10 Reasons to Check out Bluedot Festival This Year

10 REASONS TO VISIT BLUEDOT FESTIVAL

With only a few weeks to go until Bluedot Festival, if you’re still thinking about heading to Jodrell Bank from the 18th – 22nd July, it’s not too late to grab some tickets still. With an incredible line-up and a variety of things to do, Bluedot Festival 2019 might just be the best year yet.

Bluedot’s versatile line-up is the perfect place to spend your weekend. Whether you’re looking for something to do with your other half, friends or family here’s why Bluedot Festival shouldn’t be missed…

1. Amazing headliners
This year headliners include Hot Chip, Kraftwerk (who are performing their 3D tour as a UK exclusive and I’m looking forward to the song I linked). 80’s legends New Order (a big hooray from my husband who’s an 80’s boy!), will be closing the festival on Sunday night! Plus tons of other artists and DJ’s set to perform across the weekend.

2. Enjoy fascinating talks with Britain’s First Astronaut
Helen Sharman became the first British Astronaut (AND the FIRST woman on the Mir space station) in May 1991 when she launched on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. She then spent 8 days orbiting the Earth. In her Dot Talk, she will share her fascinating experience from land to air to space.

There will also be a selection of other talks from Liz Bonnin (TV presenter and biologist), Extinction Rebellion (climate and biodiversity movement) and Professor Jim Al-Khalili (famed TV presenter and physicist).

3. Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing
Bluedot Festival is all about science and cosmic culture, so there’s nowhere better to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing than Bluedot itself! There will be various opportunities to celebrate all things space. This includes the chance to stargaze alongside cosmic experts. They will be on hand to guide you through the nights’ sky.

I can assure you watching the planets and stars from a professional telescope is truly amazing! Last year I almost hyperventilated when I got to see the rings of Saturn! Mars was bright red last year during this period.

4. Bluedot’s Sustainabilty Programme
The great thing about Bluedot is their passion for the environment. They’re always working to create a more sustainable space for festival goers. This year they have introduced a new sustainability programme for 2019. All of our wristbands will be made from recycled materials. They’ve also banned single-use plastics and also introduced a cycle scheme where festival attendees can ride their bikes canal side to Jodrell Bank. Hooray to this initiative!

5. Family-friendly Atmosphere
Not only does Bluedot cater to adults, it also caters really well for the little ones! For those aspiring scientists or cosmic explorers, there will be a selection of intergalactic family areas which are full of cool science shows and hands-on activities. This is including the opportunity to make your own waxwork alongside Aardman, the creators of Wallace and Gromit! My children are certainly looking forward to this bit!

They also thoroughly enjoy the many ‘exploding’, slimy, sandy, wacky and fun experiments available throughout these 3 days. For those kids who are into their Minecraft etc, my 2 younger ones love the robotics and coding section.

6. Iconic Setting for a Festival
Bluedot is held in the beautiful location of Jodrell Bank, in Macclesfield. For over 70 years, it has been a world-leading science institute, exploring and understanding the Universe. Who wouldn’t want to dance the night away under the iconic setting of the Lovell telescope, all lighted up in dancing lights?

7. Great Value for Money
Compared to other festivals which I equally love, Bluedot is extremely affordable! Full weekend tickets are priced at £189.25 and children’s weekend tickets start from £27.50. This means it’s a great opportunity to enjoy music, science and exploration activities together as a family.

8. It’s Suitable for Everyone
Whether you’re a lover of science, music or arts and culture, Bluedot festival accommodates everyone. For lively panel discussions, head over to the number of Dot Talks which are led by a number of industry professionals. The talks are so interesting, that queues were snaking around the tent last year!

For live performances, pay a visit to the Contact venue. We’ve had so much fun watching some crazy performers and laughed our bellies out with some comedians. For those looking to get your hands dirty, there’s plenty of interactive science experiments to get involved with. For the music lover, sing your heart out and dance your feet away to some top headliners.

9. Cashless Payments
This year, Bluedot has introduced their BluedotConnect, a cashless alternative to payments at the festival. Your wristband will enable you to pay in all the bars and stalls, as well as being able to log in to DotTalks and performances.

You can also create a bespoke ‘Misson Log’ which will log your entire weekend and content/highlights will be sent to you after the festival, so you can explore beyond the festival weekend. This, I’m looking forward to experiencing as a yearly thing.

10. BBC Sounds as a Partner
Bluedot have announced their partnership with BBC Sounds for the entire weekend. ‘6 Music’ presenters Shaun Keaveny and Radcliffe & Maconie will be bringing their shows to the festival, featuring live music performances, artists interviews and guests hosts.

BBC Education is also attending the festival and will be capturing the careers of people in the music industry for BBC Bitesize. Along with BBC Music Introducing, Bitesize will highlight the many and varied careers on offer in the music industry today. 
 
BBC North West will be filming at Bluedot for an episode of regional current affairs series Inside Out which will celebrate the role Jodrell Bank and the Lovell Telescope played in the historic Apollo Moon Landing 50 years ago. This film will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in the year.

Bluedot Festival truly is not to be missed this summer! There are still last-minute tickets available which can be purchased at https://www.discoverthebluedot.com

Ar’nie Krogh aka The Goddess Style mum

This festival is where I have camped next to a mental health nurse and a professor of zoology. I have also jostled in the crowd with a green-haired punk, who turned out to be the head engineer for Rolls Royce Aviation engine! I have had many an interesting talk with a rasta-haired, glitter-covered young man who I found out was doing a PhD in quasars and pulsars!

Check out my earlier blog post about my personal experience last year coupled with a YouTube vlog of that fun weekend. Click the link here for 2018 Bluedot Festival with my family.

Here are some pictures from last year to entice you to come join me!

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