{"id":105754,"date":"2025-08-19T12:44:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T11:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=105754"},"modified":"2025-08-26T08:32:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T07:32:09","slug":"arctangent-festival-2025-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/arctangent-festival-2025-review\/","title":{"rendered":"ArcTanGent Festival 2025 – Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I spent four days at ArcTanGent Festival 2025 in Somerset, here\u2019s what I ate, who I saw, and why I\u2019ll definitely be back next year.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last weekend I made my way to ArcTanGent Festival 2025, held at Fernhill Farm just outside Bristol. Nestled in the Somerset countryside. You go from driving through rolling fields to suddenly, you\u2019re in this self-contained little world where it\u2019s all about music, food, and community. It\u2019s not the kind of festival where you feel overwhelmed by scale, instead, ArcTanGent is compact, super accessible and carefully put together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit – @abbidraperphoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ArcTanGent has been running since 2013 and has grown into one of the UK\u2019s most respected alternative music festivals. Unlike other UK music festivals, ArcTanGent has always been able to successfully create a wholesome and passionate community with an event that many told me is the highlight of their gigging calendar. The focus at Arc is on genres that sometimes get overlooked, such as: math rock, post-rock, progressive and technical metal, experimental electronica, and other corners of alternative music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit – @JezPennington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What makes it stand out is not just the lineup, but also the way it caters to a crowd that genuinely cares about discovering new sounds. The people who come to ArcTanGent are usually music die-hards and that creates a different kind of atmosphere. It\u2019s friendly, engaged, and there\u2019s a sense that everyone is there because they really want<\/em> to be, I met some really lovely and cool people all throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Layout and first impressions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Credit – @JezPennington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The festival ran from Wednesday to Saturday (August 13\u201316), with four main stages: Yohkai, Bixler, PX3, and the Main Stage. All main stages are located in the same arena so you never had to trek across fields to catch back-to-back sets. It sounds like a small detail, but it massively improved the flow of the weekend. I could leave a set at Yohkai and be at PX3 in under two minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main arena also contained the food stalls, bars, merch tents, and general store, meaning everything was within reach. The compact design kept the vibe cosy and vibrant and avoided that \u201clost in a maze\u201d feeling that can come with larger festivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food and drink<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019ve been to plenty of festivals where food options can be limited, overpriced, and repetitive, but ArcTanGent does so much better. There was a wide variety of stalls, with good provision for dietary needs. As a vegan I never struggled to find something tasty. Some of my personal favourites were Paelleria, Manjula, Feed the Village, and Bunnymans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night snacks, all were covered. A few stalls stayed open late enough to grab something after the headliners finished, which I found was much needed sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found that there were plenty of bars and queues seemed to move quickly. Each bar has varying options, including alcohol-free, so once I\u2019d learned which bar had what, it was easy to navigate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facilities <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Credit – @snaprockandpop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There was a good number of toilets available which, were kept in good condition throughout the weekend, well stocked, and although there were queues at peak times, I never found it to be a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside food stalls, there were also a number of clothing stalls, jewellery sellers, and the main merch tent with both festival and artist merch. I found the general store (Max Stores) was really convenient and helpful, stocking everything from snacks to camping essentials I\u2019d forgotten to bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ArcTanGent has a reputation for looking after its attendees, and accessibility was clearly a priority. Each stage had accessible toilets, viewing platforms were available, and the accessible campsite was close to both the car park and the arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camping and accommodation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Credit – @snaprockandpop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Weekend tickets include general camping, but there are also campervan passes and a range of glamping options available. Glamping tents ranged from smaller two-person setups to larger bell tents for groups. The campsites are all close to the arena, which meant I never felt like I was walking miles to get back to my tent which was truly a blessing after long days of music and dancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I noticed that there was plenty of space in the campsites across the whole weekend, so even those arriving later didn\u2019t have to worry about finding a spot. The atmosphere in the campsites was wholesome and vibrant with people who were more than happy to have a chat or lend a hand when putting up a tent (shout out to James and Jacob!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also wasn\u2019t hard to get a good night\u2019s sleep as for the most part people seemed to be respectful and avoided being noisy into the early hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel to the site was super straightforward. The signage around the farm was clear, and there were plenty of stewards on hand to help guide you to the right places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lineup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The lineup is always what makes ArcTanGent special, and this year was no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headliners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n