We might be emerging from one of the worst winters ever but last August Bank Holiday there was only one place to be…… Bramham Park, Leeds !

So armed with an early bird ticket, weekend pass, a sleeping bag and a pair of wellies Validate UK travelled down to the festival and spent most of the week camping under the stars, meeting new people and enjoying every second of the festivities!
 
The line up was typically excellent and featured a wide range of acts to suite all tastes – from the iconic Radiohead to band of the moment Kings of Leon.  There were more than 100 acts over the entire weekend, an incredible secret gig that we were lucky enough to stumble into and also some amazing unsigned acts performing on the BBC Introducing Stage. 2009 really did have something for everyone with a fantastic mixture of rock and dance acts taking to the various stages across the site.
 
The festival also has excellent facilities; from the on-site shop that sells fresh food, newspapers and other vital supplies to the many craft traders and food stalls and of course we got to use our Validate cards ! There really is something for everyone, so much so that you could turn up with nothing but a ticket and have access to everything you need for the full weekend!
 
 
This year there were many outstanding moments, far too many to list here but our personal favourites were The Prodigy’s energy filled set which got the entire arena jumping in tandem, moshing with the rest of the tent to Lostprophets…and…. Them Crooked Vultures playing “that” secret gig and of course Kings of Leon hitting it out of the park with a stunning set to close the festival on the Sunday night.
 
As always with great festivals it was over too soon and the time came to pack up and head home for a hot bath and reminiscing about how brilliant the whole experience had been.

Roll on August…..apply for your VALIDATE UK card sooner rather than later !...See you there !!