Stepping into the hidden valley for the first time in three years was a fine sight for sore hands (thanks huge tent!) From the moment you enter, the friendly faces of all the staff and the warmness of those around you strikes you and warms your heart. Many cheery faces, reusable cup in hand, will gladly tell you fond memories of Nozstock’s from years past- one boy (now in his late teens) had first gone when he was five!

One of the first acts on the main, Orchard Stage was Manchester based Izzy Walsh- her delightful soft voice blends effortlessly tones of country, bluegrass, folk and Americana.

Later that night, Andy C lit up the Orchard Stage with quite possibly the best set of the entire weekend- the crowd was absolutely packed and saw a complete transformation from the sat down singers earlier on in the day. His set was absolute fire, 2 hours of pure dnb joy- and even saw a second secret performance by the legend himself at the Cubicles later that night.

During the day activities ranged from mushroom crafting to optical illusion workshops and paint fights- truly with enough on offer to have a little something for everyone to get involved with no matter age.

Hereford based Bare Jams played a great set during the day on Sunday and did a fantastic job, even managing to get severely tired looking Nozstockers jumping around on their feet.

Walking around the valley, don’t be surprised to see performers crawling around like cavemen spiders, or mimes inspecting your bags. All the while, make sure to explore every corner and stage. The cabinet of lost secrets entry is by crawling through a fireplace! The Laughing Stock held some great comedy performances over the weekend, with one man even stripping back to his birthday suit for his finale. The more you embrace this festival, the more you will warm to it and all there- and definitely be wanting to come back next year.