Nozstock. The small festival with a big impact took place on 21-23 July in a picturesque Herefordshire valley very near where some of the world’s best cider is made.

With 5000 people attending, the festival was big enough to attract huge international headliners such as The Sugarhill Gang, Seasick Steve and the Happy Mondays while retaining that magical small festival vibe so many love to seek out.

The festival has won multiple awards from having an outstanding attitude towards deaf and disabled people being able to enjoy the festival, to best festival in Herefordshire. Nozstock, in fact, was shortlisted in more categories in the UK Festival and Conference Awards 2016 than any other festival.

Bigger festivals may have glitz, glam and special effects, but Nozstock has heart and soul, and those who know, know that counts for a lot. Decor can be seen extensively around the festival site with no holds barred to quirkiness but it all seems handmade and largely created from recycled materials. 2017 saw two new areas arrive at the festival with the new Elephant’s Graveyard stage down near the lake and the very orange Prango hang out zone by the barns.

When most people were arriving onsite on Friday, the rains were pouring down from the grey Herefordshire skies. This didn’t stop staff from being cheerful as they were on hand to help people with parking, tents and tickets without a fuss. Queues were minimal and once everybody was on site and tents were set up, the atmosphere seemed to make everybody forget it was even raining. The fun nature from the imaginations behind Nozstock — a father and daughter team, Pete and Ella Nosworthy — became apparent during a stumble around the festival site.

The musical line up this year was particularly spectacular, with a balanced mixture of large and small names on the programme. Genres were varied, which gave a feeling that a large group of friends or family could all attend the festival together and no one would be bored. Rock and roll, pop, ska, funk, folk, soul, indie, drum’n’bass, house, psytrance, techno and even old school hip-hop all featured over the course of the weekend.

Friday

The first day of the festival may have been a soggy affair but it was just as generously leaking down party vibes from the heavens as it was water. Nozstock is a great place to go to discover new music, as they are passionate about giving up-and-coming musicians a platform. The morning kicked off with 23-year-old singer songwriter Westerman who blends fantasy with reality in his thoughtful lyrics. Later in the afternoon, Beans on Toast took to the stage to sing to his cult following about festivals, dodgy politics and going down the local pub. Friday night saw the arrival of the man that Nozstock has dreamed of hosting since before they began: Seasick Steve. Steve drew a lively crowd who swayed to the soulful sounds of his songs of heartbreak and sleeping rough.

Saturday

Saturday was somewhat drier and by the early afternoon, just about everybody had got up, shaken off their hangover and were busy getting down on the dancefloor. Oh My God! It’s The Church proved to be some hilarious Saturday afternoon entertainment as a not-so-traditional “religious” service was provided by the Right Reverend, Michael Alabama Jackson preaching about absinthe, gyrating and sexy bottoms. Oh My God! It’s The Church! Will make you want to sin, sin and sin again, just for the cleansing power of repenting, of course. Another Nozstock all-time dream came true when The Sugarhill Gang stormed the main stage as the headline act on Saturday night. The songs were classic, the outfits were funky and absolutely everybody was going nuts dancing to it.

Sunday

The closing day of the festival was fantastic for discovering small bands. Hannah Peel, who has been labelled as the next big thing by BBC6 Music, played the lunchtime set with her quirky pop sound. The Noble Jacks got the evening started with their fun, high-octane alt-folk. Ferocious Dog, played their fantastic Celtic folk-punk songs. Their political twist on things addressed everything from racism in the time of Ruby Bridges to the persecution of new age travellers at the Battle of the Beanfield. To finish what many described as one of their all time favourite festivals, the Happy Mondays only came and played a gig. After some kinky afro grooving, some slightly muddy, very sparkly 72 hour party people had to send themselves to bed. The fun may have been over for another year but the glitter lasted all week, whether we wanted it to or not. Next year is Nozstock’s 20th birthday and the organisers have promised the best year yet.