Underage Festival

Why should I go?
You won’t need a fake ID.

Any interesting titbits of information?
It’s the world’s first festival exclusively designed for under-nineteens. Parents aren’t even allowed on site.

The little festival that could, Underage is the brain child of Sam Kilcoyne, teenage son of Barry 7 from Add N to (X), who began running a series of under-18s clubnights in Elephant and Castle after being refused entry to a Buzzcocks gig. These nights gained momentum until in 2007 and the Underage festival was born in Victoria Park in East London.

Despite its youthful vintage (and youthful clientele), the festival boasts an enviably on-the-pulse line-up, as well as the chance for the punters to get involved: London record labels and sponsors BBC Switch all have tents. Whilst some of the bands might seem more like victims of NME trend-baiting than anything else, it is the place to go for up-and-coming electro, grime and folk. Recent years have seen The Teenagers, Johnny Flynn, Patrick Wolf, Crystal Castles, The Count and Sinden, and Florence and the Machine gracing the main stages. This year is no different, with headliners Mystery Jets recently announced. There is also a rare set from JME: have fun comparing his intelligent, sardonic rhymes with the now-defunct promise of local boy Tinchy Stryder, who has gone from being king of Bow to prime-time sell out in the past 12 months. Santigold, The XX and The Whip should also resonate with the teeny-boppers.

Ticket Price: £26.50 (+ booking fee).

Accommodation: It’s a day festival, so at least you don’t have tents to worry about.

Site Opening: 11am, Sunday 2nd August.

Capacity: around 10,000.

Stages: Conversemusic.co.uk, Artrocker, Topman Ctrl and Youth Music stage.

Travel: Nearest tubes are Mile End (District and Circle), Bow Road (District), Stratford (Jubilee) Bow Church (DLR) and Bethnal Green (Central). Overground stations in walking distance to Victoria Park: Hackney Wick (East London line), Cambridge Heath (National Rail) and Bethnal Green (National Rail). Buses 8, 309, 339, 388, D3, D6 and S2 all pass close to Victoria Park. See www.tfl.gov.uk for further details.