NOWADAZE FESTIVAL 2025: REVIEW

What Can Large-Scale Festivals Learn from Smaller Ones?

22nd July 2025

At a time when the biggest names in the festival circuit dominate line-ups and headlines and many are set on expectation to hear a song or a set to ‘tick off’, Nowadaze offers a thoughtful counterpoint that champions experimentalism. Built on intimacy, trust, and freedom for artists and punters alike, it raises the important question: what can large-scale festivals learn from the smaller ones doing more with less?

Credit - Pseudo.silence, Nowadaze Festival 2025

When we first arrived at Nowadaze on the Thursday night, it didn’t quite feel like a festival yet. It was more of a warm-up gathering of crew and close friends, helping each other set up, with just the bar stage running until 11pm. As first-timers, we had a soft landing, giving us a glimpse of what was to come before things kicked off the following day.

By Friday, things had shifted. Punters rolled in, campsites filled, and the energy began to change. Stages kicked off properly, with 'Head Office' bouncing between folk, punk, and everything in between

After coming back around from the opening chaos, we processed that the whole site was built within a tight, circular layout, which meant you were never far from the next musical moment to get stuck into. Pinballing between stages with ease added to a collective momentum and togetherness.

The only downside to this was that, at times, there was a slight sound clash between stages, meaning you had to commit to one space fully to avoid the cacophony. Maybe, though, that’s not such a bad thing; the mingling of sound meant that, instead, you were always at a stage and experiencing new music.

The theme of ‘Another Day in the Office’ added a nice undercurrent of playfulness, and people fully committed to it. We met someone on their stag do giving out miniature books, fake gold bars, and sweets from a briefcase, with homemade placards offering job advice.

By Saturday, the site was full of characters. Sandra from HR in full drag handing out tax tips; more festival-goers in makeshift suits; and Joe, one of the organisers, who wore the same suit all weekend.

All of this, down to the small acts of commitment to the theme, ease of movement on site, and the effort put in behind the scenes got us thinking: what can bigger festivals learn from smaller ones like Nowadaze?

This formed the focus for some of our artist interviews. Starting with Producer and Psyked Label Executive Milzy, who closed out Friday night with a set that felt completely free with unmatched energy, as well as personal, rather than performative.

In a nutshell, Milzy opened up about how smaller festivals provide artists more room to experiment; there’s less pressure to ‘perform a brand’ or familiar sound that people know you for and therefore expect, encouraging artists to play from the heart and intuition.

Credit - Pseudo.silence, Nowadaze Festival 2025

We also had the chance to speak with Rohaan and Buunshin, which turned out to be one of the most introspective conversations of the weekend. They talked openly about what it means to be an artist today, especially in a culture that often demands constant output and performance. They reflected on the importance of staying true to yourself, no matter how big the stage or distance from the crowd, and the power of music as a language of communication.

Buunshin went on to reflect on attending festivals for the idea of a festival and its promise, versus attending a festival for what it is. The latter translates to living in the moment, taking the time to observe, and soaking in the sound and atmosphere around you. That kind of honesty felt right at home at Nowadaze, where proximity – physical, emotional, communal – was a running theme.

Smaller festivals might not have the budgets or the spectacle of large-scale ones. But what they offer – intimacy, freedom, connection – is something bigger festivals often try and fail to recreate with more infrastructure. Sometimes all it takes is a strong theme, some decent sound, and a crew that’s willing to go the extra mile.

Nowadaze reminded us that scale isn’t everything, even after several years of putting on a festival. It’s a reminder that the best festivals aren’t always the biggest, but the ones that feel most like a temporal community with a depth of impression. This becomes a place where people show up not only to party per se, but to fully immerse and take part.

We thank Nowadaze for making our first experience so pleasurable and look forward to seeing how the festival continues to evolve!

Super early bird £55 tickets are already on sale Nowadaze 2026 here.

All image credits to the incredible pseudo.silence via Nowadaze Festival

Credit - Pseudo.silence, Nowadaze Festival 2025

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