It has continuously expanded, and since its inception, has sold out yearly.[2]
Beginning in 2021, the festival partnered with AEG's Goldenvoice, merging into All Points East.[3]
Village mentality
The festival hosts an annual village fete titled Village Mentality. Beginning in 2008, the area includes a sack race, tug of war and egg and spoon race.[4] In 2008, the events took place until 5pm, finishing earlier than the rest of the festival.[5] In 2009, the area was extended to include its own musical line-up, playing on the Village Mentality Stage. Acts included Mumford & Sons, Toumani Diabaté and Malcolm Middleton. The area is handled by organiser Tom Baker's partner Natalie Silk. Village Mentality was formerly known as Homefires,[6] who hosted their own London festival until 2007.[7]
Field Day radio
Field Day and Eat Your Own Ears founder Tom Baker, together with radio production company Folded Wing, recorded a series of radio shows in the run up to Field Day festival in 2012. It features sessions and interviews with the performing artists and has been a regular feature of the festival since. Episodes include exclusives interviews and mixes from the likes of Pixies, Grimes, Solange, Mulatu Astatke, Panda Bear, Caribou, Omar Souleyman, Metronomy, John Cooper Clarke, Four Tet, Kurt Vile and many more.
The 2008 event took place on 9 August 2008, with the Underage Festival taking place the previous day. The entire site was redesigned by Vanguardia Consulting, who provide specialist advice on sound control. Capacity was increased to 20,000, and bars and toilets across the site were doubled.[11] More than fifty artists were again billed for the festival, including Simian Mobile Disco, Les Savy Fav, Mystery Jets and Laura Marling. The event was headlined by Foals, in what was their first UK headline festival performance.[12][13] A 25-member brass band was also added as a final addition to the line-up.[14] The event now featured five stages, an increase from the previous year. The main stage was retitled the "Converse Century Stage", to reflect the company's 100-year anniversary in 2008.[15] A similar stage was used at Underage Festival the previous day.[16]
Dan Deacon had been due to play on the NME stage, but was later forced to pull out due to passport issues.[13] Mystery Jets also pulled out due to illness.[18] They were later replaced by Lightspeed Champion.
For the first time in 2010, Field Day is to take part in a festival 'twinning' scheme, organised by the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF). The initiative encourages twinned festivals to swap artists and cross promote each other's events.[28] Field Day was 'twinned' with the Øya Festival in Oslo, Norway.[29]
Eat Your Own Ears Stage
Adverntures in the Beetroot Field Stage
Bugged Out! Stage in association with Full Circle and Dummy
XOYO / Lock Tavern Stage
Bloggers Delight Stage
Village Mentality Stage in association with The Quietus
The 2011 event took place on 6 August 2011. The next day, a companion festival took place, with the same organisers and similar stages at the location, under the name The Apple Cart festival.
Eat Your Own Ears Stage
Bugged Out! Stage in association with Resident Advisor
Village Mentality Stage in association with The Quietus
Bloggers Delight / Lanzarote Stage
Laneway Festival Stage in association with Last.FM
The 2012 festival date moved from the traditional August month to Saturday 2 June 2012 (bank holiday weekend). This was due to Victoria Park being used for events to celebrate the London Olympics. The Apple Cart festival took place again on the next-day Sunday.
Eat Your Own Ears Stage
Bugged Out! Stage
Laneway Festival Stage in association with Last.FM
Village Mentality Stage in association with The Quietus
James Blake John Grant Junior Boys Kelela Kimmo Pohjonen Skin KINK - live Little Simz Loyle Carner LUH Lxury Mabel Mbongwana Star Meilyr Jones Mentsh (GRSS) Metz Mind Enterprises Molly Nilsson Moon Duo
The 2018 festival moved to Brockwell Park in Herne Hill and took place on 1 and 2 June. The headliners were Erykah Badu, Four Tet, Thundercat and Fever Ray.
The 2019 festival was at Meridian Water in Enfield on 7 and 8 June. The headliners were Skepta and Jorja Smith. There was a new system in place for the festival; a Day part and a Late Night part; the Day part of the festival finished around 10.30 pm and the Late Night part of the festival finished around 3 am. The line up was:
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