Sink the Pink returns to Bestival with a fantastic troupe of DJs, dancers and drag queens
By Ross Semple
It’s one of the UK’s most iconic music festivals but Bestival has always sported an exuberantly-lashed eye for the outrageous. Famed for its flamboyant aesthetics and yearly theme (this year’s is ‘Colour’), every aspect of Bestival encompasses the most inclusive and vibrant attitudes of a classic rave-up. And no Bestival institution exudes those attitudes quite like Sink the Pink.
Queering up the norm with a deliciously decadent mix of excessive glamour and glitter-powered disco fever, in their 10 years of performing at the festival, the trans-tastic troupe of DJs, dancers and drag queens have gone beyond cult favourites and are now central to the Bestival experience.
More than just a cheeky touch of chichi style and a knowingly arched brow, Sink the Pink’s high kicking hilarity and infectious appetite for no holds barred partying has provided Bestival with some unforgettable festival memories. From stack-heeled aerobics sessions on the main stage and near the knuckle late-night naughtiness to unleashing Candi Staton and Livin’ Joy on an unsuspecting Spaceport crowd their effortless ability to surprise and entertain keeps us coming back for more year after year.
Sink the Pink founder Amy casts a colourful eye back: “Our first Bestival was 2008 in the Bollywood tent! I was working on Rob’s [Rob da Bank, Bestival curator] Radio 1 show at the time as assistant producer, and I had convinced him that my brand-new club night, Sink the Pink was exactly what Bestival needed!
“We came on stage after a dubstep DJ, opening with a stage invasion of lunacy to Whitney Houston I Want to Dance with Somebody, I don’t think the crowd had ever seen anything like it! We had the whole place doing a conga line within a few songs!
“We went on to take over the Grand Palace of Entertainment every year and have grown to play many other stages including the Spaceport last year and the Amphitheatre.
“Much of our early experiences at Bestival as punters went on to influence the creation of Sink the Pink. We love that feeling of a full crowd of people being in themed fancy dress and being bonded by the silliness of it all. We love Bestival because we have always felt safe and welcomed and are very proud to bring a strong queer offering to our favourite festival.”
And so, in its Year of Colour, who else could the Bestival team turn to but Sink the Pink when a large helping of spunky sass and wanton style was required for the mother of all colourful photoshoots? Revealing their potpourri of ostentatious posturing and impossible cheekbones, we think you’ll agree the results are particularly vibrant!
Don’t miss Sink the Pink delving into the dressing up box marked ‘dazzling and elaborate’, once again as they take over HMS Bestival this September when the festival moves to its new home on the Lulworth Estate. Guaranteed to be nothing short bombastic and brilliant don’t miss out on one of the festival season’s most fabulous spectacles.