Awesome Independent Festivals Happening in the UK in 2026

We've lost a LOT of great festivals over the last few years, shoutout to Balter, Nozstock, Hogsozzle, Wilkestock, Curious Yellow, Bluedot, Illusive etc, we will never forget you, but there's never been a better time for some new names to rise to the top of the independent festival scene in the UK.

Here are some independent festivals that you might not have heard of but are going to be popping right off this year. I don't have photos for all, some haven't happened yet and some I haven't been to or wasn't able to nag friends for photos, please feel free to share your own photos with me via instagram @katyclouds. I'll add to this list as more festivals get recommended, so pop your favourite independent event in the comments below.

Gemfest, 11th June - 14th June 2026, Malmesbury

Lineup Highlights: High Contrast, The Shapeshifters

If you ever went to WOMAD in Malmesbury you'll already be familiar with the beautiful estate this gem of a festival is held at, Charlton Park is perfect for an event like this. Gemfest has been popping up more and more on my socials and it's looking like it's the perfect mix of Dubstep, Techno, Jungle and D&B to create a brand new rising star of the grassroots festival scene - definitely one to think of if you want to support the rebirth of independent festivals in the UK as the team behind it are super experienced and know exactly what they are doing! There's lots of immersive theatre at this one and if you like quests and challenges, follow the wizard ;-)

Moovin Festival, 12th June to 14th June 2026, Stockport

Lineup Highlights: Nightmares On Wax, Quantic, Mungo's Hifi

Moovin Festival has 11 years under it's belt so far and this festival has kept itself small, but looks packed with arts and culture and a line-up that rivals some of the biggest. I'm a HUGE Mungo's HiFi fan and try to see them at least a couple of times a year, especially excited about dancing to their absolute classic dancehall in a more intimate setting. As well as some wonderfully themed stages and lots of fun extras, they have actual real flushing toilets...

Ground Rules, 19th to 21st June, Deene Park, Northampton

Real ones will know what a weekend at Deene Park means, and for those who haven't experienced it, you should. This brand new independent festival will showcase art, theatre and music from Acid House to Banghra and from Techno to Bardcore, so there's going to be something for all of your crew to discover. Held on the grounds that have housed Illusive for the last decade, this is bound to be a reunion of sorts...but without the camping. I'm not exactly sure how that's going to pan out as the location is quite out of the way, I'm guessing there will be a whole bunch of packed laybys around the areas...one to watch...

Landed, 24th to 26th July 2026, Mid Wales

Credit Zoe Soane, 2017

I last went to Landed nearly ten years ago and it's stuck in my mind as one of the most beautiful weekends. It's set in a magical location in the Welsh valleys, surrounded by a fast flowing river and in the grounds of a manor house with a mysterious past. I didn't know this was still going after Covid, and I'm thrilled to see that not only has it survived but appears to have got even better (and not that much bigger!) in the time I haven't been. It's one of the most child-friendly festivals I've been to, with a barefoot tribe of kids running absolutely riot around the campsites brandishing wooden swords and shields, the biggest rubber duck race you ever saw (adults should decorate a duck too, mind, it's compulsory) and a vibe that genuinely makes everyone feel welcome. These people actually know how to throw a party, so expect seriously eclectic music and ridiculous theatre. I'm adding this to my must-gos this summer!

Wickham Festival, 30th July to 2nd August, Hampshire

Lineup Highlights: The Proclaimers and Amy Winehouse Original Band

A few years ago I attended Wickham festival as a bar supervisor and it was one of the strangest weekends of my life which I do not say lightly. From drinking homemade honey mead at 5am to working some of the longest shifts ever on a bar made out of a fairground ride with an enormous racist moose hanging from the front, so much happened at this funny little local festival that it's kept a place in my heart ever since. There's everything from yoga to silent disco to theatre and storytelling, plus the line-up is usually surprisingly good for such a small event, the location is lovely and it's cheap and family friendly. 

