Poole Harbour Festival once again showed exactly what a British summer festival should be: sunshine, live music, great food and thousands of people of all ages enjoying themselves together beside one of Dorset’s most spectacular settings.
Held at Baiter Park from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August, the festival’s tenth-anniversary weekend brought three days of music, entertainment and family fun to the edge of Poole Harbour.
With temperatures climbing into the mid-twenties, a packed programme of performers and an outstanding selection of street food, the conditions could hardly have been better.
A proper British summer festival
There was something wonderfully traditional about the atmosphere.
Children danced in the sunshine, families relaxed on the grass and older festival-goers sang along to songs they had known for decades. From babies wearing ear defenders to pensioners enjoying the headline acts, almost every generation was represented.
It felt like the quintessential British summer at its very best: cold drinks, live bands, food stalls, fairground attractions and thousands of people enjoying the rare combination of excellent weather and a packed outdoor event.
More importantly, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly friendly.
People smiled, spoke to strangers and moved between the different stages without any sense of tension. Families could enjoy the children’s entertainment during the day before gathering around the main stages for some of the weekend’s biggest performers.
It was a reminder of how enjoyable large community events can be when they bring people together and give everyone the chance to share a memorable weekend.
Proud to be British and proud to be from Dorset
Poole Harbour Festival also provided one of those occasions when it was impossible not to feel proud to be British and particularly proud to come from Dorset.
The setting played a huge part. With the waters of Poole Harbour visible beyond the stages and festival site, this was not an event that could have been held anywhere.
It felt unmistakably local.
The festival combined Dorset performers and businesses with some of the biggest names in British indie, pop, dance and club music. It welcomed food and influences from around the world while retaining a very British sense of humour, community and celebration.
This was patriotism in its most positive form: people of different backgrounds and generations enjoying British music, supporting local traders and sharing a summer weekend together.
The quintessential British summer
Poole Harbour Festival perfectly captured everything people love about the quintessential British summer.
Blue skies, live music, families relaxing on picnic blankets, children dancing in front of the stage, friends catching up over great food and drinks, and thousands of people simply enjoying being outdoors together created a weekend that many will remember for years to come.
There was a genuine sense of community throughout the festival. Visitors smiled, chatted to strangers, applauded the performers and embraced the relaxed atmosphere that made the event feel so special.
Baiter Park was full of life as music, local businesses, family entertainment and the spectacular harbour setting came together to create something the whole area could be proud of.
It was warm, welcoming, uncomplicated and centred around people having a good time together. In many ways, it was the quintessential British summer festival experience.
An outstanding tenth-anniversary lineup
The festival’s tenth-anniversary lineup was its most ambitious to date, with approximately 60 appearances spread across six music and entertainment areas.
Major names included Kaiser Chiefs, Groove Armada, The Fratellis, Heather Small, Scouting for Girls, Artful Dodger, Republica, Dodgy and East 17.
The different stages covered indie rock, Britpop, UK garage, trance, house music, drum and bass, rave, reggae, folk and some of the country’s best-known tribute acts.
Friday lineup
Main Stage
- Elysia Marsden
- Kingz of Leon
- Coldplace
- Fu Fighters
Big Top Stage
- Chris Payn and the Parade
- Guns N’ Roses Experience
- Meteora
Stage 3
- Alf Graham
- Nicky Blackmarket
- Billy Daniel Bunter
- Leeroy Thornhill, formerly of The Prodigy
Smugglers Inn
- Wesley Bennett
- The Leggomen
Saturday lineup
Main Stage
- Elysia Marsden
- SOS
- Republica
- Artful Dodger
- Heather Small of M People
- The Fratellis
- Groove Armada DJ Set
- Grand Finale pyrotechnic show
Big Top Stage
- Artificial Monkeys
- Stereoironics
- Stipe
- Fleetwood Mad
- Inspired by Adele featuring Jax Hall
- Born Jovi
Stage 3
- Paul Moss and Jon Langford
- Seb Fontaine
- Dave Pearce
- Jon Langford and Paul Moss
- Judge Jules
- Lisa Lashes
Smugglers Inn
- Jordan Watts
- The Wonky Donkeys
- Dr Beatroot
- Samantics
- Beans on Toast
- Funke and the Two Tone Baby
Sunday lineup
Main Stage
- Elysia Marsden
- Bez of Happy Mondays
- East 17
- Dodgy
- Scouting for Girls
- Kaiser Chiefs
Big Top Stage
- Oaces
- UK Queen
- Vicky Jackson
- The Marley Experience
Stage 3
- Tom Perry and Luke Dubyah
- Ben from Phats & Small
- Ultrabeat
- Ian Van Dahl
- N-Trance
Smugglers Inn
- Local band showcase
- Mother Ukers
- All Funked Up
- Lady Winwoods Maggot
Something for every generation
The success of the lineup came from its variety.
Fans of indie music could watch Kaiser Chiefs, The Fratellis, Dodgy and Scouting for Girls, while dance music fans had Groove Armada, Judge Jules, Dave Pearce, Lisa Lashes, Ultrabeat and Ian Van Dahl.
