From Friday, 2 to Sunday, May 4 2025, the long-awaited Land Beyond Festival returned to
Brighton for a long weekend of music, dancing and camping. First launching in 2019, original
headliner Dizzee Rascal returned this year to take the stage on Saturday alongside Tion
Wayne.
After being recommended the festival by my rave-crazy sister, I joined the hundreds of late-
teens and twenty-somethings making their way down to Waterhall Playing Fields. After
wandering through a tent labyrinth in almost 20 degree heat that, over the course of the day,
progressively became more akin to a muddy obstacle course complete with with empty
boxed-wine cartons and deck chairs, I was more than grateful to find myself a little bench to
get a drink and people-watch (shoutout VIP garden, I love you).
One thing I love about festivals is how ‘all-out’ everyone goes without their outfits, and Land Beyond was no exception, with my personal favourite being a ’118 118’ duo I saw walking past, complete with curly wigs and stick-on moustaches. Icons.
I spent the rest of the Saturday happily wandering between the three stages, each playing
an assortment of house, garage, grime, DnB, and everything in between. If you wanted a
break from the music, also on offer was face painting (instagram: @glowworlduk), classic
funfair rides and various food stalls. But as night fell, you could feel the energy ramp up as
festival-goers got ready for the headliners. Clad in face glitter, bucket hats, and rave glasses,
campers descended en masse to the main stage to see Dizzee Rascal perform hit singles
such as Bassline Junkie and Bonkers, all of which the crowd met with enthusiastic shouts
and hollers.
The technical aspects of the festival really surprised me in the best way possible. With massive sound systems, pyrotechnics and a 360 degree stage, the festival seems to just be levelling up each year and it’s really no wonder how it manages to get sold out again and again.
Land Beyond returns in 2026 with loyalty tickets on sale now.
Address: Waterhall Park, Waterhall Road, Brighton and Hove
Website: Land Beyond Festival
