Created by a team of rave enthusiasts with the desire to challenge convention within today’s festival and club circuit, Forbidden Forest have announced their return to Donington Park on Sunday, the 6th of May. As the very first festival of the season, the boutique day party is spread across a number of woodland spaces that are steeped in acid house history and will host an impressive selection of UK acts that span the dance music spectrum across house, techno, and bass.
First up are Manchester duo Solardo, who have been championed by Forbidden Forest since the festival’s inception in 2016 and perfectly embody the brand’s buzzy ethos. Joining them on the Kaluki stage are the likes of Darius Syrossian and fast-rising talent Detlef, with techno stalwart Alan Fitzpatrick as a special guest. The festival’s Kooky stage will see Birmingham’s Hannah Wants at the helm, with high-energy talent such as Sonny Fodera, Danny Howard, Gotsome and Jess Bay also on board. Leading bass imprint UKF are confirmed to host The Abby stage for another year, backed by Wilkinson, Hype B2B Hazard, The Prototypes, Barely Legal and Kove. Meanwhile, bass line and garage innovator DJ Q headlines back-to-back with bassline legend Jamie Duggan in The Reactor area, hosted by the midlands bass ambassadors Beastwang.
With previous editions successfully selling out, Forbidden Forest runs for a solid 12 hours and has quickly made its mark as an inclusive party with a distinct DIY attitude that’s reminiscent of the original UK house scene. Its’ location in Donington Park was once the host of iconic rave promoters Fantazia, who held their largest-ever rave within the grounds back in July 1992. It’s an ideal choice for Forbidden Forest’s vision to stage a festival that goes beyond the classic warehouse and tent set-up. An intimate, creative and enchanting addition to the summer calendar, the surrounding areas of Leicester, Sheffield, Manchester, Derby, Birmingham and Liverpool are easily accessible via train, bus and coach, while the festival itself is just a 90 minute’s train ride from London.
Sounding the klaxon for the start of the festival season and waving the checkered flag to close, Forbidden Forest is certainly one to watch in 2018. Tickets for the May edition are on sale now, and as the event takes place biannually, it will return at the end of summer – with more details to follow.
Tickets available here: http://forbidden-forest.co.uk/tickets
FestPop Staff Writer, Azita Lotfi