Sea Sessions has grown from a relatively tiny festival in Bundoran, to being one of the most popular boutique style festivals in Ireland – without losing any of its original charm. And that’s why I love it! From the site itself (small but cosy, with not too much noise crossover, and sand instead of mud), to the location (looking over the Atlantic ocean, and close to town), to the extras (surf comps, discounts, beach activities and great food stalls), there is little bad I can say about this set up.
… Sale time!!! Yesterday A|wear started their summer sale (and I ran in at lunch and grabbed two beautiful dresses for next to nothing!). Today the Harvey Nichols sale kicks off in Dundrum. Tomorrow Brown Thomas and BT2 will open their sale doors to eager punters – though if you are a black loyalty card holder you can shop today at sale prices. Arnotts and Clerys sales are already up and running, along with a load of other highstreet stores.
Sunshine. Tans. BBQ’s & picnics. New inspiration. New projects. Festivals. Catching-up with friends & family. Surfing, cycling, swimming & walking. Beaches, cities, campsites, the countryside. Exhibitions, galleries, culture, music. Ice-cream. Bikinis & shorts, flip-flops & sunglasses. Lazy lunch breaks on the canal. Bulmers Light Pint bottles with lots of ice. Girls holiday. Spontaneous road trips. Books, books & more books. Movies outdoors. Buying a bag in the Brown Thomas sale. Skyping. Birthdays, goodbye drinks, Hen parties, celebrations. Galway Races. Travel. My quiet balcony. Dinner alfresco. Wrapping up. Sand everywhere. Hayfields. Boats. House on the lake. Going out with no jacket. Warm breeze. The smell of summer. Change.
This is what Summer 2011 is going to look like for me…
As I mentioned a couple of weeks back, its festival season and Metro Chica is on a mission to support boutique Irish festivals and music this year! With that in mind, I packed my tent and took the short trip from Dublin to Dunany, Co Louth for Vantastival. First impressions? Easy to access car park and helpful staff, maybe needed a few more signs on the road to help us find our way… The sun was shining and we dragged our tents, booze and unnecessary toiletries to the adjacent field into our campsite. We chose to set up next to the Paddy Mirage tent which in hindsight might not have been the best move – music blaring at 5am and my oncoming hangover didn’t mix well. I was with some friends who had been there last year and they informed me that this years event looked like it had more people and was better organised and naturally, more fun! We settled in for the day…
Great cardigan - perfect for the changing Irish festival weather
So Saturday went by in a blur of blazing sunshine, mad windy weather, great music and dancing in the forest. My musical highlights were Duke Special, The Cast of Cheers, Reverend JM’s Panic Worship, The Young Folk and The Amazing Few. I ate delicious Kanum thai and drank my own cans (BYOB is genius at festivals). The tents were spaced out enough that the sound didn’t interfere with the others, and the Paddy Mirage ‘tent’ was a joy with its small pub vibe and wooden benches. We ended the night out in the forest at the Gramophone Disco which was both weird and wonderful, and made friends on our way back to the tents.
The Gramophone Disco in daylight - much less bizarre than at 4am...
Loved this girls aztec print pants!
Sunday was more of the same – and I even managed some sunburn! What amazed me most about Vantastival was the friendly nature of everyone. No one was there to cause trouble and over the whole weekend I didn’t see or hear of even one incident. I felt completely safe leaving my stuff in my tent and late at night I never felt threatened walking about – something missing from a lot of the big Irish festivals. I was also blown away by the cleanliness of the portaloos even by Monday morn!!! My musical highlights on Sunday were Bipolar Empire, Wallis Bird, Von Shakes, The Riptide Movement and Prairie Dawgs. Alongside the music, Vantastival cater to VW vans and campers – giving a beautiful and colourful backdrop to the grounds. It’s definitely a unique festival!
The Magic Moments guy (of course we bought the keyrings...)
So with all those positives about Vantastival I should make a few tiny suggestions! More food options please and it would be good if they weren’t all in the same location. More sink/showers would go a long way too – even though I’m not sure how much use they got! Better signage to the various areas and some more lighting at night would add to the vibe too. But even without all that, I was more than happy with my first Vantastival experience and think this is a festival that will only go from strength to strength in the coming years. I’d definitely recommend it!!!
See The Young Folk live from Vantastival in the Paddy Mirage tent here:
Regular readers of my blog will know of my love for all things surf and sea, so when I got word of surf brand O’Neill’s model competition, I had to let you guys know about it!
O’Neill are currently searching for the face (and body) of their SS12 international fashion campaign to coincide with the launch of their new Superkini bikini. The winner will also receive a 12-month global modelling contract with NEXT Models and a trip for 2 to Miami where they will have professional photos taken for the agency.
Absolutely anyone can apply – you don’t have to be a model – by uploading their photo to the facebook page and getting people to vote. The 12 finalists will take part in the ‘One Way Runway‘ event in Ibiza in June, where they have to walk the runway before jumping off a cliff in their Superkini, which is made with a special material that sticks to the body – so no embarrassing slip-ups!
Elyse Taylor, Australian Victoria's Secret model
In addition to Victoria’s Secret model Elyse Taylor, the panel of judges include professional O’Neill surfer Raine Jackson and international fashion editors. So if you fancy doing something a little different, jumping off a cliff runway, and winning a great prize – what are you waiting for!!! Get over to the Facebook page now and get uploading
Its official folks, Festival Season in Ireland kicks off this weekend with Vantastival in Louth! This Summer I’m so excited by the festivals on offer and the line ups that are slowly beginning to take shape. For Metro Chica, I’ve decided to focus on the smaller, boutique style events that give support and recognition to our own incredible musicians as well as international talent. While Oxegen and Electric Picnic are shaping up to be crowd-pullers, I’m more looking forward to Vantastival, Sea Sessions, Cold Pro, Temple House and Castlepalooza (amongst others…). My aim is to get to as many of these as possible and snap the style, atmosphere and music on show. More than ever, we need to support our own and I look forward to a Summer of fun & frolics in fields all over the country listening to the likes of The Kanyu Tree, The Young Folk and The Danger Is (3 of my favourite right now).
If you’ve nothing else planned for this bank holiday weekend, why not head to Dunany Estate in Louth for the amazing Vantastival. Its gonna be a lovely sunny dry weekend so get your weekend tickets (€85) or day tickets (€40) and listen to the likes of Wallis Bird, Jamie Lawson, The Cast of Cheers & The Riptide Movement. Also its a BYOB festival – what more could you want!!!
*I just spotted that music loving lady Eyes Bigger Than My Belly is in the throes of planning her Vantastival outfits – make sure you say hi if you see her!*
Following on from the beautiful shots of the Penneys Spring Summer campaign, I’m even more excited about the latest lookbook for the Summer season! The items below are the ones I’m after, and some are already in store. So, as always, be quick or they’ll be gone!!!
Metro Chica is heading away on holidays next week and realised it was the perfect to excuse to go shopping for pretty summer things! Unfortunately her wallet wasn’t in agreement… Luckily Penney’s saved the day with its new Summer 2010 collection, and both Metro Chica and her wallet were happy :-) See more pictures after the jump…
