Last weekend I returned to one of my favourite summer activities – attend a music festival.
And boy, it felt great to be back.
On Friday night I attended the Pub in the Park food and music festival held at Wimbledon Park with my friend and fellow colleague, Amy.
The spectacular event was surrounded by live music, sunshine, and lots of glitter – the perfect way to kick off my summer 2022.
I still find it surreal when I step foot into a festival - after the recent years during the pandemic - and I made sure to take in the atmosphere of the park from start to finish.
We arrived just before 6pm and was led to a very short queue into the entrance – as we waited, we were greeted by the friendly Mayor of Merton, Joan Henry, who seemed to be as excited for the show as much as festival go-ers were.
Hundreds of people followed in behind us, discussing which music act they were most looking forward to, and smelling the aroma of delicious food in the air.
Amy and I headed towards the VIP tent where we were greeted by eager festival goers and friendly faces whilst we enjoyed a (few) cold glasses of gin and lemonade.
I took in the surroundings as I enjoyed my drink(s) – noticing the many pop-up restaurants on offer to us – including cuisines of Indian, Chinese, cheese, meat, vegan and many more.
Our stomachs soon began to rumble, and we headed towards the food stalls as acid Jazz band, The Brand New Heavies, took stage as the first act of the night.
My choice of cuisine was at a pop-up restaurant named Cue Point, which was dedicated to smoked barbecue meats and recommended to us by a colleague at the festival.
I chose to have the lamb ribs and coleslaw – and let me tell you – it was the best lamb I have ever tasted – the meat was incredibly tender, and the coleslaw was bursting with flavour.
Amy chose to have an arancini ball from a stall called Café Murano - this was equally as delicious and perfect for vegetarians.
After we devoured our foods, and as the sun began to set, we headed towards the main stage and prepared to see a true 2000’s pop princess – Sophie Ellis Bextor.
Sophie took the crowd through a disco wonderland, playing classic hits such as Disco Inferno, Ain’t Nobody (loves me better) and her original tunes, Groovejet, Crying at the Discotheque and her most renowned hit, Murder on the Dance Floor.
I must say, my least favourite thing about festivals are the public toilets, but Pub in the Park outdone themselves – as the toilets were clean and stacked with loo roll.
After our quick trip to the toilets, Amy and I headed to the Greenall’s Gin stall, where I had a delicious Gin Colada and prepared for the ultimate rave to end the night – Faithless.
We were raring for Faithless’ DJ set – both being fans of the electronic and dance group for years – and found our raving spot directly in front of the stage.
The DJ set was exhilarating – fire, smoke, and colourful strobe lights surrounded the stage, and the bass could be heard from a mile away.
Faithless ended the set with their legendary dance track – Insomnia - and the energy was outstanding – reminding me why festivals are the most charismatic, uplifting places to be during the summer.
We ended the day on the high, as we left Pub in the Park laughing and dancing our way out of the park, preparing for the gloomy commute home.
Pub in the Park was an exceptional festival that exceeded any of my expectations – a great fit for families, friends, ravers, and anyone who enjoys a delicious selection of grub.
I can’t wait to return next year.
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