Well, it's nearly festival season again! Right now people can't get enough of one-day electronic music festivals, especially on those hot sunny days in our capital, London.
Returning home to the comfort of your own bed instead of embracing the full camping experience is just one of the reasons these events have taken off in the last decade.
We've visited our fair share of day festivals over the years and so thought we'd share our top five London festivals for the summer of 2022. COVID robbed us of those magical festival moments, so it's time to make up for it!
** Note that the below are in no particular order!
There's something magical about GALA that's hard to put your finger on. GALA's been running since 2016 so, having heard great things about it, we took the plunge in 2021.
Situated on Peckham Rye, GALA Festival is in the heart of Peckham, spread across two or three days and catering to all tastes. Labels such as Running Back and Rhythm Section tend to host one of the many excellent stages.
The beauty of GALA is its use of space, which means you can hop between stages without missing out on the music. You're sure to bump into faces you know and even as a first-time visitor you'll quickly find your bearings.
Our favourite stage was the teepee - blasting disco until the finale, colourfully decorated and with an iconic disco ball. There were hands in the air moments throughout.
The diversity of GALA's line-up is also something to be commended, offering a platform for artists from all backgrounds, along with a great mixture of upcoming and existing talent.
Where can you start with Junction 2 Festival? A festival sat beneath a motorway is something you don't come across everyday. It's a sight to behold looking across the motorway stage, an almost menacing expanse of concrete above you. As you'd expect, the acoustics didn't disappoint.
However, don't fear - there are many more stages to get stuck into. Among others, there's the secret, tucked away forest hut and of course the main stage that sits in front of the huge GSK building.
Despite being a pretty large festival, it's easy to get around and DJs often provides sets that are a decent length.
Junction 2 is usually split over 2 days, with the first day veering towards the softer sounds of house, disco and techno, whilst the second day tends to lean towards the harder industrial sounds of labels like Drumcode and Half Baked. Though don't take that as gospel, as there's something for everyone on both days having looked at the 2022 line-up.
Sadly, this year's festival isn't taking place at the usual Brentford M4 venue, moving instead to Trent Park in North London. Although the motorway venue has become so synonymous with J2, we're sure the talented team behind the festival will deliver regardless! Don't miss it.
Of all the festivals in this list, Field Day is certainly the biggest by capacity. Originally hosted at the Drumsheds, Field Day has since moved to Victoria Park where it seems to bolt on to the end of All Points East festival, sharing a lot of the same rigs and equipment.
What you get with Field Day is awesome stages (we loved the tent) and a huge array of artists, meaning there were some tough decisions to be made on the clashes.
This all culminates with some heavyweights to close the main stage. Last year's headliners, Bicep, delivered an artistic masterpiece, aided brilliantly by Field Day's world-class lighting and effects team.
We're sure this year's headliners, the Chemical Brothers, will reach similar heights. If you've ever caught a glimpse of their famous Glastonbury sets, you'll know you're in for a treat.
One key downside, though, was the fact that some sets were just an hour long, often with B2Bs too. This meant some DJs were changing tracks every couple of minutes and things could feel a little rushed as they tried to make the most of their 30 minutes at the decks.
Factor in the size of Victoria Park alongside the shorter sets, and it meant we were constantly in motion and could never really settle at a stage for too long.
However, don't let this put you off. If you're after a colossal electronic music festival in the heart of the capital, then Field day is for you.
Tucked away in Beckenham, Naked City Festival is hands down the most boutique festival we've been to. From the moment you walk through the gates, its intimacy wraps its arms around you. No surprise the promoters coin it as having a "back-yard" feel.
Naked City blends jazz, afro, house, dub and techno. Queues at the bar moved swiftly, and prices were what you’d expect to pay at a festival of this size in South East London.
Due to the small capacity of the festival, walking times between stages were short (something we're big fans of, as you may have noticed -we're here for the music, not the walking after all).
Our highlight set has to be Moodymann’s at the Krankbrother stage. As we know, Moodymann is known to be more selective over where he plays in the UK, unlike many festival DJs who seem to be shoe-ins on most line-ups. His unique style certainly drew the crowds in. The stop-start technique, frequent vocal overlays that are so reminiscent of his sets teased the crowd from start to finish.
This year sees familiar favourites such as The Blessed Madonna and Joy O. It's one not to miss this year we think.
Just when you think the summer is coming to a close, the team at Waterworks Festival provide a suitable send off in September. Situated in Gunnersbury Park in Brentford, it's an unassuming little festival that certainly packs a punch.
Although it may not be able to compete as a spectacle compared to some of the other festivals on this list, it more than makes up for it with a line-up rich in diverse sounds. This diversity is made possible through the sheer number of stages, each with its own identity and feel.
There must have been about seven small stages, meaning it caters to everyone and you're never far from an exceptional DJ.
We loved the Water Tower at the centre of the festival (especially Job Jobse's set), which sees the crowd encircling the decks to deliver a fresh new perspective for dancers and DJs alike.
What we quickly coined "the shipping yard container stage" (actual name: Pressure) provided an industrial, open-air nightclub feel as the sun set over Gunnersbury Park.
Overall, Waterworks was a very laid back festival, the crowd were there for the music and people were keen to show off the rarest pieces in their wardrobes.
If you fancy clinging onto summer until the very end, we can't recommend Waterworks enough.