ZIP ROC 2019; THE WRAP UP

First of all, we’d like to extend a thank you. A thank you to all of you for purchasing a ticket, both standard and VIP. Not only are you helping this fantastic event to grow from year to year, but you’ve also played a huge part in aiding the incredible Love Hope Strength Foundation, a local cancer charity founded by The Alarm frontman, Mike Peters. One thing we did worry about was the weather. The week ahead of festival was one of the wettest we’d seen for a while, and the days following for that matter! But the clouds parted for just one day, making it one of the sunniest days of the month so far – perfect festival weather!
The day kicked off with a fun set by the Atoms, a local band from Anglesey. They played a selection of covers to really get the crowd going, whilst our mobile zip line, Big Red, hosted its first mini-adventurers of the day alongside the Main Stage! The local and diverse acts this year really went down a treat; everyone’s favourite 5 piece, Maffia Mr Huws, played an eclectic and energetic set of their finest tracks, whilst the Alffa duo entertained us with their indie set, including the first Welsh single to ever hit a million plays on Spotify, Gwenwyn.

And how could we go without mentioning Celt; they clearly had a fair few fans in the crowd! Everyone was up on their feet during the set, dancing and singing along to Celt’s setlist. Their emotional rendition of ‘Streets of Bethesda’ saw a few tears being shed in the crowd too! Welsh rock and pop icons Bryn Fôn and Elin Fflur also took to the stage to treat us to their famous tunes. Bryn donned a fabulous pink suit, a true Welsh icon, while Elin entertained with her incredible voice, good humour and, much to the crowd’s excitement, a rendition of her well-known ‘Harbwr Diogel’.

In between sets, the festival guests enjoyed a selection of delicious local food from our concession stands, including the vegetarian delights of Veggieman, the Welsh classics from Blas ar Fwyd, the tempting snacks of our partners, Trailhead Beef Jerky, as well as Zip World’s very own burger van, serving up a selection of locally sourced burgers and hotdogs. A big thanks to local beverage providers who also mixed up a few treats, including the Booze Brothers, who offered bespoke Zip Roc cocktails, and the incredible Aberfalls Distillery’s gin van. 

Mike of The Alarm joined his lads, Third Generation, on stage for a heart-warming father-sons set before embarking on his own set, playing his well-known tunes to the crowd’s delight. He was even joined on stage by Batala Bangor, the local drumming crew! Following Mike was Miles Hunt of the Wonder Stuff, where we were transported back to the 80s for the 45 minute set, where we were treated to a few favourites, such as ‘The Size of a Cow’! Finally, headliners Cast took to the stage, and they were more than ‘Alright’! Everyone was on their feet, singing along to the tunes, being pulled from the 80s and submerged straight into the 90s. Frontman, John Power rocked the stage and mesmerised the audience with the timeless classics that we all know and love. 

All that’s left to do now is look forward to next year!