Anglesey, Wales. Gottwood, June 2024. We first went in 2019 (and had nothing short of a riotous time), so returning was always on the cards. Returning was a non-negotiable in fact, given how special the site was.
Was… and is. It remains one of the most bucolic festival locations we’ve come across. Anglesey’s an island, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) just off Wales’ northern coastline. Rolling hills were all around, with white sandy beaches just across the water.
Viewable from the campsite, words like peaceful and humbling spring to mind: two apt descriptions for landscapes that were nothing short of beautiful.
Onto the main arena. In Gottwood’s context… the main arena is a forest, a wooded alcove that gives way to a cottage and a lake. In the lake protrudes a hand (a wooden hand) that holds a vinyl record, carved to the size of a statue. Surrounding the lake are tents and outdoor stages, where music programmes run from day into night and punters enjoy a smorgasbord of curated electronic performances.
Be it a Ron Obvious live set or a mind-bending vinyl-only excursion from Willow, the offering holistically really was good. Not just good, but darn-right fun. Quality DJs performing on quality soundsystems, with nature all-around and a well-up-for-it crowd in tow.
Highlights were aplenty. It may have been a few weeks ago, but certain sets linger very nicely in the memory. Four hours of Zip won’t be forgotten anytime soon, with Walled Garden acting as an excellent base for the ever-grinning Perlon founder.
Then there was Kepler‘s daytime excursion at Trigon on the Friday. Few prisoners were taken, as the Leeds native served up a welcome dose of chunky, low-slung beats to get the weekend off to a flying start.
Edward too. He closed The Curve on Friday night (another Perlon mainstay who knows his way around minimal). Georgia as well, with the Slapfunk regular delivering ninety minutes of slinky goodness at The Lighthouse
All in all: a very special weekend. Operationally it’s hard to find fault, which makes a big difference when you’re on the ground. We seldom had to queue for the toilet, or to get drinks, and half the fun came from simply wandering around such a nice location. Be it taking a seat on a fallen tree trunk, or resting on a grassy knoll with views of nature all around.
Oh, and the food vendors (special mention to Paellaria and Rainbo Food). Both were absolutely delicious.
To send off, we’d like to give a big thank you to all those involved in making the weekend so magical. See you next June Gottwood.
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Photo Credit: Khroma Collective.
Gottwood Festival 2025 will take place in Anglesey, Wales. Tickets will be on-sale here via the Gottwood Festival website.