THOUSANDS enjoyed the sun and sounds at El Dorado festival, which returned to Eastnor Castle Deer Park for the first time since before the pandemic.
Holding its biggest edition so far, the festival welcomed 12,000 visitors and featured 15 different venues across the site including the new Vice City, a retro Miami-inspired street with six immersive venues and even a salon.
El Dorado’s opening night (Thursday, June 30) saw Craig Charles conducting his usual mastery of soul and funk at the packed Cirque Du Soul stage, while Lulah Franc’s high energy set kept the masses in awe for two hours straight at the El Paradisco tent.
Performances on Friday, July 1 included the 160 beats per minute mix of jungle, footwork and D’n’B by Sherelle.
Performing tunes from his recent album ‘Reason to Smile’, Kojey Radical had the crowd singing along to chorus after chorus followed by Shy FX delivering a powerful set of D’n’B.
It was clear that love was in the air during the whole weekend but especially on Saturday, when festival goers became witnesses to a very special proposal at the top of the Motel Dorado.
READ MORE: Long-standing Herefordshire festival is back with iconic acts
Headliners Groove Armada came with a full band to perform their classic anthems as part of their last ever tour and other highlights including DJ sets by Yung Singh, Prospa and a mix of reggae and dancehall by David Rodigan.
ABBA tribute Bjorn Again plays El Dorado festival
ABBA tribute band Björn Again ended the festival on a high during the Sunday evening sunshine with a rendition of Dancing Queen.
Earth, Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al Mckay closed the main stage with a throwback to their mix of jazz, R&B, soul, funk and disco.
In the early hours of the morning, dubstep legend Skream closed the event with one of the best performances of the whole weekend, leaving the crowd asking for more.
El Dorado is part of The Association of Independent Festivals’ (AIF) Safer Spaces At Festivals campaign, which relaunched this year to address the issue of sexual violence and create safer spaces at live music events.
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