Maui Waui, 28th to 30th August 2026, Suffolk

Credit: The Turner Brothers

Line-up Highlights:  Dub Pistols, Dreadzone and Phil Hartnoll from Orbital

We first learnt about Maui Waui at Bearded Theory festival, and incredible little festival near Derby that I would have included on this list had they not recently sold part of their endeavour to the big LN. The Maui Waui stage was incredible, with huge tentacles and amazing music, as well as a cute area for VIP and crew to relax and get away from the hubbub. Finding out it was an entirely separate festival in it's own right made we want to go, and then I found out The Turner Brothers were playing the festival last year too! I couldn't attend due to prior commitments but it looks SO fun it's definitely on my list for this year. Not only do kids go free which is wonderful for families, but the whole weekend looks packed out with live bands, comedy cabaret and art.

Foundations, 28th to 30th August, Huntingdon

Foundations has been in the making for a while, and lots of people I've met over the years are getting excited about it actually coming to fruition this year. With the ethos of the free party movement and fully independent, it's been the one most might be talking about, but other than the list of sound systems on their website I'm struggling to find more info about the festival itself, including the full line-up. Held on the site of Secret Garden Party, so you know it's likely to be of a similar vibe, but the venue is incredible with swimmable lakes, hidden woods and lots of potential...

Sound City, 4th to 6th September 2026, Gloucester

Credit: Annie Smith

We needed something to fill this weekend, and by all accounts it seems that Sound City has everything we could have wished for.  Not to be confused with the Liverpool based festival of the same name, Sound City has it's roots in sound system culture, three mega sound systems come together to create a spectacularly loud, fun and intimate weekend. I'll update this with line-up highlights when the line-up for this drops! 

Mucky Weekender, 10th September to 12th September, Winchester

Credit: Me

Lineup Highlights: David Rodigan, Leftfield, Krafty Kuts, Ed Solo and Deekline...so many great artists!

Last year was my first at this wicked little festival and I am so glad I went, the line-up is always incredible, as you would expect considering it's run by the Ashcroft family and the Dub Pistols. Featuring lineup line up line up. It's a slightly older, experienced party crowd with some seriously fun stages, I love the UFO in the woods, blasting Ed Solo and Deekline out to the muddiest most joyful crowd I'd ever seen. It's a really great vibe here, bring your best mates and enjoy the last proper festival weekend of the summer with a bunch of like-minded people, There's also lots of sober options, from functional and adaptogenic drinks to food laced with Lions Mane. See you there this summer!

What's Download Festival Like?

 It's been a while since I was here writing about festivals. Covid took away a lot from the events industry, which I plan on covering in later blogs, in particular what it meant for festival production to have lost so many long-timers. Since events were basically off for two years, with the exception of a few that pushed through the trials of a late summer 2021 event, many individuals with expert knowledge of putting on festivals and events had to find other ways to make a living - which has left big gaps in production teams across the festival circuit. 

Which brings me nicely to Download 2022. There's so much to say about how it came about that I was even attending, but I'll keep it simple. A friend of mine was looking for some help towing a trailer and setting up her cake and tea stall. I'd worked with her before, at Illusive a few years ago, and I know that her usual team was quite a laugh, so I agreed. What's that? I agreed to drive a long-wheelbase van and janky old trailer over 100 miles? I'm not sure what possessed me to do that, to be honest. I've never driven a van. I don't know anything about trailers. I don't even know my left and right.

With quite a bit of help, I got the thing there, and after a rather sudden reminder of why festival accreditation is a pain in the butt when you aren't going in with a band, we managed to site the trailer in the right spot and batton down the hatches for the first night.

I'd studied the line-up pretty hard before setting off. Mostly bands in the 'I know I should want to see them but I don't' catagory. Iron Maiden, Steel Panther, Biffy Clyro, Korn Kiss, The Darkness...the list of rock bands was long and I'm not going to sugarcoat it, not massively appealing to my more upbeat and less deathy musical taste, but, we move.

