Even those with the initial plan of running off to see Friendly Fires as the festival headliner Stevie Wonder finished, were completely stilled by the sight of an incredible fireworks display in time to music and over a main arena filled with huge multiple coloured stars and thousands of people. This official ending to Bestival ticked all the boxes for an awe-inspiring iconic show, with Stevie Wonder making the audience fall in love with him as he joked around with his daughter on stage, sung his classics and even whacked out a Beatles cover. The fact that the audience were given the choice of seeing other artists, including Fake Bush, at the same time as Stevie Wonder, sums up the beautifully ridiculous contrasts that Bestival’s ‘wildlife’ themed weekend produced. 
Azealia Banks’ cancellation was among numerous last minute changes to the line-up, but this didn’t fail to kill the buzz on the saturday which also happened to be dress-up day. From early in the day various sparkly exotic and native animals (and a few Noahs…) descended on the main arena in beautiful sunshine to the already packed out stages. Ben Howard drew an incredible crowd with some of the happiest hung-over people I’ve ever seen. Lying on the ground in the sun outside the stages it was then possible to feel Beardyman’s bass coming through the ground, definitely an underrated way of watching.
Throughout the weekend there was a constant competition for the big crowds between the Main Stage and Big Top, and yet in general each was able to hold their own. Whilst it may have felt a bit bizarre standing in the middle of the field, hearing De La Soul on one side and the beautiful vocals of Jessie Ware on the other, it nonetheless added to an incredible atmosphere where it was impossible to just sit bored by the tents. Even small stages scattered over the site and into the ambience forest were frequently packed out, with people climbing up into the trees to get glimpses of those giving speeches and talks.
Any competition between the stages did though seem to have been won on the saturday by Big Top, which ended the night with an intense line-up including Major Lazor, Justice and Nero and finishing in the early hours with a DJ set from Skream and Benga who let off as much steam as half the audience.
On the first full day of music, Warpaint seemed to spark off the intense excitement that spread across the festival with people running to see them from across the festival. This then peaked asFlorenceand the Machine headlined on the Main Stage, with Florence Welch completely owning the stage and enchanting the audience from the moment she swept on with bare feet and in an ethereal green dress. She kept up her enormous energy throughout, jumping around the stage with her powerful voice filling the arena, at odds to her soft speaking voice and gestures which she used to draw the audience in and create tears of every emotion from those watching. At least I hope I wasn’t the only one crying… 
Even after the Main Stage finished there was still plenty going on including Jamie xx, SBTRKT and 2ManyDJ’s. Of course not forgetting some amazing acts in Pig’s Ballroom including Greg’s Greats 78s, and a constant vintage feel in Come Dancing and Club Dada. Despite some amazing choices of acts across the festival, it was sad that exciting acts such as Alt-J and Skepta had the attention taken from them by the huge acts on the Main Stage and Big Top. But having this choice at all is probably not something to be complaining about.
From the first night when Hot Chip got a crowd that was in shock at having such big acts on so early in the weekend, completely at their mercy, the atmosphere at Bestival was of a constant emotional high. Whilst a lot of this may have been down to the incredible weather the small things had a huge effect. Quirky stalls and bars, the ambience forest filled with lights and decorations, and the decorations across the festival sight (not least of which the Main Stage which became a giant owl with spinning lights coming out of its eyes at certain points) made Bestival an experience not just a music festival. But whilst all these aspects of the festival were good there was one thing that really made it. The highlight of the whole weekend was, for many, many people; a pretty much constant supply of anti bacterial gel and loo roll in the loos. 