As most event organisers know, putting on an event that can cater for 10,000 students is not exactly easy, but what do you do when five days before kick off you're told that you can't have planning permission for the venue you've been working on all year? Panic? Throw in the towel and blame the current economic climate? Well, Beach Break Live organiser Celia Norowzian faced up to the impossible in June 2009.

Tickets were sold, top acts booked, security sorted and a million and one other things that go into event organisation were all ready for the off with 10,000 expectant festival goers looking forward to celebrating the end of term in style when the news that planning permission had been refused broke and looked set to sink Beach Break Live. But they had not taken into account the determination of festival organiser Celia who wasn't about to let it lie. After sleepless nights and constant calls and meetings a new location was found at the 11th hour when Port Lympne came to the rescue. Despite having to cancel their own event this year Port Lympne was a venue perfect for the cause, well apart from the lack of Cornish beach. On the plus side it had a fully functioning working zoo, but without the beach featured in the Festival's name it called for drastic action; they couldn't relocate the sea but they could relocate a bit of beach and that's exactly what happened and a section of Cornish beach was relocated to Kent - instant beach ready for the break!

Beach Break Live really showed how it's done, if you can move a whole festival 300 miles at very short notice and still put on a great event then you've done something very special, not least being that you've shown those who moan about how they 'didn't have time' to finish organising their events how it should be done. Isn't it refreshing that even in this cynical day and age there are those who actually get off their arse and do it anyway?

So, would we recommend Beach Break Live as a festival to you? okay the organisers really pulled it out of the bag but what made it a festival worthy of being a 'student' festival? Well, let me give you our reasons:

The atmosphere was without doubt the most friendly we’ve experienced at any festival in the UK. Beach Break Live has a clientele predominantly made up of educated and open-minded individuals – most of whom say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ as a matter of course! Don't underestimate how this can affect an atmosphere. Everyone we met, without exception were friendly and approachable, ready to have their photo taken or have a quick chat about who they enjoyed watching or were looking forward to seeing.

The venue size versus the capacity (10,000) is about right so you never feel too crowded – even when the big acts are on stage you could still get close to the action without feeling claustrophobic; this isn't always the case for all festivals is it?

The facilities were pretty impressive overall – I don’t recall ever having to queue too long for food (always a priority, must be all that fresh air!) and there were plenty of toilets which were cleaned daily.

The selection of food on offer showed that the festival organisers had thought this out and were acutely aware that people enjoy variety and eating ethically (organic halloumi anyone?) Food, on average, cost about £5-£6 for a meal, portions weren’t huge but had plenty of taste even on the last day when many other vendors would begin rationing! Most notably though was an absence of litter right up to the end of the festival due to an abundance of recycling bins and cleaning patrols.

Importantly, beer was only £2.50 for a can – falling way below the horrendous £4 mark one sees at some of the mainstream festivals. There were plenty of places to drink it too, from large beer tents to relaxed Bedouin style open-air camps. 

What we really enjoyed in particular were the thoughtful touches - throughout the festival anyone could participate in communal games ranging from zorbing, blind races, sand-pit wrestling and volley ball to name just a few of the activities on offer on top of the music.

There were comfy places to sit and relax with lots of bean bags and hammocks dotted about, a lot of the huge festivals forget that festival goers do sometimes need to sit and relax when they are at an event! There was even an artificial sand beach (a little touch of Cornwall in Kent!) complete with paddling pools – a gesture to help make up for the absence of a real beach.

Plenty of other surprises were dotted about too, like the neon paint fight on the last day where a few hundred people plastered one another in fluorescent coloured paint and powder. And the inventive fancy dress costumes people presented themselves in; I still can’t help laughing at the crayola crayons and their organised hopping! a particular favourite.

Perhaps the greatest testament to why Beach Break Live is more than worth attending is the way that the organisers handled the change of venue debacle in such an open and honest manner. There were offers of ticket transfers, rebates on transport costs along with helpful updates posted to the website to keep people up-to-date which read with a tone of frank sincerity and genuine concern for festival goers. This was coupled with a steely determination to ‘do whatever it takes to make it happen’ despite a minority doing their best to derail the event.

So, if you can take a festival, throw the plan out of the window and move it 300 miles while still keeping 10,000 people smiling – just imagine the potential for Beach Break Live in 2010, when things (hopefully) do go to plan! If you’re looking for a small-scale boutique festival catering for a younger generation with fun high on the agenda and less ‘in your face’ attitude, check out Beach Break Live, you won’t be disappointed.