If you are thinking of attending Download 2023, here's my top tips:

• Fashion was black, black and more black. Vintage Iron Maiden shirts and leather waistcoats were the most-spotted sartorial choice. Bring your ripped tights and fedoras, everything you own that's black leather and a vape. Honestly, finding anyone with a lighter was nigh-on impossible.
• The site is large and set around a racing circuit. At some point, you might even find yourself walking along it. Some of the camping is a very long trek from the car park. It's not as bad as many of the larger festivals, but you'll definitely be putting the steps in. Staff camping is way up on yonder hill, so if you are working at the festival, camping in the main arena next to your stall is the better option if you plan to get to work on time. 
• The Village is the best party after hours. It took us three full days to find, as you have to walk quite a long way and it almost seems like you are leaving the site and walking into a totally different area, but once you see the unmistakeable shape of stacked containers looming in the distance, you are nearly there. 24-food vendors, fairground rides and banging music draw revellers all night long.
• Be prepared for things to get wild. I don't know if it was just because it was the first big festival in a while for people, or if it's always like that, but some serious partying went down at Download this year. From a viral snap of a gentleman receiving a bj in broad daylight in a main throughfare to rumours of outrageous parties in staff camping, there was a lot going on - 
• Book quiet camping for a curfew on noise or go all out and try one of the many luxury camping options - we saw everything from Gypsy caravans to mini container homes. Most regular Download goers book RIP which gives you some extra bits like posh toilets and warm showers and secret things that I didn't quite find out about! 

Since it's been a while that I've written about festivals, I'm going to cover some of the things that I know I have looked for when researching upcoming events, which I know others are often looking for too. Sorry if you find talking about toilets boring :)

TOILETS

Download had plenty of toilets in each arena and they were cleaned every single night that we were there, we also got our own toilet as part of our stall which stayed spotless and stocked the whole time. Bit sad they didn't bother with using anything but the cheapest chemical toilet but as I camped in the main arena, I'm not sure what the campsite facilities were like. It was a bit of a mess by the late evening, but generally, reasonably good - I don't have experience of the disabled facilities, so if you do, let me know and I will add that information.

ECO 

Was Download eco-friendly? Well, the mess didn't make the headlines as at some other events this year. To be honest, at that point in the summer, I didn't know how important festival's ability to manage their waste properly was going to become, and it did really become more apparent over the season that some festivals really had this down, and others struggled with implementing even the most basic principles. I do know that litter was well dealt with at Download, whether that was the clientele or the production, probably both. One big problem which became apparent here and for the rest of the summer was disposable vape pens, one use, non-rechargable flavoured vape devices with a lithium battery that get thrown after a hundred puffs, all solid plastic. Festivals need to do something about this!

WORKING 

There's a couple of dedicated staff camping areas but for reasons that I cannot fathom, they are MILES from the main arena, which makes no sense if they want people to get to their stalls on time, but there we go. We discovered this extremely long walk one night looking for the staff showers, because despite allowing camping in the main arena there were no staff showers there, not great for hygiene because I honestly wondered who bothered with that huge trek every day, you'd be covered in dust and whatever else by the time you walked back. As far as I discovered, having a staff wristband made very little difference, except being allowed in the main arena past midnight.

So, a week before we set off for Download 2023 I've finally posted this! Let me know in the comments of over on Instagram if you are heading for Donnington Park next week!!

Curious Yellow 2018

I'm kind of late sharing these photos and review of Curious Yellow this year - for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have been beavering away developing my own business! I'll share more over the next few months as I work to promote it and start taking on clients but you can check out the website and a lot of free info by clicking here and visiting Strange Marketing.

But, anyway I am here to talk about Curious and the fun and weirdness that we had in the beautiful Gibberd Garden. I've made a promise to myself that I'm not going to gush about the gardens this year, I'm pretty sure the majority of my blogs about this event are just me raving about the location so I'm going to try to avoid that as much today.

Every year I go to Curious Yellow, it is life-changing in some way, redefining how I see myself or my relationships. This year was no different and everything changed for me in the few days that we spent hidden in gardens.

The excitement in the lead up this year was SO REAL I almost couldn't stand it. I actually gave myself several anxiety attacks in the preparation because I couldn't believe it was finally here, after counting down for exactly 365 days.

