By the time you’ve read this, Best Kept Secret will need to change its name…

Hello there! Nice of you to join us today. I’m sure you’re wondering all about Best Kept Secret: what the upcoming edition has in store, whether it’s worth attending, and which artists you should be checking out if and/or when you’re there. So why this rather elaborate (and now really quite long) introduction before getting to the good stuff? Well I’ll tell you:

We at the Bristol Beats Club bloody love a festival. We’ve attended them all over the world. There’s something about the combination of sun, good music and scantily clad and heavily inebriated liberals that we simply can’t resist – especially as, often when we’re in attendance, we tend to unintentionally become heavily inebriated ourselves.

But this year, things are different. At least one of us here at Beats Club HQ has already faced matrimonial pressures from family elders. Twice. Another is considering emigrating to Texas (and, let us be clear: the two are unrelated).

Indeed, as both our rapidly disappearing hairlines and the above paragraph indicate, and as a drunk 14 year old rather offensively pointed out at a Reading festival a couple of seasons ago, we’re not getting any younger. We’re growing up. And that means festivals these days are taking a bit of a backseat.

Except, of course, for Best Kept Secret.

Because – and take note of this – Best Kept Secret really is no ordinary festival. At most festivals, you get mud.

But, thanks to a sandy, lakeside location, not with Best Kept Secret.

At most festivals, you get Taylor Swift.

But, again, not with Best Kept Secret.

And at most festivals, you get fun-loving festival goers skinny dipping at 3 in the afternoon to a soundtrack of indie or electro from a nearby bangin live artist.

Sorry – at one. And that’s at Best Kept Secret.

So, whilst the deterioration of the Bristol Beats Club’s communal body parts has forced us to take a more calculated approach to festival attendance for, Best Kept Secret remains a notable exception.

Why?

A whole host of reasons, actually. Starting with…

The line up

In our book, Best Kept Secret has become rightly renowned for its outstanding line up. And this year is no exception.

Big hitters such as Bloc Party, Editors and Beck take to stages interspersed with hotly tipped newbies in the forms of Blossoms, Rat Boy and some dude called Kelvin Jones.

Big name DJs (think Roman Flugel and Koreless) play long into the night. And this year’s edition is to be closed by Jamie xx.

alt-j in 2015. Jamie xx now. Has there ever been a more considered approach to a line up?

Continue reading: you’ll see what else is in store.

The location

Beaches are frequently overrated places. Attend and you’ll have the option of drinking salt or eating sand whilst you swim in an water that doubles as a public toilet – but Best Kept Secret overcomes all three.

These guys move the party to a rather idyllic lake, leaving the wind, the salt and the piss-riddled water elsewhere. And not one of those terrible lakes up in Scotland, either.

Nope, Best Kept Secret hold their party over in the Netherlands – and we all know what the Dutch are famous for….

Exquisite company and an upbeat outlook, you closed-minded child.

Although, you shouldn’t solely expect Dutch attendees. Being relatively central over on the continent, BKS attracts party-goers from its multitude of neighbouring countries – Californians have before now even made the trip.

Oh, and you can grab sex and drugs in Amsterdam on the way over, too.

The miscellaneous

There are a fair few more reasons to get excited about Best Kept Secret.

It’s so far the only festival we’ve come across to offer plumbed in toilets.

It offers pre-erected tents for the lazier amongst us. And gives journalists the chance to say ‘erected’ in previews.

The food at this place is metaphorically outstanding. The lovely people over at the juice bar will relieve your hangovers and any vendor in the foodie bit will line your stomach.

Beers at this place are actually affordable. And, come to think of it, wine even more so – that’s inside the arena, too.

Everything adds up to, just, a wonderful experience. So much so that, even at our age, we’re looking forward to Best Kept Secret.

From firsthand experience we can’t recommend it enough. Whatever you do, though, be sure to pack Euros.

The lowdown

Attend.

Bristol Beats Xx