Before you hang up the clichéd flower headband you said you'd never buy, and dust off the last flecks of glitter, there's one more festival this summer to get excited about.

Festival No.6 held in Portmeirion, North Wales, is unlike any other festival and might just be the summer's best kept secret.

Its setting, a picturesque Italianate village dreamt up by an architect in the 20s to bring a taste of the Mediterranean to Wales, is more dolce vita than mud swamped field. And its lineup is a carefully curated homage to pop culture's mavericks - past acts have included Grace Jones, Erol Alkan, Kate Tempest and Neneh Cherry.  

Here are all the reasons Festival No.6 is our No.1.

1. There's sea, sand and woodland

A wide open field, this is not.

The setting really does make 'FN6' stand out among the summer's festival lineup. 

No one actually lives in Portmeirion, it's a tourist village for most of the year, but it comes alive with a carnival spirit during Festival No.6.  

Expect a beach, a pool, architecture that wouldn't look out of place in Portofino, a Lost In The Woods stage (where you're actively encouraged to lose yourself if you ever find it) and a secluded floating dance floor - follow signs to The Virgin Trains Village Limits Stage.

Never heard of a 'boutique' festival? Now you have.

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2. You can recharge in the Mermaid Spa

Make your mermaid dreams come true at The Portmeirion Mermaid Spa.

Because after all the dancing you're going to need a good massage.  

There's also Rise & Shine yoga and paddle boarding in case you need a break from your festival friends.

3. Watch an exclusive preview of the upcoming Oasis film

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds closes the festival, but there will be a sneak preview of the upcoming Oasis film, about the band's meteoric rise.

Which has miraculously been endorsed by both Noel and Liam.

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Noel Gallagher is headlining at Festival No.6

4. The all-male choir are back

Every day of the festival the 60-strong Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir perform in Portmeirion's Central Piazza.

They've become a firm favourite of the 4-day event.  

5. Raucous late night cabaret

Portmeirion's answer to the Moulin Rouge, the Meirion Rouge is open into the early hours.

The venue, which is new this year, is hosted by cabaret veterans Shelly and Rick Worthy, who have 20 years of experience curating the Circus Field at Glastonbury. 

Remember...festival season isn't over until the Brythoniaid Welsh Male Choir sing.

Click here for travel information with Virgin Trains and the best deals for Festival No.6 which runs this year from 1-4 September. 

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Hannah Nathanson
Features Director
Hannah Nathanson is Features Director at ELLE. She commissions, edits and writes stories for online and print, spanning everything from ’Generation Flake’ to cover profiles with Dua Lipa and Hailey Bieber. One of her most surreal moments as a journalist has been ‘chairing’ a conversation between Jodie Comer and Phoebe Waller-Bridge from her living room. The word she says most in the office is ‘podcast’.