A relative baby in the festival season, Citadel is only in its second year of formation this year after an impressive inaugural 2015 festival. Last year’s festival saw Ben Howard and Bombay Bicycle Club headline Victoria Park in what were their only London gigs of the year. Continuing this theme and making it a hot ticket on the capital’s musical calendar, Citadel 2016 promises more impressive London exclusives, this year courtesy of atmospheric electronic mastermind, Caribou, and post-rock royalty, Sigur Rós.
The festival will take place on Sunday 17th July and as is usual for a city festival, it is a non-camping, one day spectacular with a sprawling programme, which ranges from big name headliners and DJ sets to mouth watering street food and things to do for kids and families.
What makes Citadel a standout amongst the other urban festivals like Lovebox, Field Day and Wireless is its way of offering so much that it’s easy to get immersed in the world it creates, without wanting to spend your whole day by the main stage. There’s plenty on offer here, so if your girlfriend is dragging you along so you can comfort her while she sobs to ‘Hoppípolla’ there’s plenty of places to hide/busy yourself in other ways.
Udderbelly, notorious for their bright purple upside-down cow that takes residence on the Southbank every summer, are curating the Citadel Comedy Tent. A more unusual option this year is the Sunday Papers Live concept. As it is a Sunday only festival, it would be rude to completely block out the outside world and luckily spoken work artists and poets, including Akala, will be there to bring the broadsheets to life and provide their take on current affairs and the day’s headlines.
However, naturally, many will be drawn to the musical epicentre of the festival to watch the plethora of acts, which include Cosmic Strip, Cat’s Eyes and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats before the main events – Caribou and what will be a goose bump inducing finale from Sigur Rós.
For the musical exclusives alone, Citadel is not to be missed this year, and with all the fantastic extras on offer it’s perhaps the best value ticket of the summer. See the full line up and buy your ticket here.
Words by Alice Westoby