Evolution Festival

Evolution Festival
Genre	Rock, indie, electronic
Dates	May Bank Holiday 2002 - 2011 and 2013; Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday 2012
Location(s)	Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England
Years active	2002 - 2013
Website
www.evolutionfestival.co.uk

Evolution Festival was a music festival held annually across Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England from 2002 until 2013. The festival attracted tens of thousands of attendees every year and usually took place on the Quayside. Evolution Festival was briefly titled Orange Evolution due to a sponsorship deal with the mobile phone company Orange. It has been described as "the biggest festival Tyneside has ever staged".

Headline performers at Evolution Festival during its run included Dizzee Rascal, The Wombats, Paolo Nutini and Maxïmo Park.Florence + The Machine, Amy Winehouse and Ellie Goulding all appeared at Evolution before the height of their fame.

In 2014 Evolution Festival did not take place, and although the organisers claimed it was only a "pause" the event has not been held since. A smaller event featuring local bands, Evolution Emerging, continues to be held annually.

Evolution Festival started in 2002. In 2003 the event took place on the Quayside for the first time, with performances from Moloko, Biffy Clyro and Inspiral Carpets. In 2004, due to funding restrictions, Evolution returned to its multi-venue format including a Shindig event headlined by Eric Morillo and Deep Dish. Evolution returned to the Quayside in 2005, sponsored by the mobile phone network Orange and featuring a three-stage event headlined by Dizzee Rascal and The Futureheads. Major Tyneside export Maxïmo Park headlined the 2007 event. In 2008, the festival ended its sponsorship with Orange and became known as Evolution Festival, and introduced an entry charge - of £3 - for the first time.

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