Body&Soul makes a return to Ballinlough Castle gardens
On 18th and 19th June, the intimate 'other-world' of Body&Soul will be returning to the labyrinth of stone-walled gardens, winding pathways and woodlands at Ballinlough Castle, Clonmellon, with the same smattering of magic and mischief in a weekend, packed with an eclectic mix of live electronic and acoustic acts, holistic arts, green crafts, a secluded soul kids' garden, art installations and bubbling hot tubs in the forest. The Body&Soul Festival exploded on to the summer scene in 2010 with its inaugural weekend in Ballinlough Castle. With equal attention given to the trademark colourful nooks and crannies, as to the line up itself, the sold-out event was a knockout success, and won both Best New Festival 2010 and Socially Responsible Award at the Irish Festival Awards, 2011. The weekend will also feature Body&Soul's flamboyant Saturday Night Masquerade Ball, where revellers are invited to slip in to costume, don a mask, and dance incognito under the stars. The musical menu for Body&Soul 2011 is taken from a wide and varied palette and is hopefully in keeping with the festival's collective, reasonable assumption that people who get off on dubstep can also equally enjoy a ceili session or that fans of Afro-Caribbean rhythms can rest easily with late night cabaret, folk songs and disco. The first batch of main musical acts confirmed straddles the multi-genre approach we support for these times: from Sweden, Alex Wilner aka The Field who'll fuse ambient and techno in a live stew whilst New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop will hit us with their infectious mix of soul and dub reggae. The USA's Toro Y Moi will no doubt cut a pop-experimental dash while UK electronic music pioneers Lamb make a welcome return to our fold after two years, with a new record out in May. The cutting edge melodic playful dubstep of Mount Kimbie, the fresh sounds of Darkstar and will be joined by the swing hop of The Correspondents, the dreamy acoustic folk of Arborea, and the German music makers extraordinaire Brandt Brauer Frick. Dublin's four piece Cloud Castle Lake will perform alongside the contemporary folk songstress Lisa O'Neill and the young Galwegian Daithi O Dronai with his trademark electronic synthesised fiddle, live loop stations and unique energy. Meanwhile from the roots of the legendary UK based Black Dog crew, Plaid play live, whilst Joris Voornwill do it in style for the dance tent posse. Adding to the permanent installations on-site, the celebrated Burning Man artists Gerard Minakawa and SHRINE will make their annual trek from California to work exclusively with Body&Soul, contributing their craftsmanship to the festival's landscape with a new custom-built bamboo stage and dramatic art pieces made from found and recycled materials. In keeping with the Solstice tradition the festival will culminate in a closing lakeside fire ceremony - a magnificent spectacle which will include floating art, giant puppets, fireworks and flamethrowers. With weekend camping tickets from as little as €99 (Limited Early Bird), festival-goers are invited to enjoy Body&Soul hospitality in a carefully embroidered tapestry of creative surprises and undiscovered musical gems. See www.bodyandsoul.ie.