Beginner's Guide to Rhythm Festival

Martin Paice offers an introduction to anyone unfortunate enough never to have attended his favourite music festival. Photographs by Colin Turner.

I'm always being asked what's so special about Rhythm Festival and the answer is that it's different. Different in that's it's smaller than Glastonbury, more laid back than Latitude and not as folky as Cropredy. There's nothing like it anywhere in Britain.

Rhythm Festival 2010 It's virtually impossible to take advantage of everything on offer over the weekend and yet you don't return home feeling as if you'd just tackled an assault course.

Mojo summed it up when it said: "Rhythm is the happiest of festivals."

The live music at Rhythm Festival spans rock, blues, folk and ska and tends to mix legendary acts like Jerry Lee Lewis, Dr John, The Levellers, Billy Bragg, 10cc, Prince Buster and Terry Reid with up-and-coming names of the future. The emphasis is on quality rather than sticking rigorously to fashion, so don't expect to see next year's version of Take That or Girls Aloud at Rhythm.

Rhythm Festival takes place at Twinwood Arena, a purpose-built festival site just outside the village of Clapham, three miles west of Bedford.

It's possible to get to Bedford from London in 34 minutes by train and to be at Rhythm Festival within 15 minites of that. For those who are camping and want to drive, as Twinwood Arena is located midway between the A1 and M1 motorways, it's easy to get there from practically anywhere. For more detailed information on travelling to Rhythm Festival, click here (opens new window).

Accommodation
The Rhythm Festival audience can be divided almost equally into three. There are those who live close enough to travel from home each day; another third choose to camp onsite in one of the two official campsites (this year called Vegas and Buena Vista); the rest opting for either a comfy hotel or else one of the other local campsites. For more details of the accomodation available in the area click here (opens new window).

Rhythm Festival 2010 From the Rhythm Festival Forum:
"Enjoyed my first Rhythm festival so much last year, I just had to come again. It was a bit touch and go as it clashed with my holiday arrangements. So I moved my holiday, with the Rhythm festival being tacked onto the end!"

Arriving at the Festival
When you arrive at Rhythm Festival you will be directed to your campsite or to the free car park; and from there to Wristband Exchange. Everyone with you will need to have their wristbands fitted personally, so please arrive as a group and have your tickets ready. As you'll be wearing them for three days, make sure that your wristband isn't fitted too tightly!

About the Festival Site
Rhythm Festival takes place at Twinwood Arena, on the site of the old RAF Twinwood, from which legendary band leader Glenn Miller took off for his final fatal flight in 1944. Although the site is now a beautiful wooded area, certain remnants of the old airfield remain and some are modernised and utilised into Rhythm Festival.

From the Rhythm Festival Forum:
"We've been going (with 2 kids) since Rhythm Fest 1 - & it really is the best family fest that we have been to (& we have been to a few!) - and is a regular date in our calendar. My wife loves the fact that loads of the loos are real (i.e. porcelain / flushing etc) - not the typical Glasto "long drop" or the stinky plastic cubes found at other festies.

"My lad loves the well-organised kids football matches that are on every year (he doesn't give a monkeys about the music unfortunately) - and my daughter loved the olive stall that appeared at the first Rhythm Fest - and returns every year to see if it will make another appearance…

"As for me - well, great beer, fantastic food (with a decent number of veggie options) - all at sensible prices - superb bands - & just a brilliant, brilliant relaxed vibe."

RF 2010 The festival consists of five main areas: the two camping fields (Vegas and Buena Vista), plus the festival site itself, which comprises the Main Arena, the Woodland Walk and the area around the Alternative and Hangar stages. The festival site is enclosed and is accessed via the main entrance on the edge of the Vegas campsite (beside the General Store, 24 hour Coffee Shop and Frying Dutchman), which takes you directly into the Main Arena.

The Main Stage is in the Main Arena. It's a huge, purpose-built structure big enough to accommodate an orchestra, and it faces on to a grass-covered ampitheatre, which makes for great views and top sound not matter where you put yourself. At the rear of the arena is a raised bar terrace (complete with bench tables and parasols) and around the edges are various stalls, marquees and hospitality areas. Click here (opens new window) to see about booking a hospitality table for yourself. The Main Arena also has a Norfolk Farmhouse Ice Cream van. Yum, yum.

Opposite the Main Arena entrance is a pathway that leads up the Woodland Walk. This is a wooded pedestrian area that weaves its way between trees and World War II RAF huts, many of which are used as bars (including the Real Ale Bar), event areas or are now museums, many of which will be open for Rhythm Festival for free.

Rhythm Festival, 20-22 August, 2010 On the left of the Woodland Walk are various paddocks that contain such Rhythm Festival delights as the Food Court (a wide range of upmarket food, sensibly priced, with bench table seating), the Therapy Zone, the Groovie Movie Picture Show, Digital Funfair, Panic Circus, Kidz Area, Junior Olympics and the Morris Green. We've added the Green Field Stage for 2010.

At the end of the Woodlands Walk is the Alternative Stage, a smaller purpose-built musicstage in front of the restored Control Tower Museum and the Hangar, where most of the Comedy and late night DJing takes place. Between the two is the Control Tower Bar and scattered around are various food outlets and a Norfolk Farmhouse Ice Cream barrow.