So, the Summer festival season is slowly coming to an end, it seems like a good time to ask everyone if they've been to any festivals this year, what their experiences have been like, what their favourite acts have been and what they're still looking forward to. Although there's only about another month or so until mid-September when pretty much all the big festivals have come to a close, there are still some of the biggest hitters yet to come:


V Festival
22nd - 23rd August
Headliners: Oasis, The Killers, Razorlight, The Specials, Snow Patrol, Elbow, Keane, Fatboy Slim, Pendulum, The Enemy
Info: Seen by many hardened festival goers as a bit of a 'clean' festival. I've never been to this one, it usually seems a bit too full of indie bands for my liking. That being said, if you like more mainstream music and are a festival virgin this could be the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of music festivals.


Reading / Leeds
28th - 30th August
Headliners: Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, The Prodigy, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Faith No More, LostProphets, Gossip
Info: Although looking at some of the headliners it does look a bit of an indie-fest as well, Reading has always benefitted from quite a wide variety of stages. This year the main stage features many throwbacks to the late 90s / early 00s 'heydey' of nu-metal and punk with acts (Deftones, New Found Glory, Funeral for a Friend, Brand New). While none of these may appeal that much to fans of more underground music, there's also two days of well-respected punk bands at the Lockup Stage and there's an abundance of other stages: the NME / Radio 1 stage, the Festival Republic stage (featuring the awesome 65DaysOfStatic and the intriguing Marmaduke Duke), the BBC Introducing Stage and the Alternative Stage... Lots to do then. However, Reading / Leeds are usually at the more 'chaotic' end of the festival scale. Sunday nights often end in burning of tents and mayhem. Sometimes the mayhem is good natured, but I haven't been in a few years after going every year 4-5 times running... The atmosphere became less and less fun as more people seemed to spend all their time sat in the campsite getting wasted and stealing other peoples belongings (clothes, beer, etc), breaking other peoples tents and just generally acting like idiots.


Bestival
11th - 13th September
Headliners: Kraftwerk, Massive Attack, Elbow, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Seasick Steve, Klaxons, Bat for Lashes, Lily Allen, Soulwax, Doves, 2ManyDJs
Info: Something of the Joker in the pack, Bestival takes place on the Isle of Wight, but rather than trying to compete directly with the biggest festivals (including the Isle of Wight festival which takes place some months earlier) Bestival appeals to those who just want to have fun. I've never been too taken with any of the line-ups at Bestival, but the one year I did go (working as a volunteer in exchange for free entry) I had a brilliant time. Bestival thrives off a fun atmosphere, every year culminating in a fancy dress competition on the Sunday - some people put huge effort into elaborate costumes and you'll see many wierd and wonderful things roaming the site. There are many stages catering for all kinds of tastes, and there's a lot of DJs and more 'dancey' acts, as well as plenty of bands, a comedy stage, a burlesque tea tent, a bollywood bar, the bandstand (mainly for smaller acoustic acts and some local Isle of Wight acts), a wide variety of 'hippy-style' shops and stalls and and a creche to leave the kids at. It's also renowned for having some great 'secret' acts - the year I went Madness played which was a very nice surprise indeed! If you want a unique experience and you want to discover some new music, then Bestival is a good one to head to, although being so late in the Festival calender means increased chances of downpours...


Of course, there are plenty of other small festivals that go on away from the tens of thousands at the bigger events.
Check out efestivals and Virtual Festivals for info on a wide-range of festivals.


So, are you going to a festival this year? Have you already been? Let everyone know what you're looking forward to, what you've enjoyed or hated, and hot tips for next year.