Festival No. 6: Portmeirion’s Picture-Perfect Weekend Proves Lifestyle Festivals Are In
Held in one of the UK’s must-visit holiday destinations, it’s easy to see why Festival No. 6 is such a hit.
Five years in and the Portmeirion-based festival is going great guns and attracting top performers such as Noel Gallagher, Bastille and Hot Chip in addition to celebrity chefs (Gizzi Erksine hosted a banquet dinner this year) and comedians (Sara Pascoe’s set was a huge hit).
But there’s a lot more to FN6 than just music, food and talks.
In addition to wandering around the beautiful Italian inspired North Wales village and stopping for a glass of bubbles while gazing out at the sea, attendees have the chance to learn Welsh, take a swing dancing class, go paddle boarding, whittle some wood, do yoga as the sun rises and attend an astronomy talk.
Head into the surrounding woodland and you can party of Virgin Trains’ floating dance floors, stumble upon a poetry reading or simply walk off your hangover.
Plus, there’s plenty to keep little ones amused too. Everywhere you turn you’ll see (brave) parents with babies pottering around, taking in a craft class or simply sitting back and enjoying the award-winning Welsh Men’s Choir do their thing.
You don’t even have to camp in the mud, if you don’t want to. You can chose to book a pre-erected tent, stay in a bell tent, a deluxe bell tent, a camper van or even one of the village’s surrounding hotels.
And, if you’re really after the whole glamping vibe, you can end your day with an hour in a hot tub or a massage at the festival’s spa.
The only thing that’s not so great is the toilets. And showers are few and far between so remember to pack as many baby wipes as you can carry. But what festival boasts sanitary loos?
Lifestyle festivals like Portmeirion’s are becoming bigger and better than ever. Over in Oxfordshire, Wilderness offers similar activities in a stunning setting while in Wilshire, Womad is still going strong.
In the Lake District, Kendall Calling features art installations and health and wellbeing pop-ups and Caught by the River Thames in London offers city workers the chance to soak in some music, culture and street food without hot footing it to the countryside.