When we finally arrived, the spot our friends who got there first had picked was perfect, and this year we came down the lane instead of dragging our camping supplies through the gardens which meant we had no idea what installations, tents or stages were in the main arenas until we were fully settled. 

We heard some amazing music from Bare Jams and The Turner Brothers but my favourite set of all was Sweetcornbread in the Once In A Blue Moon cafe. Despite three days of pretty heavy drinking and misbehaviour (especially on the part of my bass-playing boyfriend below on the left) they absolutely smashed the fence out of their Sunday afternoon set and had the whole audience dancing to their fun music. It was about twenty thousand degrees in Once In A Blue Moon tent (check out this post for more about their beautiful festival set-up) so I didn't get too many good photo, which makes me sad because they looks so freaking awesome and I'm not even just saying that because I date one of them. 

In a weekend full of wonderfulness, there were a couple of other things that stood out that I really have to mention. The incredible LCD screens in the smaller dance arena were controlled by a fabulous device call the Naztek which anyone could stick their hands in to create crazy digital patterns surrounding the DJ booth. I absolutely LOVE things like this, being able to interact with the set-up is really fun and brings a whole new dimension to the dance arena, especially at a smaller festival where everyone gets to have a turn - check out a video by clicking here.

I also had a great time at the little open mic event held by some people local to us here in Hemel. Set in the folly, a little stone tower that I've always felt was a bit under-used, a variety of performers got up to sing. There was good, amazing  and one or two who perhaps could do with a tiny bit more practise but where nonetheless, awe-inspiring for getting up and braving the small but raucous crowd. My friend Rachael singing Ballroom Blitz and our friends Dave and Ian deserved their applause for sure!

Song discovery of the weekend for me was this track by Asif Avidan which I heard covered in a pretty jaunty and joyful way by Bare Jams and then looked up afterwards and found the original for, it's a real corker, this guys voice is insane.

The rest of the weekend passed in a blur of whiskey, music and happiness, hiding in the undergrowth with some new found friends (thank you Grace and Georgia for concealing me when I needed some quiet time as well as the disposable camera photos!!) and wishing that time would pass as slowly as possible so we didn't have to go home!

In comparison to other years I would say the set up was better, more professional, the stage looked great and so did the bars. There were none of last years issues with the generator and there was something going on all the time. The main attraction for me is always getting to roam and explore the Gibberd Gardens on my own and with people new to the location and it didn't disappoint - if I ever have a reason to have a big outdoor party there isn't anywhere else I would consider, I really love this place so much.

I look forward to next year, as usual, but I'm not able to share a ticket link currently. I know that there have been some issues with getting things booked for next years party and the team behind Curious are currently trying to raise funds to be able to continue putting on the event - here is a link to their Just Giving page.

Thank you to Greg, Daniel, Charlotte, Liz and everyone involved ♥

Five MORE reasons to grab a last minute ticket to Curious Yellow - UPDATED DISCOUNT CODES!!

It's two sleeps until Curious Yellow and I'm beyond excited. My bags are packed, the chat group is buzzing and the weather is looking amazing.

There's still a few tickets left for sale, here are my (updated for 2018 but you can read the original post here) top five reasons for snapping one up...

1. The music is going to be AMAZING

Every year the team manage to put together a completely eclectic and original line-up with bands, artists and workshops that will blow your mind. One of my favourite things to come out of this event is collaborations between artists that met in the gardens. This year, (I hope I'm not breaking any of the secret line-up rules by saying this I probably am!) I know that The Turner Brothers (woop!), Sweetcornbread and Bare Jams, three of my Curious favourites are all set to play. I'm hoping that the Turner Brothers are going to be joined by our favourite rapping, beat boxing flute player, Archie XN Trick, whose been bashing out some fab content recently and will fit in perfectly to the Turner's party sound. In previously years we've enjoyed fab harmonies in the Once In A Blue Moon tipi with The Midnights, amazing singing bowls from the Consciousness Collective and serious late night dance beats from the Curious Yellow DJ's - I can't wait to see what is in store this year.

