So last weekend was the first ever Ends festival … taking place in Lloyd park croydon with over 30,000 people attending over the weekend.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend Friday so I didn’t get to see Nas headline (begins to cry but then stops to not ruin mascara)
I did however get to shake a leg on the Saturday and Sunday.
So what did I think of it all ? Well let me tell you
This day was definitely the afro beats day with performances from Wande Coal, Teni the Entertainer and Maleek Berry just to name a few. Wizkid headlined and boy oh boy did he shut it down. A few people in the crowd including myself, waited so see if he would bring out Skepta or maybe even Drake. So when he said that he wanted to bring out his brothers, I jumped so high I thought I was going break an ankle. The brothers he was talking about were actually NSG, who I must say brought nuff energy to the stage and the crowd went wild.
I heard a few girls mention that there was a lot of girls at the festival and not enough guys. To be fair it was 1st June which marked the championship final between Liverpool and Tottenham, so I would imagine that many men were watching the match instead.
Each performance on the day was sick and every artist really delivered on stage. I have to say though, my fave was kranium. In true Jamaican style he asked a couple girls to join him on stage and let one run into his arms for a whine (of course I had to capture this moment on snapchat)
The sun was out and the vibes were good, so I left the festival excited to return for the next day.
I returned back to the festival super excited to see Miraa May, as she is one of my favs in the UK.
The Sun was hiding this day but the weather was still warm. Just like Saturday, the energy on stage was on point. It was my first time seeing Nao live and she really did her thing on stage. She might be sweet and softly spoken but her whine is serious, throughout her performance I must have shouted YASSSSSS girl about 10 times. Damien Marley was awesome and seeing him perform a couple of his fathers tunes was emotional. He really gave his all to the performance and literally stayed on stage for about an hour an a half.
Over all
Would I attend next year?
Absolutely … the line up was so sick and if they keep that same energy for who they get to perform in 2020, then it’s sure to be a success.
There was three stages all in all… The main stage, another semi main stage and also a future stage ( a dope place to see up and coming talent)
There’s a variety of food stalls to eat from, even if your vegan but just know the queues get crazy later on in the day, so don’t leave it to late before you grab some food.
Toilets are everywhere and although I didn’t use them myself, I’ve been told that they were decent and clean.
To get to Llyod park it’s a simple tram ride alway from East Croydon station but the trams are locked off from around 9:30pm and 10:30pm. I’m assuming this is due to health and safety. Yes it does leave you with a bit of a walk back to the station but walking with the festival crowd makes it a vibe.
I had the pleasure of going back stage to meet and interview some artists, so watch this space because a Vlog will be on the way very soon.
For more information and to keep up to date on the 2020 announcement visit theendsfestival.co.uk
So as I decided to wear extremely uncomfortable boots on Sunday, I’m off to sock my feet.
See you soon
Chyna
XOXO