We arrived at Beach Break Live by coach from Leicester University. After careering through the country roads for what felt like hours but was actually only about 20 minutes, we came out on the top of a hill which looked out over beautiful sea views surrounded by poppy fields and farms. You can imagine our elation signalled by a sharp intake of breath and a whoop from the bus as we realised that this was the location of Beach Break Live!

Queuing up to get in to the festival we started to take in what was clearly going to be a festival to rival all festivals. The main stage was set in front of a sea back drop and was decorated like a beach, there were two pretty main marquees (unlike your standard festival big tops!) and a number of yurts and domes dotted around the site. On first impression Beach Break looked and felt like what I imagined Woodstock to be like in the 60’s – free, sunny and young!

We went and set up our tents in the camp site, bending poles and stretching the plastic to make it fit together and left my tent looking somewhat like a hippo. I didn’t mind though as I didn’t imagine I’d be getting a lot of sleep!

We went in to the main area and walked around for a while soaking in the enchanted forest and the hub which were the two main venues and then plonked myself firmly in front of the main stage with my first cider of the season! We watched as The Beautiful Girls followed by Babyhead got everyone jumping around and screaming like lunatics as the sun set over the sea behind the main stage... I would actually say watching Babyhead was one of my favourite moments of the summer.

After all the dancing – co-ordination loosing me a little as I necked a few more festive ciders – we settled in the hub and kicked back on cushions and and rugs and fell in to the family way of life which was Beach Break. I’m not sure if it is because it was their first year or because that is what you get when you take thousands of students out of their individual habitats and plonk them all together in a beautiful location with 3 bars! But the thing that everyone loved most about Beach Break was that everybody chatted to each other. I suppose you all have something in common at Beach Break whereas as other festivals you don’t always. 

We woke up the next day feeling a little ropey and decided to take our first stroll down to the beach. Following signs along the coastal path, where at one point you actually had to choose between crossing a field full of sheep or one angry bull... within 10 minutes we had sand beneath our toes and were running in the sea to wash off our hangovers!

Aside from jumping in the sea, which I only ended up doing once because it was FREEZING! This was much how Beach Break continued – by day we would go the beach or hang out on site listening to bands, or doing jewellery workshops (with a very fit Ozzie), watching films in the little solar powered cinema or pretending to be arty with the Lost and Found art collective!

The last night was the best night. By then we knew so many people and everybody went to loads of effort for the masked ball with Mr Scruff. The crowd went totally mad for about 2 hours and at the end Scruff and the organisers made a speech and we all moved over the Hub and actually felt quite sad it was all going to be over!

The only thing I’d say to the organisers of Beach Break is that they should make more of the view – frame it or something!  Also I felt that it needed a bit of work in terms of general infrastructure like there was no campsite shop and there they needed more places you could fill up your water bottle. Also the ticket system before didn’t work – loads of people didn’t get there e-tickets until a week before. In saying all that for a first year festival we were all blown away and the important things – namely it’s vibe and the people, beautiful location, music and actually the friendliness of the organisers and all the people who worked their, was spot on and better than most festivals that have been running for years!