Care to go raving in a Wild Animal Park?

As the Northern summer shifts into gear, festivals are going to need a point of difference to stand out. For the Zoo Project Festival, which comes at the tail-end of the party season, it’s all in the location: an animal park 40 minutes outside London where you can rave amongst the residents. The idea was born in Ibiza, where an abandoned zoo is transformed each year into a hedonistic outdoor marathon, but the UK’s 600-acre Port Lymphne Wild Animal Park is anything but abandoned.

Should a herd of rowdy party people be mixed in with wild animals? The jury’s out on that one, but the festival organisers have certainly made the prospect enticing with a killer line-up. Nine stages have so far been announced, including a Never Say Never showcase headlined by Sasha, an Ostgut Ton gathering with Ben Klock and Norman Nodge out front, the Cocoon crew (minus label leader Sven Vath), plus Prosumer, Scuba, Julio Bashmore, Visionquest and many more.

It all happens from 14 to 16 September, and the other attractions include “the largest breeding herd of Black Rhinos outside of Africa as well as Siberian and Indian tigers, African elephants, monkeys, Barbary lions and many more rare and endangered species”. Not to mention “the world’s largest gorillarium”, where Ben Klock is surely a favourite. Just don’t let anyone near the dolphins.

Never Say Never Stage
Sasha
DJ Sneak
Scuba
Guy Gerber [Live]
James Teej [Live]

Louche Stage
Margaret Dygas
Prosumer
Gerd [Live]
Josh T
Brinsley Kazak

Kaluki Stage
Visionquest
Heidi
Yaya
Federico Grazzini
Ellesse
Pete Zorba

Cocoon Stage
Raresh
Tobi Neumann
Dinky
Ilario Alicante
Andre Galluzzi
Dana Ruh

Secretsundaze Stage
Chez Damier
Giles Smith
James Priestly
Wbeeza! [Live]

Channel Zoo Stage
Michael James
Nic & Kaleb
Lee Pennington
Funk E
Defex

Jaunt> & Junk Stage
Droog
Jordan Peak
Sam Russo
Richard Rowell
Tom Rankin
Luca Pilato

Dj Mag Stage
Julio Bashmore
Eats Everything
Pearson Sound
George Fitzgerald
Youandewan
Blackhall & Bookless

Ostgut Ton Stage
Ben Klock
Norman Nodge
Ryan Elliot
Barker & Baumecker [Live]
Evan Baggs