Wilkswood Reggae 2023
Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets Now on Sale
Festival Dates Confirmed as Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd July 2023.
Following the overwhelming success of this year’s Wilkswood Reggae Festival, the organisers have confirmed the dates for next year as Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd July 2023. The festival will take place in its usual location at Wilkswood Farm in Swanage, Dorset. To keep the vibes and family atmosphere the same, the organisers have also confirmed that the capacity will remain unchanged at 2,500. Not surprisingly it was sold out this year, so don’t delay in getting your tickets for 2023.
Super Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale
Very limited Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets are already on sale on the festival website. Priced at £100 for a Weekend Adult Ticket and £50 for a Weekend Youth (under 3s are still free), these tickets offer a 33% saving on standard ticket prices. There’s only 400 Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets on offer, and once they’re gone, they’re gone, so book soon to bag a bargain.
Once the Super Earlies are sold out there will be a limited quantity of Early Bird Weekend Tickets priced at £120 for Adults and £60 for Youths before the remaining tickets go on sale at £150 and £75 respectively. There will not be any day tickets available this year as it is strongly anticipated that all Weekend Tickets will sell.
All Weekend tickets include three days admission to the main arena, three night’s camping and parking. Weekend campervan passes are an additional £30 per vehicle.
Extra Thursday Tickets Available
In addition, and following on from the success of the Bonus Thursday tickets this year, there will also be an extra festival day available for staunch reggae fans on Thursday 20th July. Tickets are priced at £30 for admission to the main arena and an extra night’s camping. The Bonus Thursday was originally offered free of charge as a small thank you to all ticket holders that retained their tickets from the Covid-cancelled 2020 and 2021 festivals. It proved a great success and was a perfect way for festival goers to ‘settle in’ with some lo-key live music, sound systems, food and drink before the crowds descended. So if you want to make your weekend into almost a week, book your extra festival ticket online. Tickets for Thursday are limited to 1,000 and are only valid when presented with a weekend ticket or to residents of the BH19 postcode area.
The line-up won’t be announced until the new year but the festival has built year-in-year on it’s line-up so you can be sure to see the very best in UK and international roots, dub, lovers, ska and ragga as well as an eclectic mix of acoustic, world, poetry and comedy. This year saw a heavyweight line-up include a rare live outing from Dennis Bovell, Twinkle Brothers, Mad Professor, Vivian Jones and Sandra Cross, Prince Fatty and the Queens of Lovers Rock, Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson. The soundsystem stage featured takeovers from Channel One Sound, Mungo’s Hi Fi and Sinai Sound who all appeared with their own custom rigs for the day.
Amazing Feedback
But most of all the festival is about kinship, harmony and sharing a common love of reggae. As organiser Dave Mountjoy explains, “Unlike larger festivals where you might chat to a stranger but never see them again, Wilkswood Reggae is a special place where you can bump into the same people throughout the weekend and you can strike up some real friendships. We’ve had some amazing feedback from this year’s festival from veterans and newbies alike and the overwhelming vibe is once you’ve been, you’ll keep coming back year on year, as much for the vibe as the great entertainment.”
The last three Wilkswood Reggae Festivals have now sold out, each sooner than the last and the word is spreading. So if you don’t want to be Alone in the Wilderness and want Natty Dread Taking Over, book your tickets soon.
