Poole Harbour Festival – oh, what an atmosphere!

It’s like Glastonbury on your doorstep, one of the south’s biggest and busiest summer music festivals, Poole Harbour Festival is expecting bumper crowds this year with a stellar line up.

Boasting 60 acts across five stages – the most in the festival’s ten-year history – the three-day party on Baiter Park in Poole is expected to attract some 15,000 visitors across the weekend with headline acts including British reggae legends UB40, multi-platinum pop punk heroes Feeder and notorious indie survivors Happy Mondays. 

“As well as new people finding us every year, we see a lot of the same faces coming back time and time again because they just love the family atmosphere at Poole Harbour Festival – obviously it’s nowhere near as big as Glastonbury, but our regulars say the party atmosphere is just as special,” explains festival organiser Ben Dyas. 

“We’re so lucky with the location on the shores of Poole Harbour – there are views across to Brownsea Island and there’s even Corfe Castle in the distance; it’s hard to beat. The lineup is carefully chosen with our audience in mind and it’s really easy to get here by car, bus or train.’’ 

The bill also includes influential American art rockers We Are Scientists, British dance originals Dub Pistols and a very welcome return to Poole Harbour Festival for chart toppers The Hoosiers and N-Trance, not to mention Europe’s number one party band The Vengaboys! 

For those who like to get their groove on, Poole Harbour Festival is a magnet for top DJs clubbing pioneers like Judge Jules, Dave Pearce and PHF regular Brandon Block on the bill alongside rising star Woody Cook, son of Fatboy Slim and Zoe Ball, mega-selling DJ Sash!, ground breaking trance act Thrillseekers and hard house duo Tidy Boys. There’s even a set from renowned Fatboy Slim tribute act Fatboy Tim, the original Rockerfella Prankster fully endorsed by none other than Norman Cook himself. 

It might be the biggest yet, but Poole Harbour Festival hasn’t forgotten its roots and includes a full programme of live music talent from the BCP region on the Big Top Stage and the new fifth stage, the Smugglers Inn, with the ever-popular Mother Ukers on show alongside fans’ favourites like Mischa & His Merry Men, guitar virtuoso Chris Payn, Sixteen String Jack, Lady Winwood’s Maggot and Saints of Sin; as well as top tributes to the likes of Queen, Elton John, Abba and The Prodigy. 

Add to that the festival's famous family-friendly atmosphere – there are daily kids' entertainers, walkabout performances, circus skills workshops, dinosaur shows and activities – as well as a pocket-friendly pricing structure and Poole Harbour Festival delivers all the ingredients to kick start a fabulous summer by the sea. 

“The music content is at the heart of everything we do,” adds Ben. “But it’s just as important to us to remember the hundreds of families who come to us for top quality free children’s entertainment – and lots of it – in a safe and secure environment. 

“Having an all-ages audience is what makes Poole Harbour Festival as special as it is.” 

Tickets available now at www.pooleharbourfestival.com