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Since it started in 2014, Citadel has carved out a tasty niche for itself in London’s festival scene. Despite having a banging musical line-up, this year featuring amongst others Catfish And The Bottlemen, Bastille, Bear’s Den and Tinariwen, this sister-fest to Lovebox has always excelled at giving punters a massively varied list of things to enjoy. Here’s just seven highlights out of many…
1. Pull on your leg warmers at an ’80s aerobics dance class
A festival might be enough of a workout as it is, but pass by Frame’s ’80s-themed class and you might be drawn in to doing some extra sweating. The dance studio will take a corner of Gunnersbury Park back in time for a sesh that’ll get you high in a super wholesome way.
2. Take your goddess pose intergalactic with space yoga
You’ve got soaked at bikram and then jumped on the goat bandwagon. Next up, try a bit of space yoga at Citdael, where the exercises and poses copy the effects that microgravity – the thing that makes astronauts float around in space – has on the mind and body.
3. Hail the return of Friendly Fires
They’re back and they’re as flamboyant as ever. After eight years away, vibrant dance-pop trio Friendly Fires are finally about to release their new album, ‘Inflorescent’, and they’ll give a little preview of it as the evening draws in. The insistent trumpets of ‘Silhouettes’ alone should be enough to keep Monday at bay for just a little bit longer.
4. Let off some steam with Dream Wife
You’ve got one more day of the weekend to exorcise your weekday frustrations and Anglo-Icelandic punk group Dream Wife are the perfect vessel to do it through. Shout along to ‘Somebody’, get saucy to ‘Let’s Make Out’, and become your strongest self to the menacing, Spice Girls-channelling ‘F.U.U’.
5. Thrash out Saturday’s booze to Fontaines DC
Big night the night before? Get stuck into the pit for buzzy Irish boys Fontaines DC and all the toxins you imbibed will soon be oozing out of your body via big beads of sweat. Sounds gross, but you’ll forget all about it when you’re jumping around screaming ‘Is it too real for ya?’
6. Find the funny side of the news with Sunday Papers Live
There aren’t that many news stories in 2019 that make you crack out in hysterics, but the Sunday Papers Live gang will change all that. Join comedians Bridget Christie, Adam Riches, Phil Wang and plenty of others as they joke their way through each section, from world news to sport, and turn the depressing into droll.
7. Make your Sunday lunch cosmic with Guerrilla Science
Space travel might be well outside the overdraft limits of most, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little taste of the in-flight meals. Head to the Guerrilla Science tent and try growing your own space food. You’ll be able to take home your intergalactic sproutings too, should you need inspiration for that mission-to-Mars savings account.
Citadel is at Gunnersbury Park on Sun Jul 14. Check out more great music festivals taking place in London this summer here.