WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL GOER’S FESTIVAL
The most fiercely independent, seriously silly, wildly creative and radically sustainable party in a field. Discover a blistering array of music and performance, woodland parties, arts, wellbeing, workshops and dance.
Ours is a 25 year old, family friendly, completely independent music and arts festival, which takes place every August Bank Holiday (27th – 30th August 2026) on Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens’ countryside estate near Market Harborough in Northamptonshire.
Here’s what our community has to say:
Feedback from Shambala 2025:
“I’m going to keep attending Shambala every year! Best thing I’ve done in my life so far, thank you very much for the experience the memories and the love.”
“The Shambala team are giving a masterclass in event management every single year! I really appreciate the combination of attention to detail, warmth and humanity and a genuine desire to continuously improve.”
“My tenth year and every year I say it’s the best one! It was MAGICAL… My face hurts from smiling and laughing all weekend.”
“Pure joy from start to finish, there is nowhere quite like Shambala.”
“What a place, WHAT A VIBE! So full of beautiful souls, bonkers fun and magic!”
…And some lovely nuggets from the press
“Clear from the moment you enter the main gates, that this isn’t your average festival.” – The Independent
“A renowned gem in the Great British Festival Calendar.” – Broke Magazine
“Still the future of festivals.” – Bristol 24/7
“Uncompromising in its vision of what festivals can be.” – TheFestivals
“All festivals conjure a sense of fantasy, but Shambala crafts its own universe.” – God Is In The TV
“A truly individual festival in a sea of mediocrity. Long may it reign.” – Telegraph
“Completely lacking in pretension and media hype.” – International Orange
“A baby dressed as a Frenchman is held aloft to a crowd of sequinned revellers while it conducts a pink brass band with a toilet brush. Where else could this be but Shambala Festival?” – Northamptonshire Chronicle
“One of the golden few that have mastered the perfect combination of debauchery and pure loving wholesomeness.” – TheFestivals
“Shambala is the best family festival in the world.” – FestivalKidz
“Shambala might just be the best festival ever…” – ThatFestivalLife
What to Expect…
Here, you’ll find around 40 venues, covering all manner of art forms – from big musical stages, to dozens of microvenues, nooks and crannies, covering everything from techno to dancehall to folk, to disco.
We’ve got venues dedicated to poetry, puppetry, politics and permaculture to name but a few, an enchanted woodland packed with art installations and surprises, one of the best kid’s fields on the circuit, a gorgeous healing meadow with free yoga and meditation classes running all day, dance workshops, a legendary fancy dress carnival, and even our very own (shambolic) Olympic Games.
Our Musical Offering…
Musically, we platform incredible, emerging grassroots artists, alongside show-stopping heritage acts. You won’t find the identikit touring line ups you find at a lot of corporate-backed events here. In fact, an independent study by MixMag/Pirate found we were the best small festival in the UK for booking new music.
Shambala reliably serves up one of the most unique line ups of the summer – from underground electronic beats like drum & bass, techno and house, to live bands playing everything from funky soul and reggae to hip hop, punk and folk.
Check 2025’s musical line up, here.
Shambala is particularly well known for showcasing a rich tapestry of sounds from across continents. From Afrobeat, Latin, and Caribbean rhythms, to Brazilian samba, Cuban jazz and Middle Eastern influences like Arabic and North African sounds. Whatever the genre, expect uplifting and rhythm-driven music that reflects our inclusive ethos, celebrating global culture, emerging grassroots artists and creative freedom.
…and check out our 2024 aftermovie, to get a better idea of what to expect from Shambala.
We’re a Fully Independent Festival…
Shambala is a fully independent event. This means:
- We don’t have any corporate backing whatsoever (in fact, we’re still owned by the same group of mates that started it all, out of a record store in Birmingham, quarter of a century ago – you can read more about our history, here).
- We don’t have any beer or bar sponsors – which is great, because it means you get to drink decent, varied, ethical booze, rather than crappy corporate lager. Cheers. More on our bars here.
- Our complete independence also means we can be bold, political when needed, and back the causes we believe in.. which is nice.
Sustainability is in our DNA…
Shambala is well known as a pioneering, and award winning sustainable festival . Here’s just a little of what we’ve achieved – but you can dig into all of this in SO much more detail, right here:
- We’ve been meat & fish free since 2016 – yes, you can bring your own if you really can’t go without – but we don’t sell it.
- We’ve been 100% renewably powered for… as long as we can remember
- We’ve reduced our carbon footprint by about 90%
- We banned plastic bottles back in 2013
- We pioneered the reusable cup scheme at our bars, many years ago, which is now standard practice across the industry
- We operate a ‘bring a mug’ scheme, to avoid sending thousands of coffee cups to landfill each year
- About a third of our audience arrive on public transport (and save £50 on their entry tickets, for doing so!)
But that’s not the half of it…
We do things a bit differently here… for example:
- The music goes on late – til about 5am, even on the Sunday night.
- Our community look after the site (and eachother) – there are no tents left behind here.
- We’re family friendly – and yet still, somehow, a proper party.
- We don’t charge you extra for things like keeping yourself clean. There are hot shower blocks all around the site which are completely free to use.
- You can take your own booze and food into the ‘main arena’ – once you’re in the festival, you’re in, we’re not confiscating your snacks or drinks at any check points etc. (That said, our bars are wicked and stocked with a range of amazing, ethical, locally sourced tipples, so please do support them – as an independent event, they’re a key income stream!)