We recently put out a call for new music, new artists, to create a banging playlist of local music – written, recorded, and sent in by you! As always, you didn’t disappoint. Thank you to anyone who sent their music in – we’re always endlessly impressed with the variety of talent in and around Lincolnshire, and we’re so happy to have a platform where we can share this! We will continue to update this with any new music you send.
We’re also always on the lookout for potential supports acts for future shows… so send us your best stuff, and who knows, maybe we’ll be in touch! It’s never too late – if you have a YouTube video you want to send us, you can email us or hit us up on socials! (@BTWfestival)
Click the image below to take you straight to our Spotify playlist!
Yes, we’re a bit late to the game (creating a YouTube channel has strong 2011 vibes), but we finally have a YouTube channel! We can’t wait to release exclusive interviews, fun promos and festival footage – maybe you’ll spot yourself in the crowd?? Do us (and yourself) and favour – hit that subscribe button!
We’re also looking to create some great playlists, starting with a playlist of local music – written, recorded, and sent in by you! We love hearing your music and discovering new talent, and we’re always on the lookout for potential supports acts for future shows… so send us your best stuff, and who knows, maybe we’ll be in touch!
If you have a YouTube video you want to send us, you can email us or find us on any of our socials! (@BTWfestival)
Here’s a quick rundown of some rookie mistakes, and some top tips on how to avoid them – give it a read through, and take note!
Please don’t be *that* person – you know, the one crying in their half-collapsed tent, with sunburn and heatstroke halfway through the first day, already asking to borrow a phone charger and some money… Just don’t.
Not staying hydrated!
High energy environment, warm weather, quite a bit of alcohol – it’s easy to get wrapped up in the moment. But forgetting to take water breaks can lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion, not to mention making that hangover worse the next day. Remember to drink plenty of water during the day… good life advice in general, to be honest.
Not eating enough
Same as the above – it’s easy to overlook, but eating a decent amount of food will stand you in good stead throughout the day.
Not wearing sun cream
Maybe it sounds obvious… maybe it is obvious. But still, every year, people end up with sunglasses-shaped sunburn, peeling ears, or that ‘Drumstick Squashie’ look. Stick on some sun cream in the morning, and then reapply throughout the day!
Not communicating with your friends
Before you do anything, arrange a meeting point in case you get separated. Lack of communication and low phone battery could see you wandering aimlessly around the festival field, hoping to spot your friends in a huge crowd!
Not familiarising yourself with the site
In addition to your meeting point, make sure to mentally note the most important locations: the first aid stand, the toilets, your own tent! Taking a few minutes at the beginning to understand your surroundings will be hugely beneficial across the rest of the event, not to mention probably saving you some time when getting from A to B.
Missing your favourite acts
Make a note of which acts you want to see, and when. Then keep an eye on the time and plan your day accordingly, so you’re not stuck in the toilet queue for half of your favourite act.
Poor money management
Decide a reasonable daily budget before you arrive, and do your best to stick to it! And choose a sensible place to store your money – can’t go wrong with a bumbag.
Prioritising aesthetic over practical
Yes, obviously you want to wear that sparkly outfit with a rainbow-coloured bucket hat. And you should! But this is the UK… don’t forget about the lower temperatures later in the day, and potential unexpected downpours. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a warm jacket to wrap up in in the evening, and pack spare socks (then pack some more…nothing worse than wet feet)!
Neglecting that packing list
Throwing a bag together at the last minute will almost definitely mean forgetting something. Draw up a list, and follow it to the letter! (Bonus tip: pack the list too, so you can check you have everything before leaving). As we’ve already mentioned, socks, sun cream and a water bottle are essential… Other essentials include: a portable phone charger, important medication, a tent (obvs), and, of course, your ticket – without this, the rest is all for nothing.
Going too hard (and consequently going home)
Don’t ruin your experience (or anyone else’s!) by not knowing your limits. It’s okay to take some time out, sit in the shade, drink some water, even take a nap. Pace yourself, don’t overdo it, and try to avoid doing anything you’ll regret later. Easier said than done, sure – but we have faith in you!
It is with very heavy hearts that we have to inform you that, following the postponement of the 21st June easing of lockdown restrictions, Beyond The Woods Festival will no longer be taking place this year.
To say that we are gutted is a huge understatement. Over the last seven years our organising committee have poured their hearts and souls into Beyond The Woods. People have given up hundreds of hours of their time to get the event to where it is, and for them not to be able to enjoy seeing their hard work come to fruition is an enormous disappointment.
