It's hard to describe Castle Fest if not as one of the most magical Celtic Folk Music Festivals in Northern Europe, yes because we are talking about Magic and Fantasy in this case: “Where Fantasy becomes your Reality.” This is the slogan of the 2018 edition.
From 1st to 4th August, in Lisse, a Dutch town one hour by train from Amsterdam, they will be held 4 days of concerts of Celtic music and Medieval Folk Rock, wonderful choreographies of folk dances, and parades of beautiful Fantasy-themed masks.
This is what is meant when we talk about making Fantasy your Reality, crossing the threshold of this festival the air you are going to breathe will immediately have something different: this is not a Comicon, but cosplays are welcome and the most fashionable way of dressing at Castlefest recalls something medieval with tunics and long tunics.
There are countless things to do: from shopping in the numerous stalls equipped with silver jewellery, horns from which to drink beer and medieval-style clothes, to practice with the art of the sword (rubber) in the reconstruction of a small village, to flirt with Offline Tinder up to listening to concerts in well 3 different stages. Forest stage, Village stage and Meadow stage.
...What is Offline Tinder? Let's open a small parenthesis: for all singles and lovers of flirting, Castlefest provides small numbers to stick on during the event, it will then be necessary to go to the Offline Tinder stand and say the number you saw on the person we like and if she/he has named your number too, it's Match! And so you will receive his mobile number, seeing is believing.
Returning to more serious things, it is possible to access the cultural event with very varied formulas: there is the possibility of buying a ticket for all the days of the festival, or just for two or even just one, so you can decide stay in Lisse or nearby Amsterdam, only 33 minutes with the 852 line bus, but certainly the most suggestive solution is to camp in the vast and colorful camping area, near the Meadow Stage.
Another peculiarity of Castlefest compared to other Music Festivals is that CHOOSE YOUR WRISTBAND Folk the likes of The Dolmen, First Night and the very Italians The Sidh they have the option to play multiple times in the cultural event at different stages, so if for some unfortunate reason one should miss one of their concerts, it is always possible to go and listen to them at the next one.
Among the most awaited anniversaries for each edition of Castlefest, the ritual of the is worth mentioning wickerman: the cultural event in fact also celebrates the celtic harvest festival Lughnasadh, which falls around the same dates. A festival dedicated to the Sun, which was worshiped by the Celts as the god Lugh. So on Saturday night for every Castlefest there is a ritual in which a large doll made of willows is set on fire.
Castlefest: a Festival dedicated to all lovers of the Middle Ages and Celtic and Folk Music, and now it is appropriate to say: "Where Fantasy becomes your Reality."
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