually exist, it was refreshing to see so many female artists on the line-up throughout the weekend including headline performances from Anne-Marie, Annie Mac and Self-Esteem. As ever, there’s still a long way to go for women on festival line-ups, yet it’s great to see festivals like Standon beginning to recognise the importance of opportunity by hosting over 50% female and non-binary artists.
Festivals can be dog-friendly.
With many four-legged friends making their way to the festival this year, Standon Calling was the place for dogs to explore a new environment. With many enjoying the scenery, the vivacious spaces and even an ice-cream (yes, we saw you), it’s clear that dogs can enjoy a vibrant weekend of music and fun too.
Wellbeing areas are a must!
Finding solace in the Wild Wellbeing Riverside, the offers of yoga classes, hula hooping and wood fire hot tubs were a much-needed space to chill out. Escaping crowds and the loudness of stage performances, the calm zones gave festival goers a moment of zen. With opportunities for holistic swedish massages, reiki healing and even a trip to the sauna, forgive us if we forgot we were at a festival and not on a high-end spa retreat.
Festival food is a great way to explore new tastes.
We totally get it, some festival food is awful. But Standon Calling’s array of friendly food vans were brimming with everything you could imagine. Drawing on a variety of cultures and tastes, the festival gave people the chance to try new things whilst also catering to fan-favourites. From Buddha Bowls to Pizza, and Smoothies to the good ol’ fish and chips combo. The abundance of food was a highlight.
Family-friendly festivals are the way forward.
Entertainment for the whole family promises a variety of things to get involved with. With experiences available for all ages, Standon encourages the next generation to start their festival journeys and hopes to keep them entertained. Not only are workshops available for dancing, learning new skills and more, the opportunity to try something different and create precious memories are a neccessity. With these experiences, we hope that these youngsters will be the next generation of festival lovers.
And if, like us, you cannot wait to head back to Standon Calling in 2023, you’re in luck! Tickets for next year’s festival between 20-23rd July, are on sale now!
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