The sun shone, the rain stayed away, the bass made your legs wobble and even the neighbours that turned up to complain about the noise decided to stay.

The first Carnival in the Barn held at Wilkswood Farm in Swanage turned just perfect. Revellers that had been cooped up by Covid for the last 18 months found it was the perfect way to emerge blinking in the sunlight. A strict low-capacity crowd meant that there was plenty of room for everyone to safely skank over the whole bank holiday weekend. And the sense of freedom and friendly vibes were felt by festival goers, artists and staff alike. This really was a happy place.

Saturday saw Unique Star and Birmingham’s One Nation Soundsystem take over the sound system into the late evening and they were the perfect way to start the weekend. Sunday saw the might One Channel Sound take over the barn, complete with their own carnival rig. The bass was deep and the feelings were high as the barn was shook to its rafters. Sunday took a more relaxed vibe with a showcase set from Countryman Sound and an exclusive set from Prince Fatty featuring Shniece and Horseman.

The overwhelming opinion was that was a good time was had by all (as the photos below testify) and it was a fitting late-summer consolation for having to cancel the Wilkswood Reggae Festival for a second year. Existing ticket holders that had agreed to roll their tickets over to next year were given free admittance for one of the three days as a small way to say thanks. The consensus was that it was appreciated and organisers are looking at holding similar events again in the future.

Until next time, check out some of the images from the weekend.