Launched last year as a family-friendly spin-off to Ron da Bank’s well established Bestival music festival, Camp Bestival returned this summer to its picturesque home in the grounds of Lulworth Castle in Dorset. In what is turning out to be yet another damp British summer, Camp Bestival claimed the lion’s share of the July sunshine, enjoying idyllic weather for the first two days of the weekend. Feedback from the previous year had clearly been taken on board, with more camping space and better/bigger/greener toilet facilities being the main visible improvements.

An eclectic lineup included disco legends Chic and soul diva Candi Staton among more alternative and upcoming names such as Laura Marling, Marina and the Diamonds, Mumford and Sons and Florence and the Machine - whose floaty Pre-Raphaelite look was quickly adopted by scores of tween admirers. Other crowd-pleasers included Hayseed Dixie, whose foot-stomping set of Bluegrass-style metal covers and comedy self-penned material got the festival off to a jolly start on Friday afternoon.

Saturday headliner PJ Harvey was surprisingly confined to the Big Top tent rather than the main stage, leaving many punters disappointedly watching her on the screen outside.
Predictably for a festival organised by a DJ, the dancefloor action was abundant, with at least four different nightly options for after-hours booty shaking - from Silent Disco to Annie Mac in the Bollywood tent, to a ‘secret’ pub playing ska, reggae and funk to the Time for Tease cabaret tent serving up bawdy burlesque and rock n roll DJs - there was something to suit all tastes. The 2am curfew was a bone of contention among many, though it left one with plenty of energy to enjoy the plentiful daytime diversions on offer.

The original Bestival pretty has always been a champion of fancy dress at festivals, and Camp Bestival’s Sunday costume parade - judged by children’s TV celebrity Mr Tumble - saw this tradition being embraced wholeheartedly by adults and kids alike. The overall vibe of the weekend was incredibly relaxed - the presence of so many little ones making for less agrro and some excellent cross-generational people-watching. Even those of us without kids in tow relished the opportunity to have our faces painted and run around like giddy five year olds for the duration. The real ale tent didn’t go amiss either.
more photos at www.flickr.com/photos/rowstar