Those looking for nostalgia could enjoy East 17, Heather Small and N-Trance, while the tribute stages offered music associated with Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Linkin Park, Adele, Pink and Bob Marley.
The festival managed to appeal to several generations without making any one age group feel as though the event was not intended for them.
That broad appeal was visible throughout the weekend. Children danced near the front, teenagers explored the different stages, parents relaxed with food and drinks, and older visitors enjoyed performers whose music had formed part of their lives for decades.
Excellent entertainment for children
The children’s programme was far more substantial than the token family area found at many festivals.
Entertainment included magic shows, bubble performances, storytelling, animal experiences, arts and crafts, pirate theatre, workshops, dancing and roaming performers.
Acts and attractions included Mr Merlin and Okey Dokey the Dragon, Krazy Kev, Mad 4 Animals, Mark Fraser the Storyteller, Count Backwards, pirate shows, meet-and-greets and a K-Pop disco.
This allowed parents to spend a complete day at the festival rather than having to leave after only a few hours.
The effort made to entertain younger visitors was another reason the festival felt so inclusive. It was clearly designed as an event for the whole family rather than simply a series of concerts taking place in the same park.
An incredible selection of street food
The food traders were another major highlight.
Rather than offering only the usual burgers and chips, the festival included an impressive range of cuisines from around the world.
Visitors could choose from Afghan street food, Thai dishes, Korean corn dogs, Greek food, bao buns, noodles, South African-style braai, Indian-inspired food and plant-based options.
There were also plenty of familiar festival favourites, including burgers, bratwurst, pizza, pulled pork, mac and cheese, loaded fries, hot dogs, halloumi fries and savoury crepes.
The published savoury food traders included:
- 2 Lads Kitchen Afghan Street Food
- Big Bear Burgers
- Bratwurst
- Chicken and Blues
- Chuck Wagon Kitchen
- Clarks Kitchen Halloumi Fries
- Crepe Salut Savoury
- Dorset Pizza Kitchen
- Duckilicious
- Flying Fillet
- Korean Corndogs
- Loaded Fries
- Mac n Cheese
- Montien Thai
- Oh Babu
- Panda Noodle House
- Pizza Fest
- Pulled Pork Burgers
- The Bao Beast
- The Burger Kitchen
- The Dog House
- The GREEKery
- The Lentilist
- UGBC Burgers
- Uncles Braai
Those looking for something sweet could choose from ice cream, gelato, doughnuts, churros, waffles and crepes.
Dessert and drink traders included Bournemouth Ice Cream, Cheeky Fox Churros, Crepe Roulette Sweet, Freemans Coffee & Donuts, Gelato Scoop Ice Cream, Little Donut Deli, The Waffle House, Velvet Flame, Rose Gold Coffee and Shanty Spirits Cocktails.
The variety meant families could find something familiar for younger children while adults sampled food they might not normally try.
Long communal tables and open spaces around the food stalls also helped create a sociable atmosphere, with people taking time away from the stages to eat, relax and enjoy the sunshine together.
Perfect weather beside Poole Harbour
The weather completed the experience.
Saturday reached approximately 24C, while Sunday climbed to around 25C to 26C during the afternoon.
Festival-goers were able to relax on the grass, enjoy food outdoors and move between the stages without the rain and mud normally associated with the less glamorous side of British festivals.
Sunday was particularly memorable, with warm sunshine continuing into the evening as Kaiser Chiefs prepared to close the weekend.
Combined with the harbour backdrop, it was difficult to imagine a better setting for a summer festival.
The blue skies, warm temperatures and sparkling water helped turn an already impressive event into a truly quintessential British summer celebration.
A festival Dorset should be proud of
Poole Harbour Festival deserves enormous credit for creating an event that felt ambitious without losing its friendly, local character.
It brought major artists to Dorset, supported local performers and traders, entertained children and created a welcoming environment for people from virtually every generation.
There may be larger and more fashionable festivals elsewhere in the country, but few can offer the same combination of live music, family entertainment, international street food and views across Poole Harbour.
For one glorious weekend, Baiter Park represented the very best of the quintessential British summer.
It was sunny, sociable, slightly eccentric and filled with songs almost everyone knew.
Most of all, it reminded local residents exactly why they should be proud to be British and proud to call Dorset home.
Congratulations to everyone involved
Events of this size and complexity do not happen by accident.
Months of planning, organisation and hard work are required to bring together performers, staging, security, food traders, family entertainment, facilities and thousands of visitors across an entire weekend.
The organisers deserve huge congratulations for delivering such an enjoyable, welcoming and well-run tenth-anniversary festival.
Credit should also go to the volunteers, production crews, security teams, performers, food traders, entertainers and everyone else who worked behind the scenes to make the weekend possible.
Every element combined to create something genuinely special for Poole and the wider Dorset community.
Poole Harbour Festival has firmly established itself as one of the highlights of the South Coast’s summer calendar, and its tenth anniversary demonstrated just how far the event has come.
Here’s to many more years of sunshine, music, great food and the quintessential British summer beside Poole Harbour.
Lineup and vendor information was compiled from the official Poole Harbour Festival programme and published festival schedule. Performance times and advertised appearances were subject to change.