After the disappointment of having to postpone the festival in previous years, our team were desperate to put on a show for you in August. However, after recent events it has become apparent that this will no longer be possible.
The uncertainty around lockdown being lifted, the lack of availability of insurance cover for Covid-related festival cancellations, and a lack of clear guidance on which measures might be required of mass gatherings such as ours means we’ve been left with no option other than to call off this year’s event.
The situation with Covid has been anything but predictable. Without any certainty, either in the form of insurance, or a cast-iron guarantee that the festival would be able to take place restriction-free, we’re not going to be able to proceed as we’d so dearly wanted to.
Over the coming weeks, we’d have to pay tens of thousands of pounds in upfront costs to ensure that Beyond The Woods would be able to take place, covering everything from marketing to marquee hire, but with no guarantee that the festival would be able to go ahead in August – without any additional restrictions.
Beyond The Woods began life as a birthday party in our back garden in Lincoln. While the bands have got bigger in recent years, and the organisation more detailed, it’s still the same small group of friends and volunteers putting on the event. We’re not multi-millionaires, and there’s no big corporation backing the festival. We do this purely for the love of it.
We understand that many people will be as disappointed as we are, but we sincerely hope you can understand why we do not feel it’s possible to go ahead with this year’s event. The situation has now changed, and the risk for us as an organisation has just become too great.
We are working hard to secure a new date for 2022 and all tickets purchased for this or previous years will remain valid. You are of course welcome to a refund, and if your tickets were purchased from an official Beyond The Woods supplier, we will be in touch in the next couple of weeks to advise you of the refund process.
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone for your support during this extraordinarily difficult period and we hope to see you all in 2022.
Did you know? Beyond the Woods originally started as a party in a back garden in Lincolnshire! It steadily grew each year, became known as Joefest, and is now the Beyond the Woods that we know and love.
With that in mind, what’s stopping you from holding your own mini festival in the garden? We’ve compiled some tips on recreating that festival feeling in your own home! We’ve also included some fun, kid-friendly extras – but there’s nothing stopping you from doing these even if there won’t be any children present.
Check the weather forecast
Pick a nice day – doesn’t have to be 30 degrees but ideally not chucking it down with rain!
@iamphotolaura
Invite your family, friends, or housemates
Make a Facebook event, a Whatsapp group, or even an open invite on your social media (nb: always be careful sharing your personal information with people you don’t know too well!). List all the information you think is necessary: the date, time and place, of course – and perhaps the theme, the dress code, the drinks policy (alcohol-free? bring your own? open bar?!), or even a link to add a song to a Spotify playlist, so you know you’re catering for everyone’s tastes.
For kids: Create ‘tickets’ for people to hand to you at the door! There are two options here: decorate it yourself and treat your child as an exclusive VIP – or call them ‘head of security’, and involve them in decorating, sending, and checking tickets. Be sure to include all the information, and even some personalised decorations. This really helps the event stand out from any other day in the back garden!
Decorate the garden
Fairy lights are always a must! String up lights and bunting around the garden, from tree to tree, or in hedges.
For kids: Buy plain white bunting, and colour it with pens and glitter!
Seating
It’s your choice: you could drag your patio furniture into position, use some old foldaway chairs, or just sit on blankets on the lawn. Depending on space, tents would also be great!
Plan your outfits
A big part of the festival vibes are the outfits – this is the perfect excuse to get all dressed up. Bucket hats at the ready!
For kids: face painting! Learn some simple patterns (butterflies and tigers are always popular!), or risk asking your child what they would like to be. Expect some tough answers – my personal favourites are Squidward from Spongebob, a horse, a train, ‘that guy from that thing’.
Food and drink
Everyone’s favourite part of the evening! So many options: order a massive takeaway, host a barbecue, or do a bring-your-own picnic buffet. You could even make some themed cocktails!
For kids: non-alcoholic cocktails! A fancy straw, a little umbrella, and some fun-coloured drinks – slushies are great for this!
Camping
Not essential, but usually a big part of the festival experience! Pitch a tent in the back garden – and again, fairy lights are always great! You also have the added bonus of not queuing for toilets, which is never a bad thing.
and finally… Music!
What’s a festival without music? If you’re lucky, your friends and family will be musicians, and you can have your own private performance. But failing that, a Spotify playlist and some speakers will suffice! (Hint: our Beyond the Woods playlists are ideal!)
For kids: If you’re feeling brave, provide some instruments and let the kids do a solo!
We were gutted that Beyond the Woods couldn’t go ahead this past summer. We’re looking forward to getting everything back on track for summer 2022! But if you can’t wait that long (or, God forbid, you miss out on BTW tickets), here is a list of fun things you can do instead of being at a festival.
