The Verse’s Kate Horrobin tells us what she thought of Kew The Music at the Royal Botanical Gardens on the 12th July.
The week-long festival set within the stunning Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew delivered 6 unforgettable summer nights of music and entertainment. Kew the Music was joined this year by headliners Passenger, Razorlight, All Saints, Hacienda Classical, James and Mary J. Blige.
Kew the Music’s top five highlights:
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It’s a picnic festival
Being allowed to bring in three bottles of wine and a plentiful selection of snacks from Sainsburys, all for less than the price of a portion of chips and a pint – tidy.
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The lifestyle motivation
Professional picnickers were in an abundance. There was no shortage of John Lewis picnic hampers; each fitted with four-piece cutlery sets, chilled compartments and built-in salt and pepper straps – complete with a corkscrew. When the revellers in front of you whip out a mini sized chopping board and start to cut up their gourmet salami, it really incites you to revaluate some of your life choices. However, our bag of Sainsbury’s snacks had its own modest charm and once discarded (in the extensive waste facilities) we were at the front, free and unburdened – take that John Lewis picnic hamper.
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The portable toilets had laminated flooring, hand soap and hand moisturiser
In the pattern of this review this is where I would expand but, hand soap. Hand moisturiser. At a festival…
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The My Coffee Station hot drinks stall
The food and drink stalls were quirky and creative. There were vans, tents, bunting, butter-free pastries, vegan bratwurst sausages – much to choose from and enjoy. Our favourite was the My Coffee Station Piaggio Ape’s hot drinks on wheels. A mint green, three-wheeled van called Beppe with a side-door-come-awning to dispense fair trade coffee. We liked Beppe.
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Kew Gardens themselves
Exploring the gardens surrounding the main stage in the half hour intervals made Kew the Music an unforgettable summer evening. The staff and gardeners love what they do and it is evident in the beautiful work they help to create. A stunning collaboration with Mother Nature and we are very grateful to have been able to experience it – all accompanied by a Razorlight soundtrack.
Overall, the evening was a stunningly unique experience. We are looking forward to attending next year (maybe we will have honed in our picnic skills by then).
Thanks Kew!
