7500 people, 250ft of bars, 100 DJ's, 60 bands, 17 hours, 9 stages, 2 days, 1 park, 1 mad ferret. This is what the posters across Manchester promised to give us at 5pm on Friday, when the festival officially opened. Unfortunately, they got one thing wrong - there wasn't just 1 mad ferret... there were thousands!
It seemed that the entire student population plus some had decided to descend upon Platt Fields Park for 2 days of mayhem. We were treated to some big names such as the delectable Roots Manuva and the lyrical Mike Skinner in The Streets, we grooved to some of the best beats by the noisy Stanton Warriors and the mighty Pendulum, and we stayed true to our favourite Manchester outfits such as Riot Jazz, Oh My God, Hit & Run and Prostitutes and Policemen.
Musea and The Chapel were behind such a high standard of art and decoration at the festival. Q
With a quirky array of sculptures, live graffiti and interactive stalls, they really added to the unique and independent spirit of Mad Ferret. My particular favourite was the kitsch stand selling cakes and offering 20's make overs (see below).
We were blessed with decent weather on Friday, which turned to gorgeous sunshine on Saturday. The 2nd day of the festival began at 12pm, so the early afternoon saw many people sunbathing outside the bar tents! As well as the generous 9 stages, there were several attractions that could not be confined to a defined space. At some point on Friday (my memory did not record times due to copious amounts of Kopparberg), the modern day incarnation of the Pied Piper appeared. A man, his top hat and tails, his electric piano/synthesizer/accordion/organ on wheels and his entourage of drummers and strummers gathered a small crowd who followed them round the field, jiving to their German-techno-fairground-bohemia melee of music. It was a surreal experience.
Oh and the food? Well, I personally was in heaven with the range of eats available at such as small festival. After seeing Oasis at Heaton Park last week, I was expecting much of the same - pie and peas and the obligatory burger van. Not at Mad Ferret. Huge woks filled with gourmet Chinese delights, ginormous steel pans filled with spinach and chickpea curry, organic vegetarian tasties and yes there was the obligatory burger van, which sold Aberdeen Angus beef and pulled pork. Oh and the gorgeous authentic bangers stall which sold Thai Curry sausages. Mmmmm!
I definitely felt I got more than my moneys worth this weekend with a hangover the size of Canada to prove it. It was so refreshing to be in a festival with virtually no corporate branding in sight, independent labels dominating alongside charities and NGO's. The whole vibe was upbeat and this extended to the security guards on the entrance gate, the car park attendants who kindly watched my bike for me and even the police outside. Mad Ferret has now established itself as the officially end of the year and will be around for many years to come. Roll on next year!
For all the snaps from the weekend - click here for outside action http://www.flickr.com/photos/manc-closet/sets/72157619699932909/show/ and here for inside snaps http://www.flickr.com/photos/manc-closet/sets/72157619736985109/show/
Stuck for something to do this summer? With the two dominating climate issues (environmental and economic) ruining our chances for a long, hot summer, we must revert back to the simple pleasures we used to enjoy as kids. Hit your local market with 50p and stock up on some penny sweets. Myself and Miss Peel certainly enjoyed a nostalgic mix of jellied fruit, cola bottles, white chocolate mice and milk bottles. With the change from your sweet pickings, why not hit the slot machines or other arcade games? We enjoyed cardiac-benefiting games of 'Whack the Croc' for the hefty sum of 20p - your summer fun needn't cost the earth.