(Photos from the Curious Yellow Facebook Page - click here for more)

2. The Gardens

I feel like I have said it before (just a few times?) but the Gibberd Garden is one of my all time favourite places in the UK. Last year I know a couple got married there so I'm kind of jealous that they stole my idea, because the setting is so romantic and wild that I can't honestly think of a better venue to say your vows. This will be our forth year returning to the valley, each year I've taken photos of the foliage and it gets better each year. The best part is the undergrowth along the freshwater stream, giant leaves, dragonflies and tropical-looking flowers leading to a magical stone tower with a perfect lily pool at the top. Note to self - stay away from the poisonous Giant Hogweed!

3. Friends

We had an amazing group at Hogsozzle a few weeks ago and most of the same people seem to have snapped up tickets already so I'm thrilled to be spending the weekend with my besties and a bunch of people who haven't ever experienced Curious. The actual festival is in it's 6th year, with this being the 4th at the Gibberd Gardens. There's a quite substantial bunch of 'regulars' and it will be seriously joyous to see their faces round every corner again this year but the best thing to be is a newbie that gets to experience everything for the first time - if you haven't been before, grab a few of your most spontaneous and fun friends and snap up a ticket using the links below, I promise you won't regret it!

4. The Theme

Not going to lie, when I first heard the theme I didn't get it, but after a lot of thought, and some helpful posts from the Curious crew I think I've got an idea. 'Fruit' is a pretty strange theme for a festival but it reflects everything crazy and fun about the weekend and there are loads of ways to interpret it - I can't wait to see how people have taken the theme and run with it! I'm making an updated, fruity, curious and yellow version of my light-up crown and taking a few fun, fruity themed outfits which I'll be sharing over on my Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/katyclouds.

5. The Weirdness

UK festivals get more commercial every year. Tickets are expensive to most of the big weekends. Everyone seems to be wearing the same thing. The same bands do the festival circuit and if you go to a few the chances are you will see something the same. Curious Yellow breaks the mould completely with a weekend of love, warmth and partying like there is no tomorrow. Everything is done in the CY way from magicians in the undergrowth to getting your water from a freshwater spring right in the middle of the garden. Spending your Saturday following the sculpture trail and discovering new corners of the garden, your Sunday rolling around in cocktails and listening to music you will be hard-pressed to find again in such a great setting - Curious is different. escapist and hedonistic and definitely worth the £90 ticket price for the weekend.

So, if you want a ticket, there's still (just) time.

• Go here: https://curiousyellow.co.uk/event/curious-yellow-2018/

• Enter your details and use the code 10TURNER2018 for an extra £10 off the ticket price.

• Receive your ticket and get packing!

(thanks Darren Kern Photography for this fab photo of 2018's set up)

I can't wait to see you in the sunshine this weekend - feel free to drop me a note if you are coming along, we are organising a convoy from Hertfordshire and the more the merrier!

Katy x

5 Amazing Things We Loved At Hogsozzle 2018

What an incredible time we had at Hogsozzle this year, I must try not to gush too hard in this post because even two weeks later I'm still buzzing from the fun and frolics.

I definitely over packed for this one...

We arrived in convoy late on Friday afternoon, much later than my plan-loving brain had reckoned on. This meant we didn't have our pick of the pitches, and with 7 tents in our group we needed a large area to spread out. We eventually had to camp right at the entrance, which I was pretty miffed about at first but it turned out swell, we could see and hear everything that was going on and felt right in the action.

And the weekend began! There were so many amazing things at this years Hogsozzle, I honestly believe it was the most fun I've had at a festival for several years, the food, music and company was all spot on. Instead of the usual run down of what we did every second of every day, I want to change up my review style and I'm going to instead share 5 of the best things about Hogsozzle this year.

1. The Once In A Blue Moon Cafe

You have no idea the actual joy I had in my heart as I rounded the corner in the hidden wooded area and saw the first peeks of a tent I recognised from Curious Yellow last year. The Blue Moon cafe people really know how to run a festival chill-out zone. They they sell amazing vegan and vegetarian hot food that has actual nutrients in, they open early for breakfast and they take debit cards - in addition to a fab line up of smaller musical and comedy acts and I believe an open mic. The tent is beautiful too, I found out from them last year that it was custom made for them in India with a wonderful starry ceiling and lots of soft seating.

