When we started planning Good Weekend two years ago, I don’t think any of us imagined that we would actually put on a music festival, never mind do it successfully. But we sold out of tickets, everyone turned up and had amazing time, and for us the weekend was better than we ever could have imagined.

Firstly, thank YOU for buying a ticket and making Good Weekend happen! All of the hard work becomes completely worth it when you see so many people making new friends and enjoying the music. We hope that you all keep in touch with each other, and you come back next year.

Thank you to our production team who were absolute stars. Despite never meeting each other before, they turned up and worked as a team solidly for a whole week without any moaning (even when it was completely freezing up at the Den at 4am!). Their hard work, fun and humour made so many lives so much easier, so massive thanks goes out to them!

Thank you to those of our stewards who worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure the smooth running of Good Weekend. Without you, everything would have fallen apart and we really appreciate that you gave up your weekend to come and help us out. There are too many names to mention, but you know who you are and we thank you.

Our bar staff, who took running out of alcohol (three times over the weekend!), power cuts, equipment breaking, and some truly cheesy music, completely in their stride. There were no complaints, and despite the hiccups, at the end of the weekend they were still having a great time and making sure everyone else did too!

Thank you to every single friend and family member that helped us out and supported us individually in the run-up to, and during, Good Weekend. The artwork, press, photos, filming, artist liaison and most importantly your belief in us, have all contributed to making this festival a success.

Thanks to the guys at Vicarage Farm for letting us use their beautiful site and being so helpful and accommodating both before, during, and after the festival.

Lastly, a personal thank you from me. Thank you to Gavin Davis, James Bacon, Ben Hodgson and Tom Bacon, for being such an amazing team to work with. People advise you against working with your friends, but these guys are amazing and it has been an absolute pleasure working with them over the past year. I look forward to working with them again soon.

Good Weekend has been an amazing first experience, but we’ve all arrived home with so many improvements to make and new ideas that this can only be the start of something exciting. We will be posting all of our photos and videos from the weekend here, but keep checking back over the next couple of months for updates on what we are up to next.

Bryony x

Good Weekend Here!

The stages are set up, the sun is shining and everyone is battling with their tents and enjoying the start of Good Weekend 2011.

Last night we had Jimi Needles, Monki, Parker and more on the main stage, while the second stage saw the likes of Fly Frankie Fly and the Pippa Marias.

Now it’s Saturday lunchtime, the sun is shining and we’re gearing up for a host of acts including Hot Fiction and Lulu and the Lampshades this afternoon.

We’ll try and bring you the sights and sounds of the festival throughout the day. Don’t forget we’re on Twitter at @gdwknd and there’s the #gdwknd hashtag as well, so make sure to tweet us and let us know how you’re enjoying this very very Good Weekend.

Although we have been quiet on the blogging front the past couple of months, it doesn’t mean that we haven’t been busy. In actual fact it’s been the opposite! The team has been extremely hard at work and with only a few days now until the site setup, they are getting the last few details in order.

We’re really excited about opening our gates and welcoming you to onto our beautiful site. We have some amazing acts lined up which we love, and we hope that you go away with some new favourite bands.

If you’re a festival newbie and not sure what to bring with you, here’s a few recommendations from some festival regulars:

• Tent
• Sleeping Bag
• Wet wipes (there are no showers!)
• Toilet Roll
• Suncream
• Torch
• Wellies (just in case!)
• Festival hat
• Sunglasses
• Fancy dress (we want to see as much dressing up as possible!)
• Camera
• Cash – don’t forget that we don’t have a cash point on site and you won’t be able to use your card at the bar, so remember to bring enough money with you for your food and drink!
• Glass isn’t allowed on site, so please decant any liquids into plastic bottles before arrival; otherwise they will be confiscated on entry!
• Fires are forbidden on site, so please don’t bring any BBQs.
• Oh and of course, the most important thing – your tickets!

So, start packing those bags – we’ll be waiting for you at Good Weekend!

On Saturday night, joining our stellar headliners Art Brut, plus Hot Club De Paris and Worship, we’re pleased to announce Kurran and the Wolfnotes. Described by NME as “the new school of Brit-Folk”, the band will bring their alt-folk sound to the main stage tent, with tracks such as Whatabitch and Your Four Limbs.

Following on from Mixed Bizness’ takeover of the main stage on Friday night, Saturday night will see main stage play host to Greco Roman Soundsystem. A DJ team led by Full Nelson, back-to-back with any of the Greco-Roman family, the Greco Roman Soundsystem is a condensed version of their experimental soundclash parties. The eclectic Soundsystem has played improvised sets at Glastonbury, Bestival, Fabric, Big Chill, Field Day, Bloc, and many, many more. Their marathon set at Good Weekend is guaranteed to get the Hampshire countryside shaking.

Nedry are a three-piece electronic act whose Ambient Indie-Dubstep sound been described as “Bjork meets Burial”. With a great response to their debut album ‘Condors’, a support slot for 65daysofstatic, and big praise coming from the likes of Radio 1′s Huw Stephens – with a BBC Maida Vale Session already in the bag – we’ve invited them down to Good Weekend to headline the second stage on the Friday night.

We’re also pleased to announce Apollo’s Arrows, Deadwax, Winterhours, Dead Social Club, Woman’s Hour and Virgin Soldiers. We’ll also have DJ sets from Jimi Needles, Priors & Rail, Liam Logik and Seb Marx.

They join our other recent announcements; Hot Club de Paris, Worship, Arp Attack, FlyFrankieFly, Anish K, and the many others that can be viewed in our full lineup.