Listen to the Beyond the Woods playlists
Over the past few months, we’ve put out several playlists to get you hyped for Beyond the Woods. Blast these in your room, in your kitchen, at your friend’s house… And keep an eye out, we’ll be releasing another playlist soon!
Go camping
Why not just go camping anyway? You’ve got the tent, you’ve got the friends, you’ve got the days off work. Pick somewhere beautiful and watch the sunset with a bowl of badly heated beans (or be nice to yourselves and bring some decent food). Just remember to be considerate of other people and the environment, leave it as you found it!
Have a barbecue
Let’s not waste the nice weather and those good vibes – stick some sausages (or, I don’t know, tofu?) on the BBQ and try not to burn it. Endless bragging rights if you can master the art of cooking on a barbecue!
Create an outfit for next year’s festival season!
The level of intricacy here depends on how crafty you are…
Arts and crafts not your thing? Do some online window shopping, scroll through Instagram, create a Pinterest board of ideas – personalised outfit inspiration, ready to refer back to and buy at a later date (or now, if you’re impulsive).
Pretty arty? Great! Crack out that craft box and get ready to glitter up everything you own!
Tie dye – grab some old white clothes and brighten them up! Even as an adult this is undeniably fun, and it’s hard to do it wrong. Random splodges and colours bleeding into one another just add to the finished product!
Rhinestones – customise an outfit Dolly Parton would be jealous of! Jazz up some boring old shorts or a denim jacket… Remember: less is more. But sometimes more is more. You do you.
Crown weaving – still into flower crowns? Same. Try making your own with some fake flowers (any online tutorial will do!)
Reminisce
Take a look through all your photos and videos from festivals you’ve been to in the past! Share your favourite and happiest memories on social media, and feel free to tag us (@BTWfestival)! We love seeing them.
Have a mini festival at home
See our at-home festival post for inspiration!
Local outdoor music events
Maybe you can’t go to a whole festival, but check if any of your local pubs are doing small outdoor music events. As you probably know, Beyond the Woods is always looking to be involved in smaller gigs as well as the big summer event – check out the website for our upcoming gigs (usually in either Lincoln or London)!
Tidy up – or do something equally productive
Boring, yes, but you’ll thank yourself for it later! Marie Kondo those cupboards, follow up on those unread emails, tackle the essay you’ve been avoiding. Listen to some Beyond the Woods playlists to keep you motivated!
Like any good night of camping, we will of course have an atmospheric campfire to set the mood! There’s no better way to unwind after a full day of fun than to chat around a campfire with your friends, watching the remnants of that carefully-applied face glitter shimmering in the firelight while someone sings Wonderwall slightly off-key. Love it.
Fire shows:
Alongside the campfire, there will also be a Shamanic fire ceremony on the Friday evening, as well as short fire shows on the Saturday. It’s gonna be lit!
Yoga:
We will be offering yoga sessions – even if you’re a complete newbie, give it a try! A nice break in the day to do something a bit different and take a breather.
Laughing yoga:
Similar to yoga, but presumably a lot funnier. Sure to be a fun, interesting, cathartic experience!
Meditation:
Hour-long meditation sessions – refresh your mind and body, ready to step back out into the full festival experience!
Deer safari:
Beyond the Woods takes place at Stourton Estate, where there are plenty of deer for you to fawn over! Taking some time to spot some deer and enjoy a cute tractor ride around the estate sounds like a pretty good ideer to us.
Axe throwing:
Well. Enough said, really. Chuck some axes about, what’s not to love?! (nb: should be done safely, under careful supervision. Please do not bring your own throwing axe).
Stalls:
There will be a range of stalls at Beyond the Woods, supporting local traders selling a variety of beautiful products: prints from Georgia May Design, jewellery from CB Jewels, bespoke home decor from Emily See Studio, and hand painted jewellery from Doug Maddocks. Perfect for a cute sentimental souvenir!
Face painting:
A festival staple – we’ll have face painting pros on site so you can get the exact festival vibe you’re aiming for! In addition to face painting, there will also be body and face glitter, and temporary tattoos. Ideal if you’re scared of commitment.
Woodcraft workshops:
Phil Cudworth will be delivering woodcraft workshops if you feel like trying your hand at something new! (Unless you’re already a woodcraft expert – in which case, show off with something you’re great at).
The Craft Cavern:
Similarly, there will be a stall for selling and delivering workshops for hand craft clothes and accessories. A calming, creative break from the more high-energy aspects of the festival!
