Summer Break: The Student’s Festival

With exams looming and a significant waste of revision time over Easter in the back of all our minds, summer seems a long way off. But fear not, Nottingham, because HerCampus has found the top event to say ‘Goodbye’ to lectures and see the holidays in with a bang!

Summer Break is the UKs answer to the States’ Spring Break – a 4 day student-friendly festival/all-day-party in Newquay that kicks off just after exams finish (9th – 13th June). Newquay, Cornwall is a top holiday destination for all ages and Summer Break take control of a whole beach for us students and our 18+ friends.

Now, I was a bit sceptical about Summer Break at first, particularly because the price seemed a little too good to be true (£49pp for camping or from £79pp for a caravan). So here’s my impartial review!

Summer Break is first and foremost a music festival, so the line-up is crucial. This year headliners include Radio 1 DJs MistaJam and Danny Howard as well as drum and bass DJ Shy FX and Fake Blood, an electro DJ who’s biggest hit I Think I Like It is a real earworm. If you like dance music then Summer Break is undoubtedly your kind of thing. The line-up isn’t anywhere near on a par with the likes of Creamfields, V-fest or Reading and Leeds, but for the price of tickets this is to be expected.

One of the biggest appeals of Summer Break in comparison to the bigger festivals is the range of activities they put on when the music isn’t playing. It is here that it becomes more of a holiday than a festival. All day beach parties complete with party games and BBQs take place throughout your time there, and it is all kicked off with a pool party on arrival day. For your money you also get free entry to 3 different club nights. For between £15 and £25 you could also find yourself abseiling, zip-lining, coasteering or having a surfing lesson! There is a lot included and plenty extra if you want to splash that student loan about a bit. The only hidden cost I’ve found is shuttle buses, which Summer Break recommend you pay the £15 fee for, saving you paying for taxis to and from clubs. If you’re planning on taking full advantage of all of the events they’re putting on, it’s probably worthwhile getting this as we all know how expensive taxis can be!

Summer Break have catered for every type of student; if you like sports, there is plenty of opportunity to show off your talent on the beach. If you like showering(!) then hot showers, proper toilets and plugs ready and waiting for your GHDs are provided for everyone, campers and caravaners alike! If you want to cook for yourself, BBQ pits are available, or if you want to be catered for there are restaurants and cafés as well as the traditional festival burger vans.

For this price, I think Summer Break is something you don’t want to miss out on. If you want to avoid driving or getting the train there, coaches are put on from Nottingham (£59 return) – so no worries about sobering up before the journey home!

Tickets available (for Nottingham students or otherwise) at: http://www.summerbreak.co.uk/NottsUniDoesSummerBreak

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• Nottingham nightlife