Common Ground Festival was originally called "The Dirty Weekend" (until 2016) and is a not-for-profit punk rock festival held in the United Kingdom every September since 2004. Profits go to various grass roots charities focusing on political activism, animal rights, and other causes. It is generally dominated by anarcho-punk, crust punk, and hardcore punk bands but also features dub, ska punk, and folk punk acts. History The festival emerged as The Dirty Weekend in Rhyl, Wales in 2004. Originally a one-day event, the festival soon became a 2-day festival, moving from venue to venue around North Wales until managing to find a more permanent location in Wrexham in 2011 for three years, until the festival was cut short by an electrical fault caused a fire at the venue. Changing its name to Common Ground, it still struggled to find a suitable home and relocated every year. 2004 Having put regular gigs on in Rhyl, Dave Cox, Steve Brute and Leigh Cox (all of punk band The Cox), organised the first Dirty Weekend festival at The Morville Hotel in the town on 6 & 7 August 2004. Bands included on the line-up were Drongos For Europe, Red Flag 77, Instant Agony and Stuntface. 2005 Moving to the smaller confines of The Dudley Arms, Rhyl, the second festival was held over the weekend of 6 August 2005. The line-up included; Drongos For Europe, The Nerds and 3 Minute Warning. 2006 At The Dudley Arms, Rhyl 2007 At The Dudley Arms, Rhyl, over the weekend of 2 June 2007. Bands included The Restarts, Riot Squad, Stuntface, 3 Minute Warning. 2008 This time over the weekend of 20 September 2008, the festival had found a new venue at Hendre Hall, near Bangor, Gwynedd. The line-up included 'bigger' names on the punk scene such as Discharge, Subhumans and Inner Terrestrials. 2012 The festival, after a four-year hiatus emerged across two venues in Wrexham on 7 & 8 September, announced proceeds would be donated to animal charities including, Greyhound Rescue Wales. Event organisers included Elliot Capper, Dave Cox, Hannah Pickup and Pumpkin Records (who also hosted one of the stages). The line-up included; Inner Terrestrials (who pulled out), Roughneck Riot, The Tear Up, Global Parasite, Vice Squad, Neville Staple and Doom. 2013 Again held in Wrexham, The Dirty Weekend festival was cut short when a small fire fused the electric supply, preventing headliners Extreme Noise Terror