All you have to do is purchase your Good Weekend ticket before June 10th and you’ll automatically be entered into the draw. If your name is picked out of the hat you’ll be given a £50 tab on the bar to spend during the festival.

With reasonably priced drinks – including our signature Good Weekend cocktail, a relaxed atmosphere, and DJs spinning tunes from a myriad of genres, the bar is set to be a great place to chill out and take a break.

The competition closes at 5pm on June 10th 2011, so get your ticket now to be in with a chance with winning!!

The legal bits:
- The competition will end on 10th June 2011 at 17:00 (GMT). Good Weekend (UK) Ltd reserves the right to change the entry deadline and timetable without reason.
- Good Weekend (UK) Ltd shall at it’s sole discretion select the winner from the prize draw using a random software selection algorithm.
- The draw will take place within 7 days of the competition end. The drawn name will be contacted, and announced as the winner upon confirmation of eligibility.
- Whilst the organisers will make all reasonable attempts to make contact with the winner, if contact details have been withheld during the purchase process or attempts to contact are unsuccessful, the winner will be redrawn.
- Persons under the age of 18 are not eligible to collect the prize.
- Employees of Good Weekend (UK) Ltd, their families and agents are not eligible to take part in the competition.
- Entrance to the competition is solely limited to paid ticket holders. Persons entering on crew, artist, guest list, press or concessionary/goodwill tickets will not be entered into the draw.
- Should an ineligible person be selected as the winner, an alternative name will be redrawn from the system.
- Good Weekend (UK) Ltd reserve the right to substitute an alternative prize of equal value. There is no cash alternative.

With a track called “Good Weekend” we sort of felt we had to get them along for our first year, and we’re pretty confident they’ll put on a hell of a show

Fresh out of the studio from recording their new album “Brilliant! Tragic!”, lead singer Eddie Argos says “With the writing for the last album I really enjoyed writing about mundane things trying to make them exciting. There were songs about riding buses, summer jobs and having songs trapped in your head. This time the album is more about how I think I’m psychic, songs for my funeral, the principality of ‘Sealand’ and ‘Axl Rose’.”

“Weightier topics, I think”.

We’ve still got more names to announce over the coming weeks – including our headline DJ on Saturday night – so keep an eye out on the lineup page, follow us on Facebook, and don’t forget to get your ticket!

On Friday night, Glasgow’s Mixed Bizness crew are packing up their decks and heading down South to take centre stage with a hand picked selection from their DJ stable. Where’s My Monkey producer Parker is joined by Solid Steel resident and Mixed Bizness head honcho Benny Boom, with Tru Thoughts’ Hint coming aboard to complete the sub-troubling trio. This is definitely a party not to be missed!

Take a wander up into the trees to the second stage and you’ll find Swedish indie-pop sensations Pippa Marias ready to get you hooked on their catchy electro riffs. Rinse FM’s Monki will be hitting the decks, and we have live Electronica in the form of Winchester’s JayetAl.

On Saturday we kick things off with acoustic folk from Rob Dunsford and local singer-songwriter Charlie Ayliffe, gently breaking you in to a full day of music from the likes of Lulu & The Lampshades, Flight Brigade, London indie-pop band Butterflies on Strings, Charlie & The Martyrs, Thee Ludds, and local boys Hold Your Horse Is playing their fast and energetic rock.

In the evening, main stage will play host to our headline bands and DJs, but we’re saving those announcements for a later date!

We’ve worked hard to ensure you’ll find a wide range of styles and genres on offer at Good Weekend. From folk, indie, pop and rock, to electro house, breaks, and dubstep – we can guarantee your feet won’t stop moving all weekend! Along with the more established acts, we are also proud to champion local talent and bring you new music from all over the UK and beyond. Take some time to explore our lineup, check out the artist profiles and listen to the tracks, we’re sure you’ll love what you hear!

Keep an eye out on the website for new additions to the lineup, as well as further lineup announcements and other festival news.

Their parties have made a major impact on the Glasgow music scene, but they also know how to take them on the road and Good Weekend are pleased to be welcoming them down to Hampshire in July.

Mixed Bizness Agency Manager and Resident DJ Benny Boom is also looking forward to bringing the party down south. “Everyone at Mixed Bizness is really excited to be involved in this year’s Good Weekend Festival. We love hooking up with like-minded music people and this one has a classic written all over it!”

Mixed Bizness represent some of the country’s leading DJs and producers, and their club nights have also played host to the likes of Annie Mac, Fake Blood, Rusko, DJ Zinc, Chromeo, and many other world renowned names.

With Hint bringing the house, garage and breakbeat vibes, Benny Boom hitting you with dirty bass from UK Funky to Dubstep, and Parker covering as many musical genres as he can fit into his set, from Funky Breaks to Drum & Bass and beyond, we’re confident you’ll find something to make you dance!

For more information on the Mixed Bizness DJs, and other artists appearing at Good Weekend, check out our Lineup.

In the heart of the Hampshire countryside, Vicarage Farm feels like a million miles from anywhere, but don’t worry because civilisation is not far away. The hamlet of Woodmancott is almost directly between Basingstoke (5 miles away) and Winchester (8 miles away) making it easily accessible by car, and any of the major public transport routes.

There is nothing better than getting to a festival site smelling the fresh air and feeling the grass under your feet. And when you arrive there will be plenty of space to kick back and enjoy your surroundings with wide open fields, and ancient woodland to explore and shade you from the summer sun. Rolling hills provide a natural distinction between the campsite and the arena, and offer you perfect views of the site.

So get your festival bags packed, head down to Vicarage farm, and enjoy the music in these wonderful surroundings!