Late on Saturday we headed over to their fire pit and had a lovely vegan curry full of vegetables and for pretty good price of £7 for the 'deluxe' version with yoghurt and a flatbread. I also have to thank the guys for finding and keeping hold of my phone at one point in the festival! I can't wait to spend more time snuggled up in a corner with a rum, listening to music and chatting with friends at Curious Yellow in a few weeks time! If you want to find out more about the Once In A Blue Moon cafe, they have a website here.

2. Costumes and Crowns 

As always, the fancy dress at Hogsozzle was on point! I spent most of the morning before we set up fixing up my LED crown, my first light-up festival piece that I'd made myself and it was a dream. I did a DIY on how to make your own which you can see by clicking here. The best thing about it was that it lit up the portaloos which were pitch black otherwise!

These photos are from In Squared Photography's album of Hogsozzle pics, click here for more.

The theme this year was Fairytales and Fantasies and people really went to town with some mega costumes! There was so many giant sequins, wonderful facepaint and men in shiny leggings. 

3.  The Curious Yellow Takeover

I can't believe how lucky we are to be involved in two festivals like this that had such a fab crossover. Saturday night in the dance tent was all about Curious Yellow, which I've posted about lots and is coming up in just a few weeks. The DJ's took over with their unique dance vibe for the whole night and went down a storm. Seeing Greg and Dan from the Curious Yellow crew at a festival so completely different to the one they run was so fun and we found out that the Hogsozzle boys  will be attended Curious Yellow in return!

I don't have any photos of the guys as it was really dark in the dance tent and everything looked drunk and blurry by then, if anyone has one of their set-up let me know :)

4. Friends

This was the first time we have been to Hogsozzle without the band playing, so it was all for fun and no stress about instruments or missing band members. It meant everyone could relax and enjoy the weekend so we took a pretty large group of friends with us, some of whom we don't get to see very often and it really made for an amazing experience. Hogsozzle is small enough that you can't really lose anyone, so every corner we turned there was a friendly face covered in glitter greeting us and we had some epic dance tent moments with our crowd. We've talked about Hogsozzle a lot at home so it was really good to show our gang all of the fun there is to be had and make some amazing memories to kick off the summer with!

5. The Paint Fight

So, four years in and I haven't actually taken part in the paint fight. Party because by the Sunday all of my clothes are already wet and muddy and I'm losing my voice, which means I don't especially want to breathe in a bunch of paint dust. This year I planted myself in a prime spot at the top of the hill, near the bar, overlooking the main arena. The incredible Rumpsteppers revved everyone up and it was one of the most epic paint fights I've ever seen, the color just kept on coming every time the beat dropped and everyone came away looking like they were from another planet - next year I promised myself I will definitely get involved, as long as the showers are working! Even though I was pretty far back most of my clothes have remnants of paint powder on them - a word of warning if you are reading this in 2019 and getting ready for your fist Sozzle - don't wear your best clothes for the paint fight!!!!

So that's it, my top 5 favourite things from Hogsozzle this year! There was so much more I could talk about but I don't want to repeat myself from previous years. If you want a fully detailed run down on everything that was Hogsozzle 2018, I found this great post by That Festival Blogger, who I didn't get to meet this time but I'm certain that our paths will cross again by the end of the summer! I want to give a shout out to the Hogsozzle boys for an epic, unforgettable party, Frosty for the paint fight photos, Hayley and Ian for driving, Patawawa for being awesome and also for bringing back the biff with me and all of my lovely friends for making it a beautiful weekend full of love and amazing memories <3

Next up, Curious Yellow in two weeks and I'm BUZZING! I'll be sharing some of our costume ideas for the fruit theme over the next few weeks, if you haven't got your ticket yet, snap one up quick because it's going to unmissable - use the code 10turner2018 on their website (click here) for a tenner off.

Photo credits: Alex Krook, Tasha Rhodes, Ian Frost and In Squared Photography