Party after 40! Festivals for ‘gravers’
Gravers, get ready! — Never too old to party!
Have you heard of the term "graver"? It’s considered an endearing term for ‘people of a certain age’ who still love to dance to electronic music and frequent the odd rave or two! There are many of us still about; we are tipping fifty but not quite ready for the pipe and slippers just yet. With many super-star DJs currently being revered by twenty-somethings well into their fifties or over sixty (think Carl Cox 60, Fat Boy Slim 59, and David Geutta 55), no one is telling them to step away from the decks, nor should we be told to put the glow sticks down. Luckily, there are lots of great graver-friendly festivals cropping up, ideal for the more discerning clubber, offering proper glamping facilities, creche areas, grown-up cocktail bars, wellness spas, and gourmet food. Here are some of the very best to choose from this summer.
Beyond The Pale, Wicklow, Ireland
Beyond The Pale is a 5000-capacity music, art, and food festival that began in 2022 at the Glendalough Estate in Co. Wicklow. They started out big with a brilliant line-up, including Four Tet, Orbital, and Irish electro swing giant Kormac. This year sees Grace Jones, Hot Chip, and Leftfield among the big acts. At just over an hour from Dublin, it’s easy access, but there’s a catch. Beyond the Pale is a camping festival only. This means they do not sell day tickets, so your full commitment is required! It’s a decent but manageable-sized festival, (compare its capacity to the monstrous 70,000 capacity of Electric Picnic) and they host several different areas focusing on wellbeing, massage, and yoga (The Space Beyond) and food demos and discussions (Beyond the Plate). Tickets are almost sold out, but there are still some last-tier tickets available. www.itsbeyondthepale.ie
We Out Here festival is now in its third year, and as in previous years, radio 6 DJ Giles Peterson will curate 2023’s August bank holiday proceedings from the lush forestland of Wimborne St. Giles, Dorset.
It promises to join the musical dots between soul, hip-hop, house, Afro, electronica, jazz, and beyond and will showcase both outstanding live music and some of the best record collections in the world. Joining those dots will be Rosin Murphy, Goldie, Roni Size, Mr. Scruff, Kruder and Dorfmeister, to name a few.
Giles Peterson says of his award weekender
“I’m very excited for summer 2023 now. We’ve added over 100 musicians and DJs to this year’s lineup, featuring some of my favourite acts right now and exciting new talent on the scene today. There's even more to come over the coming weeks as we continue the warmup to We Out Here Festival 2023!”
With last year’s festival getting a five-star review from the Guardian and one of the headliners, drum’n’bass veterans Fabio and Grooverider, stating that We Out Here is “one of the best”, three years in, We Out Here has gained a strong following that many of its peers could stand to learn from.
Tickets starting £69 for one day £210 for weekend www.weoutherefestival.com
Ryan Air flies direct from Dublin to Bournemouth from E70
Convenanza, Carcassonne, France
The celebrated and hugely respected DJ Andrew Weatherhall passed away suddenly in 2020. Luckily for his devoted fans, he left behind an incredibly prolific legacy. Hundreds of hours of recorded DJ sets, more than twenty years worth of published music, and a boutique electronic music festival set in the French fortified city of Carcassonne. 2022 was the first year for the festival to run without its creator, Weatherhall, and Belfast man David Holmes took up the mantel as the headline act. Holmes proved the perfect choice to emulate Weatherhall’s all encompassing style. Of course, David Holmes is a legend in his own right, with decades of releases and several Hollywood blockbuster film scores to his credit, so he was always going to do it his way. What marries these two DJ giants is their undeniable appreciation for all music, which you can hear in their Dj sets. You can pick out influences of northern soul, two-tone, acid house, and disco from everything Weatherhall and Holmes have done. Holmes is back headlining 2023’s proceedings, so expect that eclectic electronica mix throughout Convenanza’s unique weekender. This is the festival’s 10th anniversary, so Weatherhall’s loyal fans and friends will be going the extra mile. www.covenanzafestival.com
Ryan Air flies direct from Dublin to Carcassonne airport from E45.