Melbelle's UK Festival Guide: 10 Festivals To Visit This Summer
(with a country & boho theme)

Tennessee Fields Country Music Festival UK

Tennessee Fields Festival, Essex. Photo credit: Drew Burnett

Festival season has arrived!

We’re thrilled to be attending several of the festivals this summer with our Melbelle stall and can’t wait to meet you all in person; be sure to come and say hi. We’ll be filling the van floor-to-ceiling with stock, including many un-released collections that you’ll have exclusive first access to!

In this guide I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 festivals to visit this summer. Naturally, there’s a heavy bias towards country music festivals and festivals with a bohemian vibe 😉 So if you enjoy bands such as Kezia Gill, Jade Helliwell, Morganway, Tenille Arts, Ward Thomas, Chris Young, Cassadee Pope, and other country acts, keep reading…

We’ll be attending several of them; I’ll let you know below which ones you can find us at.

JUNE 2022:

DATE: 17-19 June

LOCATION: Eridge Park, Kent

HEADLINERS: James, Jake Bugg, Cam, Wilco, The Waterboys, Van Morrison

OTHER ACTS: 100+ acts including Kezia Gill, Ward Thomas, Wildwood Kin, Declan O’Rourke, The County Affair

FOOD: Smokehouse food inspired by America’s deep south. Plus a chilli eating contest!

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: The Roadhouse: custom built bikes (Harley Davidson are attending), whiskey masterclasses, Young Folk (a festival inside a festival for the young with a climbing wall, skateboarding, zip wire, silent disco, treasure hunt and more), music workshops, songwriter sessions, shopping and lots more.

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? Yes!

TICKETS: Available through the Black Deer website

JULY 2022:

The UK’s first Americana festival!

DATE: 1-3 July

LOCATION: Easton Farm Park, Suffolk

ACTS: 50+ acts including Baskery, Black Feathers, Blue Highways, Charm of Finches, Chuck Wills Band

FOOD: There’s a carefully selected range of food on offer with many veggie options including hand-made pizza,  Greek street food, tacos, nachos, Nepalese momo, award winning local ice cream and brownies all washed down with freshly squeezed lemonade, teas and freshly ground coffee, Suffolk cyder and a selection of local ales, wine and lager

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: Films, workshops and shopping

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the Maverick Festival website

DATE: 1-3 July

LOCATION: The American Museum near Bath, Somerset

HEADLINERS: Reginald D Hunter (comedian), Fellow Pynins, Robert Vincent & Band, Black Eyed Dogs, The Magic Numbers, Declan O’Rourke

OTHER ACTS: 35+ acts including Kezia Gill, Morganway, Katy Hurt, Daisy Chute, Treetop Flyers

FOOD: A wide range of American-inspired food and frink with gourmet BBQ, the Burger Bus, Electric Bear Brewing Co and more.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: American comedy line-up, classic cars and family fun

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the American Museum website

DATE: 15-16 July

LOCATION: Chelmsford, Essex

HEADLINERS: Tenille Arts, Jackson Michelson, The Wandering Hearts, Jade Helliwell, The Rising

OTHER ACTS: Shaun Samonini, Roisin O’Hagan, Two Ways Home, The Folly Brothers, Adam Brucass, Allie Marie Hunter and more!

FOOD: Southern BBQ

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: Countryoke (karoake but country!), line dancing, songwriters workshops, fairground, shopping village, campfire socials

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? Yes!

TICKETS: Available through the Tennessee Fields Festival website

AUGUST 2022:

DATE: 4-7 August

LOCATION: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire

HEADLINERS: Underworld, Jungle, Years & Years, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Orlando Weeks, House Gospel Choir

OTHER ACTS: 80+ acts including Kezia Gill, Elles Bailey, Bailey Tomkinson, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, Ronnie Scott’s Late Late Show

FOOD: Featuring many top class chefs including Skye Gyngell, Adam Handling, Niklas Ekstedt, Will Devlin, Tom Barnes and many more!

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: World-class arts & performances, including Sadler’s Wells presents Boy Blue: The Get Down, Women In Jazz Presents, Enny, Kokoroko, Fashion Illustration Workshop, Too Cute Crafting, Bespoke Screen-Printing, Pottery Masterclasses and lots more.

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the Wilderness Festival website

DATE: 13 August

LOCATION: Willand, Devon

HEADLINERS: Kezia Gill, Gasoline & Matches

OTHER ACTS: Sarah Jory, Adam Sweet, Sarah Yeo, Donna Marie Songs, Tennessee Twin, Alan West Phoenix River Band, Bob Fitzgerald, Danny McMahon

FOOD: An array of local food and drink stalls

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the West Country Music Festival website

DATE: 19-20 August

LOCATION: Millport, Scotland

HEADLINERS: Drake White, Sunny Sweeney, Candi Carpenter, Honky Tonk Roadshow, The Scoudrels, Gary Quinn & Friends

OTHER ACTS: 35+ acts including Kezia Gill, Sarah Darling, Jade Helliwell, Chloe & The Country Rocks Band, Tim Prottey-Jones, Morganway, Georgia Nevada

FOOD: A wide array of local food vendors

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: Line dancing

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the Millport Country Music Festival website

Something a little different – a BBQ festival!

DATE: 20-21 August

LOCATION: Colchester, Essex

MUSIC ACTS: Lauren Housley, Lady Luck Lexy & The Riverside Boys, Chris Fox, Tanya Piche Blues Band, Rough Chowder, Folly Brothers

FOOD: Where to start!? This is a food festival, so there will be loads, including O’Donnell Moonshine, Beefsteak Club, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Origins Smokehouse BBQ, Oink BBQ, Limpopo Biltong, Manfood, From The Ashes, LumberJaxe Food Company, ProSmoke BBQ  and many more.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: BBQ Alley (BBQ shopping!)

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the Smoke & Fire Festival website

DATE: 26-28 August

LOCATION: Stanford Hall, Leicestershire

HEADLINERS: Chris Young, The Cadillac Three, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Locash, Drake White, Brandy Clark

OTHER ACTS: 60+ acts including Cassadee Pope, Everette, Jade Helliwell, Jess Thristan, Jonathan Terell, Kyle Daniel, Morganway, Priscillia Block, Sam Williams, Sarah Darling, Tim Prottey-Jones

FOOD: U.S. inspired street food, hard liquor and craft beers

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: The Car Show, Woodland Walks & Wild Swimming, Country Bingo, Country-Oke (karaoke, but country!)

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? Yes!

TICKETS: Available through The Long Road Festival website

SEPTEMBER 2022:

DATE: 2-4 September

LOCATION: Winter Gardens, Blackpool

HEADLINERS: Tom Odell, Lucy Spraggan, Amy Wadge, Jess Moskaluke, Kezia Gill

MORE ACTS: Brooke Law, The Tumbling Paddies, Henry Priestman, Laura Oakes, The Rising, Harleymoon Kemp, Poppy Fardell, The County Affair, Gasoline & Matches and many more acts!

WILL MELBELLE BE THERE? No

TICKETS: Available through the British Country Music Festival website