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Enter the Garden of Paradise at Eden Festival

I know what you’re thinking. A festival in Scotland. Images of rain, kilts, and haggis. Not quite the festival vibes you’d expect, really. (Sorry, Scots, international stereotypes are too easy to ignore). However, you couldn’t be more wrong. The paradisiacal-players at Eden Festival have done their utmost not just to put on a banging festival, but have also done a pretty good job of ridding Scotland of its lazy stereotype for good! (Screw you, haggis.) Taking place in the Raehills Meadows, on the 9-12th June, you can get a piece of the wondrous weirdness for just over a hundred quid; and for a festival nominated for Best Small Festival in UK, that’s pretty good going. But first, let us cross into the idylls of this fairy-tale festival, with the fabulous folk at Licklist as your spirit-guides.

As always, we start with the line-up, and Eden have gone for vibes which perfectly fit their persona of chilled-out, funakdelic indieness; expect the very best in laidback rhythms, gorgeous groove, and soulful songbirds, as Eden Festival create a musical paradise for your listening pleasure. Headliners include Skye & Ross from Morcheeba, King Charles, Andreya Triana, and Congo Natty, while the rest of the line-up is sprinkled with sonic goodness as well, with Gentleman’s Dub Club and Toddla T thrown into the mix. Eden isn’t a festival for your mainstream sh*tmuncher; they’ve got underground sound, diamonds in the rough, and some downright weirdness, but it all comes together to create an eclectic mix well worth jiving to.

This musical madness is spread out across 9 stages, and I’m just gonna run you through a couple of my faves. First up, we’ve got the Devorgilla Open Air Stage, which is essentially an enormous tortoise shell. Which is incredible. Whoever came up with this idea needs some kind of design award (or some kind of pill to haul their brain back to normality). Anyway, this is where the headliners are situated, so trundle on down to the tortoise shell for some headliner hedonism. Second on my list is Voltans Psychedelic Temple; come here to trip some balls, listen to psytrance and techno, and enjoy the light show. What’s not to like?! And finally, we’ve got the The Lost Disco, a flaming outdoor dance parlour playing host to some of the finest funky DJs known to man. Doors open at midnight, so you can jive the night away; put on your funkiest flairs and best dancing shoes, ‘cause this one’s gonna get groovy!

Eden Festival have also got a tantalising selection of other tasty treats for you to enjoy. Presenting, the Vishnu Lounge: a taste of paradise on the fringes of the festival, a place to chill out and swing in the hammocks, lounge in the bath tub and soak up some ambient audio treats to a nice hot cup of chai. Eden have got these vibes on point (if you can ignore the blatant cultural appropriation). And if you’re still not feeling quite chilled-out enough, then get yourself down to the Healing Field. Now, I know the name sounds a bit sinister and weird, but don’t be alarmed; in fact, get very excited. The Healing Team have got a whole host of holistic healing remedies to nurture your mind and soul; Aromatherapy, Bowen Technique, Craniosacral Therapy, Crystal Therapy, Eden Energy Medicine, Indian Head Massage, Kinesiology, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Sports and Remedial Massage, Swedish Massage, Shiatsu, Tanta Massage, Thai Body Massage, Thai Foot Massage… The list goes on and on. Your mainstream festival-lovers go to a festival and return battered, bruised, and broken; you’re gonna come back from Eden having not just had an incredible couple days but in better nick than you’ve ever been before. Screw the junior doctors’ strike, just get yourself down to Eden for some loving TLC.

Before we get too lost in dreamy imagination of the spiritual sensations of Eden, let’s just sort out some practicalities. Eden Festival is held just outside Moffat on the stunning Raehill s meadows, and it’s just over an hours’ drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh and only a 40 minute drive from Carlisle. Eden have also teamed up with Happy Bus to provide additional services from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Livingston, Lockerbie & Dumfries, so you can get returns or singles and pick your journeys accordingly; these buses will drive right on to the festival site. In terms of tickets, the first three tiers are already sold out (!), but there are still some available for the bargain price of 115 quid. Grab your ticks here

That’s about it folks, so see ya in Scotland!

 

Nick Cooke