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