Over the weekend we held Kite – our first festival of ideas and music – at Kirtlington Park in Oxfordshire. And, if we do say so ourselves, it was a glorious gathering
Super early bird tickets for Kite 2023 are on sale now – you only have until midnight July 3rd to bag tickets at 25% off.
Though Tortoise is a relatively small newsroom, nobody could ever accuse us of not thinking big. When we first announced Kite back in February 2020 we felt like climbers in the foothills of a colossal mountain. Not only were we trying to create an entirely new festival, but an entirely new format. Framed by Ciro Romano, the mastermind behind Love Supreme, as “the lovechild of Hay and Latitude”, Kite would offer festival-goers the chance to attend ThinkIns, discussions and workshops during the day – and then in the evening enjoy live music from some of the best artists in the world.
Two years, two postponements and one pandemic later, we’re pleased to say that Kite finally took off this weekend – and what a weekend. From ThinkIns on the crisis of democracy and the battle for truth to interviews with Tina Brown, Jarvis Cocker and David Olusoga, Saturday and Sunday were filled with plenty of lively conversations. For those looking for laughter there was comedy from the likes of Michelle de Swarte and Reginald D. Hunter – and we even had a go at writing our very own festival anthem with veteran songwriter Eg White. Then, as the sun began to set, we meandered from ideas-mode into music-mode, and were treated to sets from exciting newer acts like Self Esteem and Tom Misch and bonafide legends such as Mavis Staples and Grace Jones.
Here you’ll find a collection of photography taken over the course of the festival – if you were at Kite it will, we hope, serve as a reminder to cherish of the weekend, and give you a chance to spot yourself in the crowd. And if you weren’t there, it should give you a flavour of what we got up to – and a reason to block out 9-11 June 2023 in your diaries, when we’ll be ready to do it all over again. Super early bird tickets go on sale Thursday. The Kite will fly again.
See you next year.
Photographs by Tom Pilston, Dave Bebber, Joe Mee and Jon Jones for Tortoise