Secret bar:
Just to reiterate the message we put out before – we absolutely do not have a secret bar. Definitely not. Nope.
As the weather brightens (and then darkens again), and covid restrictions are lifted, what have the Beyond the Woods acts been getting up to?
It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for Alfie Templeman, with the release of his new mini album ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ on May 7th, already on course for the Top 40 on the Official Albums Chart (fingers crossed!). He also announced dates for a US tour, supporting Chloe Moriondo, and has a socially-distanced show coming up on May 20th.
SHE’S OUT!!!! my mini album ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ is available EVERYWHERE 💛💛💛💛 thank u to everyone who has been part of this journey so far, i couldn’t have done it without any of u 🥺 GO STREAM AND TELL ME UR FAVE SONG PLS https://t.co/gd1esWcabtpic.twitter.com/WTYmNCgduC
Master Peace has been keeping busy with an NME Home Sessions video! Alongside his guitarist, Ricki, he performed PNE, Overdrive and PDA against a pastel sky. Watch here:
Baby Queen has been all over BBC Radio 1 lately – Greg James is a big fan! Dover Beach was the Tune of the Week back at the end of April, and more recently has been added to the Radio 1 Playlist, alongside the likes of Wolf Alice, Little Simz, Coldplay and Billie Eilish. Listen to the playlist on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09gvbnn
Much to the excitement of his local fans, Joesef announced a gig in his hometown of Glasgow. The Barrowland show sold out just one day after general release… and, of course, you can see him live at Beyond the Woods in August!
Luz released a beautiful acoustic version of her latest song, Counting Houses. Give it a listen!
Our Friday Night Main Stage line-up is here! We’re very excited to announce that we have released our first round of artists playing Beyond the Woods Festival 2021, curated by the wonderful Abbie McCarthy (BBC Radio 1, BBC Music Introducing, 4 Music).
Described as ‘colourful sugary disco pop’, Alfie Templeman is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the indie-pop scene. At just 18 years old, he has released 4 EPs, receiving high praise from the likes of NME, the Guardian and tastemaker Annie Mac. 2021 started off big for Alfie, as he was shortlisted for the BBC Sound Of Poll and it continues with his mini album ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough, which will be out on the 7th May via Chess Club Records. Check out his latest chilled single, ‘One More Day’ featuring April.
Joesef
Hailing from the East End of Glasgow, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Joesef produces stunning soulful beats, masterfully intertwining elements of jazz, Motown and hip-hop. Since selling out his first ever show at King Tuts in Glasgow in 2019, Joesef has gone on to make appearances on Later…With Jools Holland, and BBC Radio 1 and 2. A self-proclaimed ‘emotional sad boy’, Joesef’s relaxing music will ease you in to the start of Beyond the Woods Festival, as heard below in his collaboration with COLOURS.
Baby Queen
Baby Queen instantly made her mark with her debut single ‘Internet Religion’ in 2020, and since has released an incredible discography of alternative-pop which explores issues surrounding Generation Z. Born in South Africa, the London based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter is inspired by the likes of Taylor Swift and The 1975, embracing synths, guitars and gritty social commentary. She is quickly gaining momentum, after recently featuring as Greg James’ ‘Tune of the Week’ on Radio 1 and will be touring with the mighty Sea Girls later this year. Listen to her single ‘Dover Beach’ to get you in the mood.
Luz
2020 was an incredible year for Irish-Argentinian musician Luz, releasing three singles during lockdown, receiving a mammoth 30 million streams across digital platforms. The 20 year-old artist caught the attention of Dua Lipa after posting a cover of ‘Don’t Stop Now’ on TikTok, and has since received praise from an array of outstanding artists including Ed Sheeran, Singrid, Julia Michaels, Lewis Capaldi, Dermot Kennedy and Niall Horan. Her soulful melodies and euphoric charm will make the perfect backdrop to outdoors at Beyond the Woods Festival. Soak in her latest release ‘Counting Houses’.
Master Peace
Fusing indie, British rap and punk genres, Master Peace is an explosion of refreshing new sounds. Born and raised in South London, he was influenced by bands such as The Smiths, The Cure and Simply Red, and has masterfully combined the music of rock and indie with his love of rap. The result is nothing short of intoxicating. Later this year he’ll be joining Kawala on tour across the UK, showcasing that he is one of the most exciting young artists in the making.
Listen to all our artists via our Spotify Playlist for Beyond the Woods Festival 2021!
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
We'd like to say a big thank you to
the following people for helping to make Beyond The Woods possible:
