Hospitality In The Woods 2023

What’s more British than getting soaked and then sunburnt while skanking to drum n bass at a festival?

Hospitality in the Woods is in its second year but it’s my first time at Beckenham Place Park near the picturesque Bromley in south London. Here is the meeting place of around 17,000 DnB ravers. The site was lovely and we were surrounded by trees and it didn’t really feel like London once inside. I love nature so it was nice to get to hang out in this environment all day.

I’m here because my hubby is working on the main stage and I’m tagging along as his 2nd assistant (he already has a more qualified number 2 who does the real work, I just make drinks and fetch things). However, there wasn’t much space at Front of House so I tried to keep out of the way as much as possible.

Luckily, a couple of mates came along for the day and we had a bit of a wander round to see the other stages. I also bumped into a few people from my old town and we had a good laugh dancing at main stage as the sun was setting. It was a really fun surprise to bump into my best mate’s little bro and mess about stealing his hat.

Flava D dropped her new track with the lyrics “Why does everybody keep talking about drugs when I all I want to do is stroke my cats” with a crazy cut of cute cats on the big screens. I love cats and especially my Millie so this was an instant hit!

fordy

There were some decent looking food stalls but none that offered Chips and Gravy, what Arby always wants when he’s working on a festival site. Instead we found some Pulled Beef Brisket Fries from The Loading Bay which cost a whopping £12! Double cooked chips topped with premium pulled beef brisket smothered in cheese sauce, gherkins and crispy onions drizzled with tangy mustard mayo & burger sauce – think posh cheeseburger on chips without the bun. Well Rich was feeling fussy (just in case of his allergies) so had it without the sauce and said it was just what the doctor ordered when he was feeling a bit of a slump coming on. Worth all the money.

Arby was VJing on the main stage where Hospital Records were showcasing talents such as Netsky, High Contrast, Flava D and London Electricity. There were loads more stages like the small Jubel stage that everyone was looking for and the big Let it Roll stage with Critical Soundsystem and a Shogun Audio Showcase. The vibes across the festival were great and the music was pumping so hard my ribcage was shaking. I didn’t get many photos because I was busy having a great time. I hope to be back next year!