Name: Riverside Festival
Where: Glasgow, Scotland
When: 26th – 27th May
Against the backdrop of the River Clyde and Zaha Hadid’s talismanic museum, Riverside Festival returns next month as Glasgow’s premier electronic music festival enters its sixth year. The festival has consistently gone from strength to strength, attracting sell out crowds from a city steeped in underground heritage.
Lineup:
Curated by Electric Frog and Pressure, 2018 ‘s lineup is truly something to behold. Glaswegian stalwarts Slam are joined on Saturday by the likes of Dax J, Dixon, Len Faki, Nastia, Patrick Topping, Paula Temple, Robert Hood, Rødhåd, and Sven Väth. Returning for another bite of the cherry on Sunday, Slam will bring this year’s festival to a close alongside Adam Beyer, Amelie Lens, Fatima Yamaha (Live), Four Tet, Green Velvet, Ida, Jackmaster, Joy Orbison, Leftfield (Live), Richie Hawtin, Saoirse and Skream – with more names to be added across the weekend.
Former Glories:
Particular highlights from last year included sets from Nina Kraviz, Groove Armada, and Scuba going back-to-back with George FitzGerald – but Riverside is a festival that has consistently punched above its weight with regards to the stature of past bookings. One of the core cogs behind the world-beating Slam machine, Dave Clarke, last year likened collating bookings for Riverside to “a game of Fantasy Football, you name who you want and see who you can get.” With this in mind, almost every star signing you can think of has graced the stages on the banks of the Clyde – while there’s every chance you can discover a new favourite selector warming up proceedings each day.
Also Look Out For:
Before heading onto the festival site each day, it would be a shame not to explore some of Glasgow’s West End – take in the sights of the Hogwarts-esque University grounds, the cobbled delight that is Ashton Lane, or soak up the sun (here’s hoping) in the Botanic Gardens or Kelvingrove Park. Official afterparties are once again taking place just a stone’s throw away at SWG3, with Slam, Sven Väth and Dax J confirmed so far.
Everything Else:
Riverside is a non-camping festival, with entry to the site opening at about midday on both the Saturday and the Sunday, with each day’s closing set finishing up about 10pm. Single day tickets are still available, with Saturday and Sunday prices currently at £55 and £60 respectively (plus booking fees). £110 +BF gets you entry to both days, with further ticket information and lineup day splits available here.
Words by Jonno Mack