Leading lights in the worlds of music, comedy, wellness and food and nature, are among those this week announced as part of Warwickshire’s ALSO24 Festival – celebrating this year’s theme of Heavenly Bodies.
Indie folk band Stornoway and comedian Sara Pascoe, head the impressive line-up for the UK’s most inspirational summer festival, once again taking place at Compton Verney.
Marking its eleventh year, ALSO24, on the weekend of July 12-14th, brings together performers and musicians, best-selling authors, celebrated scientists and experts in a variety of fields to create a much-anticipated ‘magical and immersive experience.’
Set in 50 acres of Capability Brown-landscaped and lakeside gardens, the event is billed as ‘a unique opportunity to reconnect with yourself and the world around you.’
Among those helping Stornoway set the stellar soundtrack for the summer are hotly-tipped Welsh singer-songwriter Edie Bens; experimental musician Jessica Winter; hip-hop funk and soul band Miya the Sun; Birmingham-based indie rock band Jet Black Orange; multi-instrumentalist James Walker and Latin and Brazilian-influenced soul and funk collective The Fontanas.
Dishing out the laughs alongside Sara Pascoe will be BAFTA-winning, best-selling writer and comedian Adam Kay; writer, broadcaster and satirist Nels Abbey; poet and novelist Salena Godden; TikTok sensation Marcel Lucont; and Rob Deering who puts some of the comedians on the spot in his live music-based comedy pop quiz – Beat This!
As always, ALSO24 gives festival-goers the opportunity to embark on weird and wonderful adventures, from sound baths and lantern making workshops to the Venus and Adonis ‘Love is Love’ procession. Or join leading vocal coach Juliet Russell (ITV’s The Voice) ahead of the Saturday Night Spectacular.
Be at one with nature or join in with a huge programme of wellness activities such as laughter therapy, fitness workshops, a Zen Ten Spa, fire yoga, moon yoga or floating SUP yoga, go wild swimming, paddleboarding, try painting meditation, sauna. Or journey through nature on a Bat Walk or delve into the mysteries of the cosmos at Astrology in the Orrery.
While families can choose from den building, a mini big safari, rocket workshop, raft building, messy play, circus school and character comedy workshop. And, for the first time, mum and dad can even take full advantage of their time there courtesy of a new Festival Nanny service!
Hear from No. 1 Sunday Times Bestselling psychotherapist Philippa Perry – in her only UK festival appearance this summer – and rock-star classicist and bestselling writer Natalie Haynes who re-introduces us to the stories of Greek Goddesses the way they were intended.
Glimpse the divine beauty of space with quantum theorist Professor David Tong; scream into the void with behavioural economist Dr Pragya Agarwal; or learn how hip-hop artists rewrote the rules of business with former banker–turned–hip-hop journalist Nels Abbey.
Discover the ways that astronomy has shaped civilisation with cosmologist Roberto Trotta, consider the next frontier (politics in space) with journalist Tim Marshall or explore the world of spirituality with bestselling author and journalist Catherine Nixey. Learn the science behind being social with award-winning journalist and author David Robson or make waves with a detailed look at longevity with Professor Sir Michael Marmot.
Be inspired by nature writer and New York Times bestseller Charles Foster, social philosopher Roman Krznaric, lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie, champion swimmer Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell and best-selling children’s author Andy Stanton on his collaboration with AI.
When you’ve satisfied your appetite for knowledge there’s plenty to entice foodies too under the auspices of award-winning resident chef James Wheltor. He will be cooking up feasts and set lunches, featuring exclusive menus over the festival weekend.
ALSO Festival’s Founder and Artistic Director, Helen Bagnall said: “Coming together to go wild in the wild each summer is what we humans are built to do and an essential part of a year lived well.
“ALSO is the next generation of festivals; highly immersive and truly experiential, with ideas threading through everything that we do.
“We make it effortless for our guests to engage with big, life-enhancing ideas and live a wild summer weekend in an extraordinary festival. So we are leaning in hard to the beauty in ourselves, in others, in the joy of festivals, the beauty of the site with our 2024 theme of ‘Heavenly Bodies’.”
Tier 1 Weekend Tickets (priced £137.50 for adults, £60 for children) and Day Tickets (from £20-£65) are now available here
Under 5s go free and there are concessions for those under 30 as well as family tickets.
Parking at ALSO is free but there are also a limited number of car passes available which allow vehicle access to the campsite. Campervan passes and Glamping options are also available.
About ALSO Festival
ALSO is the annual festival where ideas run wild. An immersive escape set in divine surroundings, ALSO-land features eccentric, playful, thought-provoking programming. It’s a place to get involved, reflect, be inspired and experience ideas through creating, experiencing and experimenting.
Perfect for friends and family alike, ALSO is the place for a transformative weekend filled with quality time, wining and dining in nature with the promise of experiencing something new.
ALSO appears like a magical mirage for one July weekend only in a site borrowed from nature, fauna, beasts, birds, mini-beasts and trees who call it home year-round before disappearing. Everything is built to be designed for the longtime – sustainability is our middle name.
Plus ALSO is an escape from retail, you don’t need to buy things but to experience things we offer only things to do and experiences to book, we love to work and support any businesses or founders or companies that have similar ethics.
