Last weekend, whilst most of the UK took to warm beds, donning onesie’s and sipping hot chocolate after surviving the first week back in lectures, over 80 Beats and Bass society members braved the snow to experience the second Bugged Out Weekender festival, nearly tripling Exeter’s representation from last year.
Disregard any judgments about the fact that it was held in the notorious Butlins, Bognor Regis; it was genuinely one of the best festival venues we have ever experienced. With plush comfortable beds, intense heating(!), TV’s, showers and room service for those lucky enough to stay in the new hotels, it’s akin to summer festivals ‘posh camping’, apart from the fact that it all comes as standard. The conference centres and entertainment theatres transform into a range of differently styled clubs, from intimate rustic venues, to those with ceiling-high speakers and superclub-esque capacity. Boasting top class Funktion One sound systems and atmospheric visuals, the only thing that might have given away their original purpose were the carpeted floors.
Although there were elements of a festival including that of Sunday’s ‘Acid House’ fancy dress (think smiley faces, tie-dye, boiler suits…) and ‘Rave Karaoke’, what Bugged Out Weekender actually resembles is more of a clubbing ‘mini-break’, where the average waking time is 1pm. It would be safe to say that on this particular weekend, Butlins evolves into a giant playground for us electronic music lovers and genuinely, what could be better than that? With a Burger King open round the clock a crawling distance away from bed, and the indoor water park blasting the sound selections of our beloved Beats and Bass resident Ollie Norman behind the decks, even the most fragile-feeling person was able to attempt a jump down the water slides or a rummage in the ball pools. For those who were too scared to brave the freezing walk home with wet hair, ten pin bowling and a vast array of arcade games with ridiculous prizes were also on offer.
At prices ranging from £149 pp for standard rooms up to £199 pp for the VIP hotel (and that’s not even taking into account student discounts!), even the most anti-festival goers will love Bugged-Out Weekender! No mud, no bedtimes, and the most amazing weekend of your life – why wouldn’t you go?
The best thing we found about this little gem of a festival is the ease of everything that surrounds it. Getting to Bognor is simple. You end up staying with large groups of your friends in deluxe accommodation. And best of all, it is only a short walk to the arenas to see the world’s best electronic music DJ’s from the Chemical Brothers, garage legend DJ EZ, house maestros Dusky, dubstep ace Mala to the throw-in-a-little-bit-of-everything DJ’s Oneman and Jackmaster. Alongside these legendary names one of our main highlights of the weekend was Eats Everything whose opening set on the final night was magnetic. If you aren’t already a fan of this man he is definitely one to watch!
To sum it up, Bugged Out has it all; cheap accommodation (the festival ticket is included in the price!), the best possible venue, and an atmosphere that is first rate. We can honestly say that there is no other festival like it! If you like the sound of it and missed out this year, not to fret, Bugged Out Weekender 2014 will be back in force next January.
We would also like to give special mention to Beats & Bass resident Simon Whitehead who made it to the final of the Weekender DJ Competition. We are oh-so proud!
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