All Tomorrows Parties Tickets

A unique concept in music festivals, the avant-garde, rock-orientated All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) works by allowing musicians themselves to curate and run events, inviting their own guests and, in the words of the festival's founders, produce “an excellent mix tape” of acts. Founded in 1999, with the first event being held at Pontins Camber Sands (all the acts staying in the same chalet accommodation as the guests), future festivals have expanded to the larger Butlins site at Minehead. The festival has managed to avoid being eaten up by the corporate sponsorship machine (the choice of holiday camp venues is deliberate), and remains a festival run by the musicians, for their fans. Bands like Mogwai (2000), Tortoise (2001) and Mudhoney (2006) have curated previous events, and the ATP organisation has also branched out to other countries, holding festivals in the USA and Australia (which, from 2009, has been curated by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds), as well as hiring their own stages at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona.

The festival also hosts spoken word events, film showings, theatre and stand up comedy and, in 2007, festival goers were allowed to choose the line-up (which resulted in acts like Patti Smith and Echo & The Bunnymen appearing), something that was repeated in 2009. Also in 2009, a film about the festival, All Tomorrow's Parties, was premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Edinburgh. The event was named after a song by Velvet Underground and, in 2010, a sister festival, I'll Be Your Mirror (the B-side of the same record), was created, which is a similar event, just not held in holiday camps. In 2011, Portishead curated their first ATP event, and took it to New Jersey in September the same year.

Several events are planned for 2012, including the traditional ATP festival at Butlin's Minehead on March 9-11, curated by Jeff Mangum, and featuring The Fall, Robyn Hitchcock and Neutral Milk Hotel, amongst others. The I'll Be Your Mirror sister event will be held on May 25-27 at Alexandra Palace, London, curated by Mogwai, and featuring acts such as Slayer, Melvins, Codeine, Mudhoney and Afghan Whigs. An additional I'll Be Your Mirror event will also be staged in New Jersey in September 2012, as well as Nightmare Before Christmas event in December at Butlins Minehead.

Unlike most music festivals, camping is not a standard part of ATP events, because they're held in Butlins holiday camps, so early booking is advised for those wishing to stay onsite with the musicians. The external I'll Be Your Mirror events are held in clubs and larger concert venues, it's not a traditional music festival set up, more just one long party, and is definitely adult-orientated and not really for kids.