In just three days’ time, Kaleidoscope Festival is back.
The one-day Ally Pally music bonanza has a stonking line-up including Orbital, Happy Mondays, The Cuban Brothers and Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon.
And with tickets still available for purchase, this could be the weekend event you’ve been looking for.
So, here’s everything there is to know: who’s playing, when they’re playing and how to get tickets.
Where is Kaleidoscope Festival taking place?
It’s taking place at Alexandra Palace, aka Ally Pally. It’s just a six-minute walk from Alexandra Palace train station and 15 minutes’ walk from Wood Green tube station.
Who is playing?
Headlining this year’s festival are legendary electronic music duo Orbital and veteran Madchester outfit Happy Mondays.
70-year-old reggae luminary David Rodigan will also be playing on the outdoor stage, as will Welsh singer-songwriter Charlotte Church (with backing from her 10-piece post-punk-disco-RnB band) and pop rockers The Magic Numbers. The House Gospel Choir will open the outdoor stage with their mix of feel-good house, gospel and garage songs.
As if that wasn’t enough, then there are five other areas and stages to enjoy. There’s the Fringe Stage, where The Cuban Brothers will be playing after sets from comedians Dom Joly, Huge Davies, Jessica Fostekew, Sindhu Vee and Ed Byrne. Plus there’ll be a conversation with famed record label owner Alan McGee.
The Cloud 10 DJ Stage will open with music from Walrus FM DJs, followed by Craig Charles’s Funk & Soul Show, hip hop turntablist DJ Yoda, and sets from musical duo Zero 7, PBR Streetgang, and Crazy P Soundsystem.
Midnight Moon Hotel is the next area of shenanigans, where live music and cabaret will be going on throughout the day in the palace’s Victorian basements.
Then there’s The Bandstand, with blues dance music band The Black Kat Boppers, genre-mashers The Voodoo Tweed Cult of Your Mum, ukulele and guitar group The Dimmocks, alternative Americana outfit Norton Money and brass band New Car Smell.
Finally, there’s The Playground, an area hosting family acts and activities throughout the day. There’ll be an arts and craft area, a disco fire truck, sports, space raves, a Mini Land Rovers course, plus a performance from the Beautiful Magicians’ Club.
What are the stage times?
The festival will open at 1pm and will end no later than 10.30pm. Here’s a full rundown:
Hilltop Stage
- House Gospel Choir - 2pm
- The Magic Numbers - 3.15pm
- Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon - 4.30pm
- David Rodigan - 5.40 pm
- Happy Mondays - 7.10pm
- Orbital - 8.45 pm
The Fringe Stage
- Alan McGee In Conversation - 2.20pm
- Huge Davies - 3.15pm
- Jessica Fostekew - 3.40pm
- Sindhu Vee - 4.05pm
- Ed Byrne - 4.30pm
- Dom Joly’s Holiday’s Snaps - 5.10pm
- The Cuban Brothers - 6.30pm
Cloud 10 DJ Stage
- Walrus FM DJs - 1pm
- Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show - 2pm
- DJ Yoda - 3.30pm
- Zero 7 - 4.45pm
- PBR Streetgang - 6pm
- Crazy P Soundsystem - 7.15pm
Midnight Moon Hotel
All day, from 1pm until around 8pm.
The Bandstand
- The Black Kat Boppers - 1.30pm
- The Voodoo Tweed Cult of Your Mum - 3pm
- The Dimmocks - 4.30pm
- Norton Money - 6pm
- New Car Smell - 7.30pm
The Playground
All day, from 1pm until around 7pm.
Are there any tickets left?
Yes! Happily, if you fancy going there are still some tickets up for grabs.
How do I buy tickets to the Kaleidoscope Festival?
They are available here, from the Kaleidoscope festival website. Adult tickets are currently £65.30, for children aged five to 15 it’s £33.40, and for children under five years old, it’s £7. Family tickets, which cover two adults and two five to 16-year-olds, are £174.20.
Unfortunately, accessible tickets are now all sold out.
Extra things to know
Buggies are allowed in but there will be no ‘buggy park’ facility in operation.
From 4pm, parents will be able to leave and re-enter the festival so they can take their children home before returning for the evening’s festivities. If this is you, just make sure that you are back on site by 8.30pm.
Parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for blue badge holders, but otherwise there is no public parking in and around the festival so event organisers are encouraging people to arrive by public transport if possible.
There is an accessible viewing platform which looks out toward the main stage and there are accessible toilets in different spaces across the festival. More about accessibility can be found here on the festival’s website.
