We may have folded away our tents and waved a (happy) goodbye to Pot Noodle dinners with a Malibu chaser for another year but that doesn't mean that festival season is over. Oh no, no, no.
We packed our dancing shoes and headed to Butlin's Minehead for the Shiiiine On Weekender, an autumn celebration of '80s and '90s indie and rock. With beds. Beds!
Butlin's music weekend
There was a time when we thought nothing of dancing until the wee small hours, probably in the rain, walking a couple of miles across a muddy field, and crawling into a damp sleeping bag with a big ol' smile on our faces, leaping out of the bag to do it again the following day.
Those days were glorious but those days are gone.
Now, a bed is very high on our list of requirements when thinking about weekend fun. See also: decent food and drink, somewhere to wash our hands (with water), and a flushing loo.
Thanks goodness then for the Butlin's Big Weekenders that mean you can enjoys bands galore and a decent night's kip.
The venues are all close together, and all inside, there are lots of toilets, and Minehead Butlin's is located on the beachfront so you can get out in the great British weather, if you really want to.
Shiiine on weekender
The Shiiine On weekenders are fast attaining legendary status. While very keen to point out that they're NOT a retro festival, lots of the bands hail from our heyday. We saw Ash, Sleeper, Space- who basically stole the weekend - Echobelly, you get the idea.
Fans (and security) were friendly and seem to return year after year, before they even know what the line-up is. High praise indeed.
Butlin's Minehead accomodation
We stayed in the West Lakes chalets, Windsor block, and they are nice. Really nice.
We were surprised by the amount of s-p-a-c-e, with two big bedrooms and two (two!) toilets - in separate bathrooms, of course. There were towels, bedding, and even a welcome pack of tea and coffee.
One of the big bugbears with other self-catering breaks I've been on is the paucity of equipment. Four beds has previously equated to four cups, four spoons etc. And that's just not enough. Not so in the West Lakes chalets, my friends. Spoons everywhere. Spoons to spare! In fact, the kitchen was equipped with a fridge, freezer, microwave, toaster, kettle and even a slim dishwasher plus dishwasher tablets. What even is a Pot Noodle, please? Speaking of which...
Butlin's dining plan
We were treated to the premium dining package, which meant that we had access to two restaurants and two buffets a day. Think you can't have a three course breakfast? Think again, amateur.
There was a good selection of veggie and vegan foods available and marked but - a note of caution. Dinner runs from the really early time of 4:30pm - 7pm, so don't get caught out and miss your tea.
Butlin's Minehead swimming pool
The pool is open at all Butlin's music weekends for PARTIES. Is there a greater pleasure than floating down a lazy river listening to Some Might Say? Maybe, but this was excellent fun. And the slides were a refreshing way to blow the cobwebs away after the night before.
Butlin's adult weekends 2023
There's over 20 different Big Weekender breaks on offer in 2023, including '90s Reloaded, Absolute '80s, Back To The 2000s and We Love Ibiza.
Butlin’s offers a three-night Shiiine On Weekender exclusively for adults from £225pp from 17 - 19 November 2023. Price is based on a two bedroom Silver Room that sleeps 4 and includes access to live music venues and activities like pool parties and silent discos. Dining packages start from £22.75 per adult, per day. To find out more and to book go to www.bigweekends.com.