UK’s first Dance Music Festival of 2021 gets Green Light from Government

Summer of Love festival is set to welcome thousands of partygoers to the UK’s first full blown dance music festival in Bristol since the Pandemic

Organised by the team behind Bristol’s Lakota Nightclub & Gardens, the festival is set to take place on the first weekend that restrictions are lifted: Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th July. The festival aims to unite friends, old school ravers, and like-minded people as the UK eases its way out of lockdown restrictions. The festival is set in a brand new, secret location just outside of Bristol.

Summer of Love is excited to host an enormous weekend of music, impressive stage builds, festival production and dance performances. The forecast is set to be the best days of the summer, shining over what will be the first moment we are all able to dance together again. It’s going to be a time to join old friends and create history together all in one field of ultimate freedom. This will be a moment we will all be talking about for years to come!

Step aboard one of our freedom buses and let us take you on an adventure into a post lockdown destination where you will arrive at an event like no other. Attendees are able to buy £5 return bus tickets from multiple locations close to the centre of Bristol. Summer of Love’s programming was built around curating a gender balanced lineup. From headliners through to the rising stars of Bristol, they will all be stepping out to perform to thousands of partygoers across the festival’s three spectacular stages (and two more secret stages!)

Headlining the festival on the Saturday are two local superstars with global reputations for energising dancefloors: Eats Everything and Sam Divine.

Having cut his teeth as both a raver and DJ at Lakota, it is fitting to have Eats Everything champion Lakota’s first ever festival. Sam Divine, who hails from Weston-Super-Mare, has been an integral part of growing the house scene in not only the South West and UK but arguably around the globe as the “Queen of Defected”.

Top of the billing for Sunday’s lineup are Wilkinson, Sherelle and Watch The Ride. Platinum drum and bass producer Wilkinson has cemented himself as one of the most successful stars in dance music having had numerous anthems top the UK’s charts.

Meanwhile Sherelle leads a new generation of ravers, fusing cutting-edge drum and bass, jungle and footwork music to a mainstream audience with new generation disruptors. Watch The Ride is the moniker for three legendary figureheads of the drum and bass scene: DJ Randall, DJ Die and Dismantle. The combination of the three artists’ experience and extensive record collections allow Watch The Ride to consistently leave ravers craving more.

Alongside these musical heavyweights, some of the best up and coming talent in the South West will be showcasing their skills, allowing festival goers to discover the stars of tomorrow. Supporting local talent and curating a gender balanced line up were important considerations for the team when programming the festival. Whereas many festival lineups being released have been met with criticism for failing to include female artists, Lakota’s Summer of Love festival has over 50 female artists performing over the two days.

“It’s important for us to inspire women and show that a career as DJ is a realistic aspiration for young women. We also wanted to create a festival that is supportive of the wider communities within the music industry. We’re really proud of the diverse lineup we have put together for our first festival.

We believe that Bristol is blessed to have some amazing talent, both male and female, big and small from all communities. We’re confident that this event represents the diverse talent of the city and UK and will inspire the future female stars of tomorrow by giving womxn a platform to showcase their talents.”

The festival site boasts three high impact stages with massive production, as well as two smaller secret stages, encouraging attendees to wander around the festival site from stage to stage exploring all that the immersive site has to offer. And for the thrill seekers among the crowd, there will be a fairground to enjoy too.

Food is provided by a delicious selection of Bristols favourite local street food vendors, serving a variety of cuisines using the finest locally sourced ingredients. “We are trying to ensure that any impact we have on the environment is as small as possible. We think it’s essential to be conscious of your carbon footprint and should try to improve this whenever you can in your day-to-day life.”

The bars at the festival will also be plastic free, with a plastic alternative being used in place of the standard plastic cups used by most festivals.

Some 495 days after restrictions were first imposed, just like the days of old, this latest ‘Summer of Love’ is almost upon us and when it arrives, the festival will be the perfect place to reconnect and remind us of the core values we all share as humans: peace, love and unity.

Tickets are running low for both days and likely to sell out over the next few days.

You can purchase tickets via the website: www.lakota.co.uk
Lakota’s Summer of Love event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/431541688149372/

Summer of Love Instagram: @summeroflovefestivaluk