Review: Here's what I thought of In Cider Festival 2024

The three-day long indoor event took place at Sand Bay Holiday Village and featured acts such as Laid Blak, The Destroyers, Pet Needs, The Leylines and much more.

Speaking before the festival started, Kev Davis, from organisers Fuelled By Cider, said: “In Cider is an incredibly fun weekend with people coming from all over the UK to get back into festival mode."

Me and my partner were invited to pop along to check out the festival (and, of course, have a few ciders). Here's what I thought.

The venue itself

Admittedly, I had never been to Sand Bay Holiday Village before, so I really wasn't sure what to expect.

There was plenty of parking, and I was pleased to see that the car park was packed when we arrived, even though the first act had only just started.

Taking this as a good sign, we headed on in, where we were shown to the main hall to collect our wristbands. Even if there wasn't anyone on reception to show us where to go, we wouldn't have struggled to figure it out - it was really a case of just following the booming music.

The hall itself was busy. There were seating areas to the side and the back of the room next to the bar, but a surprising amount of people opted to stand up and watch the band. Even though it was only midday when we got there, there were even a few people already dancing and singing along.

The Endings crowd. (Image: NQ staff)

Although there was understandably a bit of a line at the bar, the staff were helpful and quick.

One of the things I did notice was that there were quite a few people dressed in fancy dress at the festival, something which really confused me before I realised there was competition later in the night. A man dressed as Elvis was amongst them.

The bands

During our visit, we managed to see three bands - The Endings, Wilswood Buoys, and Plot 32.

Me and my partner both agreed that The Endings were our favourite. The Celtic rock and Shantypunk band kicked off the Saturday event and it was them who had people up and dancing.

Whilst we didn't know any of the songs in their set, we still found ourselves tapping our feet along to the music.

Wilswood Buoys, an Essex duo, mix traditional folk with alternative pop. They played their own original songs inspired by personal experiences, touching on topics such as war.

Wilswood Buoys sign. (Image: NQ staff)

Last but not least, Plot 32. Whilst this was not our type of music, the band brought an infectious energy to the stage and drew in the crowd.

Photos of the bands can be viewed HERE.

In between each band, events such as Disco Bingo and Gameshow Time took place in the adjoining Queen Victoria hall. Quite a few people seemed to enjoy these activities, whilst others took the break as a chance to stock up on drinks and have a chat with friends.

Our verdict

All in all, In Cider Festival gave us a good day out, and it seemed like we weren't the only ones to enjoy ourselves.

If you are into folk, country and rock music, I would definitely recommend checking it out in the future.