Written by Yolande Fraser Cox & Charlie Robbie

If you’re a raver, then this might be exactly what you’re looking for: a festival that started as a party! If you’re looking for a high-energy, fast-paced weekend, then GemFest is the place for you. The atmosphere feels inviting the moment you step into the arena, and it’s clear that everyone is feeling ready for the weekend ahead.

From 11 am, the vibes are on! Every morning the gates opened, and eager ravers sprinted through the site; we’ve never experienced a festival where people are so ready to get stuck in. With music ending each evening at 1 am, revellers are called to start their days early, with most partying by midday after queueing for their choice of festival scran.

If there was a way to describe GemFest, it would have to be along the lines of a mashup between a birthday party, a rave and a festival, with the crowd playing into that real party energy, whether that be extravagant outfits or the wacky, weird and wonderful costumes that were seen throughout the weekend.

GemFest started as a 21st birthday celebration for Gemma Curtis, a member of the PullUp Recordings family, and what a way to celebrate. On Friday, we watched as the team took to the sidelines to continue the party and celebrate Gemma’s birthday whilst still running a tight schedule with sets from Sempa w/ Killa P setting the tone for the day with Saint Ludo, Hamdi B2B Taiki Nulight w/ P Money bringing the bass to the main stage. They were later followed by Flava D, who spoke to us about her path to where she is now, what to expect from her set and about her new song with Hamdi, which was an exciting moment to witness as their two sets crossed over. Read the interview with Flava D here.

After his set, Congo Natty spoke to us briefly about how his music may help unite future generations, and his response was “I see, I see that we are already united. There’s just distortion going on; we have already united. My mumma is a Welsh woman, and my dad is Jamaican, so I am the product of the united link up between black and white and this has been going on for a long time. So here represents New England where it’s just oneness, you know what I mean and my daughter she’s multi-cultural, multi-national. See, she represents the rainbow.” This statement felt poignant to the current stage of the country but also felt relevant to the unity shared at GemFest by all. 

The Saturday evening was capped off with a stop to see Yemz fill up the Buntai Bodega and a wander into the Greenhaus to catch Pedz & Friends round up the evening before the late-night rush to the food vendors and returning to camp spots to party into the early hours of Sunday morning.

With Sunday being the last day of music, the crowd were eager to get the most out of the weekend. Drinks On Me got the crowd building early on at the 24CARAT stage with the likes of Champion and Oppidan to come later on. Both showcased their flair and continued the party mood. The whole day felt like a celebration of the days prior, and with our time on site coming to a close, we headed over to A-Frame to see Deep Cut Grooves blessing our ears with some live saxophone before Gardna raised the energy one last time before we said goodbye to GemFest 26. 

For those looking to get away from city life and experience a birthday party like no other, GemFest is there waiting for you.