It’s that time of year again. Two weeks of holiday carved out of the second half of July could only mean one thing round here: we’re off to the Benicassim festival (FIB) for the 3rd year running. For those who haven’t been, Benicassim is a rock festival like no other. It combines the usual noise, large cups of beer and haze of marijuana smoke with an attractive beach town, lots of sunshine and all the other benefits of a traditional Spanish beach holiday. In the evening (until 6 am), we’ll enjoy performances by Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Wilco, Herman Düne, and Cansei de Ser Sexy – and during the day, we’ll sunbathe and swim. Quite simply, it’s the highlight of the year… and yet none of my Barcelona friends ever go. Losers.

The main downside to FIB is the heat. While it’s great to have a festival by the beach, the temperatures in Castellón in the last fortnight of July are hot, hot, hot. Last year, I nearly died while erecting our tent. Without the help of my stalwart amigos, I may well have undergone a complete mental and physical collapse. So this year, we’re doing things differently. We’ve got an apartment on the beach with a pool and a parking space. No more tents for us. I’m not sure which part I’m looking forward to more: hearing the Stooges play Search And Destroy or relaxing in the shade the next day.

Update: some photos of the festival are now available on my Flickr. More coming soon. http://flickr.com/photos/thebadrash