BludFest has proven itself to be a music festival success story.
Debuting in 2024, BludFest advertised itself as a home for YungBlud’s fanbase, a place to be yourself and, crucially, a major music festival without the major music festival prices. And by all metrics, it achieved its aims. People came, people danced, and people found their community.
YungBlud is intrinsically linked to his festival. First off, it bears his name, and he founded it. But he also has a passion for it that isn’t shared by most artist-led festivals. He doesn’t just turn up, perform his set, leave and collect the cheque at the end of the night. He helps curate the line-up, decides on the sponsors and ticket prices, and gives the green light on what can and cannot be a part of it. All of this is done with his community in mind, he says.
This year, Bludfest will take place at the National Bowl, Milton Keynes, on 21 June. During a Q&A with the star, here are five things we learned about BludFest and its future.
“This world that we have built can be a beautiful representation of alternative culture and of alternative artists,” says YungBlud when speaking about the impact of BludFest. “We have a world that’s so fucking cool where we can bring new artists into it and give them and give them a load of people who will see them.”
YungBlud also emphasised the importance of highlighting new and emerging artists. “Every time we take a smaller act out on tour, everyone always comes into my dressing room and tells me that everyone’s so welcoming and everyone’s here,” he says.
“That’s what I’m most proud of, that we are such a welcoming community for new artists. It would be so easy for me to fill this bill up with people who sound just like me and play just like me. But what’s so sick about it is that we welcome new genres and new ideas, and we’re all open to it.”
When it comes to keeping ticket prices cheap, YungBlud is unwavering. “It’s in my control, so fuck it,” he says.
“It really pisses me off when people talk for me, and present a void between me and my community, so I will do anything to control that. And I will always communicate why. If it goes up a tenner, I’ll say why. I was so tired of hearing that when a ticket is £90, that that’s just the way it is. Where is that going? I’ve always been really involved in where the money goes. I’m from a northern family, where it’s pennies and pounds, so when there’s a void of £30 you have to take that. But one, that money is not going to my band, and two, there’s 500 kids outside who can’t get into my gig. That’s my mindset.”
“With BludFest, you obtain a sense of freedom within this little world for a day.”
A common thread throughout all of what YungBlud describes is the notion of control. Control over the line-up, control over ticket prices, control over access and essentially, control over making BludFest the best it can be.
“With BludFest, you obtain a sense of freedom within this little world for a day,” he says. “You can forget about the big world. It’s like Disneyland. You can walk around, find people and exist in an alternate universe for 12 hours.”
“You put a mad idea into the world, and you just don’t know if it’s going to work or not,” he goes on to say. “We had to bend over backwards to make shit happen last year. And there were a couple of issues there in some places, but people are giving me what I want now. More people are listening to me now, and I know how this community operates. It sometimes feels like banging your fucking head against the wall trying to get through to people. But I get what I want this year.”
“My biggest dream is to do a [BludFest] world tour.”
With more control, thinks YungBlud, comes greater room for expansion. But how can that like in the future? Expanding a festival while also keeping the vibe of its original foundations can seem like an impossible task, but it may be possible. For YungBlud, that means looking elsewhere. “Next year, it’s happening. I can’t confirm where, but it’s happening,” he says when asked about the festival’s expansion. When pressed for any further hints, he simply replies “bonjour“.
Even without the specifics, we still do know that there is a very positive future for BludFest. “My biggest dream is to do a [BludFest] world tour,” he says. “Ten bands, all friends, alternating bills, alternating times, almost like roll a dice when we come on. That will be the dream. That will mean getting out of bed at 1pm, but that would be the dream. And it’s achievable.”
