Port Eliot isn’t your usual festival – it’s set in the beautiful grounds of an ancient mansion (one that’s been lived in for more than 1,000 years); it serves food created by top-class chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall; it holds a wide range of talks from highly-influential speakers, and there are even esteemed fashion designers on hand to create bespoke clothing for free. Then, if you want a true VIP experience, you have a couple of options. First up is staying in one of Yurtel’s classic bell tents [pictured]. These come with plush beds, actual carpet, flowers at your bedside and even chocolates on your pillow. Or, if you’d prefer something made of metal, you can stay in a huge Airstream, which is basically a giant 1970s-style caravan with fancy features and a lovely living space.
Airstreams from £2,000. For more info, visit airstreamfacilities.com
Bell tents from £450. For more info, visit yurtel.co.uk
V Festival has a huge range of different luxury options. Choose from glampers' favourite, Podpads (available in eight different styles accomodating two to six people and our favourite among the lot), giant cloud yurts (or smaller ‘squrts’), emperor suites, Airstreams, bedouins, gypsy caravans, wooden suite huts, more tents than you could shake a, er, tent pole at, and the top upgrade – an ‘ultimate’, which is essentially a house on wheels. The VStyle camping area also offers beauty pampering, 24-hour concierge, showers, and a late-night bar. Add that to the VIP area at the festival, which includes private bars, extra after-hours DJ sets, chill-out areas, fancy loos and a secluded lakeside or estate garden (depending on location) in which to relax and unwind, and you’re pretty much a king or queen for the weekend.
For more info, visit vfestival.com
For more info on Podpad options visit: podpads.com/
If muddy fields, overflowing toilets and a bunch of drunk, shouty idiots aren’t your thing, then you’ll probably find much to like at Henley Festival. Even without the VIP option, this is a festival for the more discerning fan, with the opportunity to watch big acts like Lionel Richie and Jessie J from a secure grandstand, or the option to sail down the river on a luxury boat. Take a VIP hospitality ticket, and it gets even posher – you can enjoy a champagne reception; a four-course dinner overseen by Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr; a complimentary bar; private hostesses, and a post-concert VIP area. Oh, and there are probably some nice toilets, too.
From £365 extra. For more info, visit henley-festival.co.uk or corporateentertainmentco.co.uk
We don’t blame you if you like festivals, but hate camping – we’ve all been there, waking up at seven in the morning, glistening with sweat, praying for a shower. Well, if you get yourself a Snoozebox, you’ll be up and fresh-faced in no time, ready for another day of debauchery. That’s because Snoozebox makes luxury portable hotels, and they’ll be making an appearance at a number of upcoming UK festivals, including Glastonbury, Download and Latitude. With Download’s RIP Metal Hotel package, you get a host of benefits including a proper bed, en-suite wet room, safe, and even a TV. This makes your mate’s rubbish tent look like, well, a rubbish tent.
From £999. For more info, visit snoozeboxhotel.co.uk
If you want proper pampering and a full OTT VIP experience, then Camp Kerala is a pretty solid bet. From luxury Shikar tents with full-service teams to spa treatments, high-end bars and restaurants with professional mixologists and chefs, and a free fancy-dress hut – it’s got all you need, and a lot you never realised you did. It’s basically like its own luxury village set away from the rest of Glastonbury, and if you’re keen on being treated like a VIP here, then there isn’t really any alternative.
From £8,225 (including tickets to the festival). For more info, visit campkerala.com
Anyone who has been to Bestival would say it’s a VIP festival in and of itself, looking as it does like something straight out of a fairy tale (the nice ones, not the scary ones, thank you very much Brothers Grimm). That said, there’s always room for a little more stardust, so why not upgrade to the Lucky Cat hospitality tickets, which give you unparallelled views of the main stage? What’s more, you can indulge in premium cocktails and table service as well as enjoying after parties and lock-ins with top DJs. Time to crack open the bubbly…
£450 (camping + ticket), or £150 (Lucky Cat bar-only upgrade). For more info, visit bestival.net
A trip to the Isle of Wight used to mean a bumpy boat ride followed by a bumpy car journey followed by a struggle to put up the tent in the wind. Not any more. Those who have visited either of the island’s festivals before will understand the horror of queuing for hours on end at the ferry terminal, something which seems to last longer than the festival itself. VIPs at IoW may now enjoy luxury boat transfers, a range of accommodation options and even helicopter transfers. Guests may choose from Wonderful Winni’s, Terrific Trailers, Comfy Cabins, Sleepy Huts, Yummy Yurts and Stylish Stardomes.
All come with their own mattresses, towels and bedding, as well as a full English breakfast. With a line up including The Prodigy, Fleetwood Mac, Counting Crows and Pharrell Williams, IoW 2015 looks pretty tasty.
For more info, visit alleventsvip.co.uk or flymenow.com
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” So said the 19th century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and so says Lovebox. Its VIP area has a theme this year: inspired by the vagabonds, miscreants and wanderers who infiltrated Paris’s gypsy quarters in the 1800s, one should expect the unexpected among the fading velvet and glittering mirrors. Novelty aside, VIP ticket holders get close-up access to the artists and fast-tracked entrance to the festival itself. Food comes in style, with restaurants including Hix and Bird. Music is the dish of the day, though, and VIP guests will enjoy artists and DJs normal ticket holders don’t. With the likes of Snoop Dogg in town, you wouldn’t want to be at Lovebox without going in style.
£138.50. For more info, visit loveboxfestival.com
A day in the park with a picnic is all well and good, but a VIP day in the park is a whole lot better, and Parklife has decided to go the whole hog. Curated by the award-winning Friday Food Fight, the VIP village here will have a number of shanty-town-style shacks, featuring some of the best food venues and street food vendors from Manchester and further afield. Jamie XX, Duke Dumont and Jungle are all on the line-up, so Parklife 2015 promises to be a great choice for VIP festival goers looking to eat some great grub and chill out to some fantastic tunes.
From £85. For more info, visit parklife.uk.com
With acts like Caravan Palace and Palma Violets, Secret Garden Party has had trouble keeping itself secret this summer, which is good for festival guests because otherwise it would be really hard to find. From a basic £40 wristband giving you access to luxury facilities and better loos to Suite Huts with comfy memory-foam beds, fresh linen daily and hot showers, Secret Garden Party is certainly a good choice for the VIP festival goer. Other options include yurts and gypsy caravans. What’s more, VIP guests have access to hot tubs and a salon. But shhhh, don’t tell anyone.
For more info, visit secretgardenparty.com
Our naughty little brothers at Festival Baby know a thing or two about festivals. And if you're a glamper not a camper, check out their recommendations for the top ten British festivals for living it up like a VIP. From concierge servies to spa treatments, to luxury, carpet-lined teepes, here are the festivals for those that are allergic to roughing it. Yurts at the ready…
Click through the gallery above to see to top ten British festivals for living it up like a VIP
