When: 9th – 11th June 2023
Where: Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire, England
Not long now! A fortnight, in fact, and then we’ll be heading over to the the idyllic surroundings of Kirtlington Park, the home of a splendid Georgian mansion with wonderful views looking right across a Capability Brown landscape and the Oxfordshire countryside. And if this second annual outing of the KITE Festival is anything like the inaugural event last June then we are going to be in for an absolute treat.
KITE Festival promises to be “a curated journey of cutting-edge debate and a rich programme of ideas with spectacular musical performances for audiences seeking an alternative festival experience” and just one look at this year’s line-up quickly affirms the accuracy of that description.
In terms of music, this year’s headliners are Hot Chip, Suede and The Pretenders, all firmly established artists who need no further introduction whatsoever. An incredibly strong undercard lists Candi Staton, Alison Goldfrapp, Baxter Dury, Sofia Kourtesis, David Holmes, DJ Paulette, and latest addition, Irish indie-pop sensation CMAT among its number, with a whole host of other great acts besides. The music is featured across KITE’s four music stages, the second of which is specially curated by the excellent London-based independent label, Heavenly Records.
And the Ideas element of the KITE Festival is every bit as exciting and a prospect and as hugely varied as the musical entertainment that will be on offer at this year’s event. Over the course of the weekend there will be the opportunity to hear a diverse range of high-profile individuals in conversation, from former Prime Minister, Sir John Major to George the Poet, author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek to co-founder of The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs; novelist, journalist and broadcaster, Elizabeth Day to the journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist, Alastair Campbell; and television writer, director, producer, Sally Wainwright to Hollywood icon, Dame Joan Collins, plus many more besides.
And as if all of that isn’t nearly enough, there is an incredibly strong Comedy line-up at KITE this year, including Alistair Green, Shazia Mirza, Kiri Pritchard McLean, Toussaint Douglass, Josh Berry plus many more great comedians who are guaranteed to keep you royally entertained.
Throw in the How To… sessions, including guidance on saying how you really feel, living fearlessly, owning the room, and writing a speech to name but four of these most informative events, various live podcasts, and the fantastic food and drink on offer at KITE then we are certainly being spoiled.
All the ticketing information for this year’s KITE Festival can be found HERE
Here is the highlights video from last year’s KITE Festival:
