Bilbao BBK Live goes from strength to strength.  This year’s festival featured an amazing line-up of Spanish, UK and international musicians, spread over three days.

The festival takes place at Kobetamendi, a large, hill-side park to the southeast of the city, surrounded by beautiful countryside and with views down to the Nervión River.  Free shuttle buses operate between the city centre; San Mamés Stadium; the campsite; and the festival stages.

Registration for the festival takes place at the San Mamés Stadium, and it is here that you obtain the wristband, which is your life-support-system for the three-day event.

The festival site is cashless, so it is essential to load up sufficient credit onto the wristband to see you through the duration of your stay; on-site food is tasty, but it is not cheap!

The campsite has space for 15,000 people.  My tiny, two-man tent is lost in the temporary sea of canvas-dwelling humanity.

So, Bilbao BBK Live 2019?  What is my assessment?  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  I have compiled some Top Fives of my post-festival impressions.

TOP 5 ACTS

• Thom Yorke
• The Good, the Bad & the Queen
• Rosalía
• Sleaford Mods
• Weezer

TOP 5 POSITIVES

• The wristband – very convenient and worked like a dream buying stuff around the festival site
• The toilets at Subway, Poza Lizentziatuaren Kalea 44 – a privy haven after the campsite
• Free shuttle bus
• Great venue, stadium and city centre
• All the festival stages were convenient and close together

TOP 5 NEGATIVES

• The campsite toilets
• Long queues for the free shuttle bus
• Price of festival food
• The heat in my tent
• Lack of sleep due to the heat in my tent

Three days passed in a rapid oblivion of noise and excitement and camaraderie and sleep-deprived sweat.

Will I be back?  Let’s just say, I am already googling next year’s line-up.

© Dalton Wells

Dalton Wells chills in the heat of the Bilbao BBK Live campsite.