Goldcoast Oceanfest
The Lowdown:
Surfing and music go hand in hand. They really do, look at the Beach Boys and the Trash Men, all the way to The Drums, Waaves and Surfer Blood. It is no surprise that festivals centred on the combination of music by the sea and water sports have proven to be popular in recent years. Obviously people will be familiar with bigger seaside festivals such as Boardmasters or Wakestock but the Goldcoast Oceanfest in Croyde has been mixing watersports and tunes since 1999 and is growing in popularity each year. This year the catalogue of events looks to be hugely exciting and equally all encompassing with surfing contests, open ocean swimming, paddleboarding, beach soccer, skating and ski racing. Ripcurl’s ‘GromSearch’ is also returning to Oceanfest this year to scout the best home-grown surfing talent so get practicing and apply via an entry form in this link: http://goldcoastoceanfest.co.u k/entry-forms/
If it turns out you’ve never surfed in your life are far too crap to compete in the GromSearch then fear not, the kind folks at Oceanfest have included surfing lessons for people of all levels in their programme. How sweet? Plus by no means do you have to be active if you don’t feel like it, there is enough good music on for you to dance the weekend away without ever having to try to ride a wave.
Tickets are very well priced at £55 each or a family ticket (two adults two kids) at £145 and are available here: http://goldcoastoceanfest.co.u k/boxoffice/ For an extra 50 quid you can also upgrade to the VIP package where you can hang out with the musicians, drink at the premium cocktail bar and the tuborg bus and of course use the all important ‘luxury loos’.Accommodation is not included in the price of your ticket but as the festival is located on the picturesque Devon coast there are a plethora of holiday parks and camp sites to choose from and a full list can be found here: http://goldcoastoceanfest.co.u k/accommodation-in-croyde/. If you’re making your way down there by car the postcode is EX33 1NZ. The nearest train station is Barnstaple from where you can catch the B1 surf bus straight to the festival site.
Who’s On:
Despite the massive amount of extreme sports on offer, Oceanfest have also managed to organise quite a musical array of talent. The winner of the BBC’s sound of 2012 poll and soulful talent Michael Kiwanuka is on the bill, as is the ever popular Roots Manuva who’s shows are a burst of life to any stage. The genre spanning Ghostpoet is someone people should definitely go and check out, and on the back of his brilliant third album ‘Shedding Skin’ he has proven that he is impossible to define musically. Also appearing over the weekend are Gaz Coombes (formerly of Supergrass), JP Cooper, Hudson Taylor, Luke Friend, Twin Wild, Jagaara and more.
Why Should I Go?
Oceanfest looks so alluring because it is a hybrid festival. Surf, sea, sand and music is a heady concoction and there is sure to be proper summer vibes over the weekend of 19-21st June. It’s all well and good seeing a band in a muddy field, but if you fancy doing it somewhere that is genuinely beautiful and you can nip for a swim in the Devonshire coast between bands, then the GoldCoast Oceanfest is well up your street.
MORE INFO: https://licklist.co.uk/goldcoa st-oceanfest / http://goldcoasto ceanfest.co.uk/
By Ford Maddox Brown