Slam Dunk's latest offering in Hatfield brought the perfect mix of nostalgia and new discoveries for reviewer Georgia Barrow, who attended Saturday's extravaganza - among 27,000 other rock fans.
Armed with a list of bands I absolutely could not miss, I arrived at the festival ready for a day filled with nostalgia - from Kids In Glass Houses' triumphant return after a nine-year hiatus, to screeching the words to Bowling for Soup's older tracks. Highschool does indeed Never End.
That said, there was plenty of room for new discoveries for me - I've already downloaded Charlotte Sands' discography to my Spotify account.
The blue-haired bombshell from the US certainly left an impression with her powerful vocals, fantastic interaction with the energetic crowd and incredibly infectious tunes.
This year saw St Albans band Enter Shikari return to the Slam Dunk stage as headliners for the first time since 2017.
Building the anticipation for the set even further was the recent release of the band's seventh studio album, A Kiss for the Whole World, which claimed the UK Number 1 album spot last month.
Rounding off the day of music, sunshine and drinks, Shikari stunned fans with an extravagant stage production, including phenomenal lights, and even special effects that saw front man Rou Reynolds seemingly descend under water.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the site, The Offspring pleased crowds with a mix of throwback tunes and newer hits.
Earlier in the day, fellow Herts-based band The Hunna - who hail from Watford - closed the The Key Club Stage for the day with an energetic and dominating performance that definitely got the crowd moving.
While the The Hunna are no strangers to Hatfield Park - having supported You Me At Six in 2022 on their 10 Years of Sin show celebrating the anniversary of the Sinners Never Sleep album release - this was their very first Slam Dunk appearance. And it was certainly one to remember.
Other stand out performances included previously mentioned Kids in Glass Houses, who will commence on an anniversary tour celebrating 15 years since the release of album Smart Casual in October, and firm favourites of mine Pvris and The Maine.
2023 marks 10 years since I first attended Slam Dunk festival as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed 16-year-old. This year's show was just as exciting as it has always been.
And plenty has changed in those 10 years...
The alternative rock festival has more than doubled in size in Hatfield since its inception in 2010 - when it was based at The Forum at the University of Hatfield - to 27,000 capacity at Hatfield Park.
Selling out the festival didn't come without its hiccups for visitors and organisers, however, with traffic and parking issues affecting those travelling by car.
Accessing the water station - on what was quite a hot day - also proved a struggle, with at least a 30-strong queue every time we attempted it.
The festival had to take to its social media platforms throughout the weekend to apologise for parking and traffic issues, before publishing a lengthy statement yesterday addressing a host of complaints.
Organisers said: "We would like to apologise for the issues which occurred and ensure our customers that we are committed to improving the event.
"We would like to ensure all customers that neither event was oversold, and customer safety is, and always will be, paramount to the festival."
Despite the problems, the event on the whole has become a staple in the calendar of rock lovers, and Slam Dunk 2023 certainly did not disappoint.
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