Five things we can’t wait to do this summer

For the past year, we’ve all been turning our living rooms into stadiums, club nights, and all-inclusive hotels. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of done with it now. 

Luckily, we don’t have long to wait. With the world opening again and pubs now able to serve us all outside (after months trapped inside, all we wanna do is be outside anyway!), things are starting to look up. With this in mind, join us for a peek at all the things we’re looking forward to over the coming months. It feels a bit surreal, but it’s not long now!

 

1. Festivals

If there’s one thing that screams summer, it’s a festival. When Glastonbury cancelled earlier on in the year, we all waited with bated breath to see if the other major festivals would follow suit, and we were so gassed when it turned out that Reading and Leeds were going ahead. Once they confirmed their line-ups, smaller festivals began to do the same, and we haven’t looked back since. Here at Licklist we’ve spent hours curating and picking our faves in and around the UK.

So get your coupla’ cans out, find your tent at the back of the shed, and get yourself down to ZENfest near Clapgate, Boundary in Brighton, Clockstock in Chelmsford, or perhaps even One Island on Osea Island (*gasp* you’ll get the whole island to yourselves!!). All these fests are taking place within an hour of the M25 so they’re super convenient too. Further up North, the festivals get wilder with MiNT festival based in Yorkshire going ahead, and obvs Parklife, which is set to be an end-of-summer highlight.

(Credit: @zenfest)

 

2. Outdoor swimming

Do something a bit wilder this summer, and head down to your local watering hole - literally. Foreign holidays might be looking like a distant dream for most of us, but that doesn't mean that we can't make the most of our summer by creating our own mini tropical paradises. Fingers crossed it won’t rain.

The Serpentine lido in Hyde Park is the oldest swimming club in London and surprisingly, it is pretty affordable considering its W2 postcode, at £4.80 per swimmer. For that price you can swim for like five minutes, and then spend the rest of the day chilling out on a deck chair. Bliss. South London boasts Tooting bec lido, the largest freshwater outdoor pool in the country; meanwhile, North Londoners are sitting pretty with both the Parliament Hill Lido and the famous Hampstead Ponds. Up and down the country, there are lidos and freshwater lakes that are 100% a good time, and 80% just as good as a 10-slide water park in the Balearics (maybe…).

(Credit: @theroyalparks)

 

3. Clubzzzzz

If it sounds too good to be true, it most certainly isn’t. Clubs are back this summer, and they’re going to be back bigger and better than ever before. Venues up and down the country are buzzing with excitement, as they’re expected to be able to open from the 21st June. They’re even piloting mass COVID-testing for club nights in the party city of Liverpool, just to make sure everything is gonna be up to scratch in time for the summer. All ready for us all chuck on a crop top and get dancing. 

Claire McColgan MBE, Director of Culture and Tourism in Liverpool said: “Liverpool is an event city. They are a critical part of our economy, culture, and community and so we are delighted to be working with partners across Government, our colleagues at University of Liverpool and several local venues and promoters to plan this series of pilot events. Our experience as the pilot city for mass testing means we have the knowledge and infrastructure in place to deliver complicated projects safely, and we really hope we can help provide the evidence needed to ensure the wider sector is able to open across the country in the coming months.”

(Credit: @pexels)

 

4. Day trips!

Day trips are a perfect way to escape the daily grind with your best mates and go explore anywhere that isn’t the walls of your own flat. Contrary to popular opinion, there are loads of beautiful places across the British Isles, and a ton of crazy cities to investigate. The phrase ‘Staycation’ has been googled more times in the past year than ever before, so it’s clear that they’re here to ‘stay’ (sorry, I’m not sure if that even counts as a pun). Personally, my friends and I are off to Canterbury and Edinburgh this summer to soak up some culture, but if you fancy a beach day instead then Bournemouth, Brighton, and Blackpool (the three B’s) are all safe bets to top up your tan.

(Credit: @visitbrighton)

 

5. Gigs

Dare we say it – even gigs might be going ahead this summer. As lockdown eases, the gigging landscape is beginning to form, and we’re excited to say that our favourite music acts have a lot planned. We don’t wanna jinx anything, but currently Lady Gaga and Guns ‘n’ Roses have both confirmed that they will be heading over to the UK in June. We’re gonna have to wait for more acts to confirm though before we get too excited…

(Credit: @pexels)

 

So there you have it – the comprehensive guide to living your best life this summer. We’ll see you there.

 

Words by Rebecca Clayton