Desperate to sate your craving for live music and delicious food? We pick 5 of the best Cotswold festivals taking place in 2016 that celebrate all things instrumental, edible and fun.
The Big Feastival, Oxfordshire
26-28 August
Jamie Oliver and Alex James co-present The Big Feastival; a unique August Bank Holiday weekend of music, food and fun for all the family. Visitors can enjoy demos from top chefs including Jamie Oliver, Raymond Blanc and Tom Kerridge, and sample the cream of the UK’s street food crop.
The festival also features live music from the likes of Mark Ronson (DJ set), Kaiser Chiefs, Roisin Murphy and DJ Fresh. Visitors can come for the day, camp for the weekend or go glamping as a special treat.
*A basic weekend ticket with camping costs £174.50
4-7 August
At Wilderness, you can unwind in relaxing lakeside spas and watch a host of fantastic live entertainment by day… and by night you can retreat to your boutique camping spot or sip cocktails in the Peacock Bar. It’s completely up to you.
There are plenty of bookable tents to dine in for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or if you’re in it for the music, expect live entertainment from a well-known line up that includes Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, The Flaming Lips and Lianne La Havas.
*Book your weekend camping tickets for £175.25
Barn on the Farm, Gloucestershire
1-3 July
Despite being a relatively new music festival, Barn on the Farm has quickly established itself in the musical calendar of Gloucestershire. The award-winning event will take place this summer and it brings singer-songwriters and folk performers to a local audience in the uniquely intimate setting of Over Farm.
The organisers have displayed a knack for snapping up performances from musicians on the cusp of success, with Ed Sheeran and Gabrielle Aplin previously taking the stage, months before making it big. This year’s line-up features Jack Garratt and Oh Wonder.
*You can only buy a ticket for the weekend which costs £105 and includes camping
7-9 July
Fancy camping out in the rolling Cotswold Hills? The award-winning 2000trees is a 5,000-capacity festival promising three fun-filled nights of music, local food, cider, ale & lager and a friendly, intimate atmosphere.
This year’s event is taking place in July and with 80 new and underground rock and indie acts. Some of the more established acts on the 2016 roster include: Twin Atlantic, Refused and While She Sleeps.
*Early bird tickets cost a very reasonable £89.25 and include camping
11-14 August
Lakefest will return in August this year to Eastnor Castle for three days of great live music and delicious local cider and food. The musical line-up for 2016 includes Primal Scream, We Are Scientists and Newton Faulkner - to name a few.
The event began in 2011, and, 9000 pints of cider and a lot of musical entertainment later, Lakefest was shortlisted at the UK Festival Awards for Best Small Festival, Grass Roots Festival, Best New Festival AND Best Family Festival.
*Weekend tickets that include camping are £110 but if you feel like splashing out, glamping tickets are £405 each.
Cornbury Music Festival, Oxfordshire
8-10 July
This quintessentially English open-air garden party is a festival where superstars, gourmet chefs, Morris dancers and farmers alike gather to celebrate a love for both food and music. If this sounds ideal then Cornbury Music Festival is for you.
This year has a superb line up featuring Seal, Jamie Cullum, James Morrison, Newton Faulkner and Gabrielle Aplin to name just a few.
*Weekend tickets cost £200 with camping and there are day tickets available too with prices ranging from £70-£80.
27-29 May
This year will be the family-friendly Wychwood Festival’s 12th, bringing the usual line-up of eclectic musicians to Cheltenham. The headlining roster for 2016 features The Waterboys, 10cc, and Bill Bailey.
In addition, there will be 100 workshops for all ages, comedy performers and a cinema to keep festival goers entertained.
*A weekend ticket costs £135 with an additional £25 if you wish to camp
28-31 July
For the tenth time, Charlton Park in the heart of Wiltshire will play host to WOMAD festival – a global party exhibiting a selection of impressive arts, dance and musical acts you probably don’t yet know. This year’s headliners include Baaba Maal, George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic and Ibrahim Maalouf. You can find further information about these acts on the WOMAD website.
The festival has an atmosphere that oozes bonhomie, with sumptuous food on offer and laidback vibes. So kick back and enjoy a weekend of fantastic international music.
*Weekend tickets cost £175 and include camping.
Nibley Festival, North Nibley
1-2 July
There’s something rather special about friendly Nibley. Set in a stunning Cotswold location, it features great live music, free entertainment for the kids, stalls, local beer, and food from around the world. Run entirely by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis, it’s small but with a massive line-up including: Scouting For Girls, Reverend and the Makers and Danny & The Champions Of The World.
*Weekend tickets are £47 with infants under 4 years old attending for free.
Lechlade Music Festival, Lechlade
27-29 May
Lechlade Music Festival is a three-day family-friendly event with 60+ performers taking to a trio of stages playing everything from rock to reggae, jazz to folk and more. This year’s headlining act is The Proclaimers and there will also be a touring burlesque theatre show.
Festival goers can also enjoy a series of workshops including Booiaka, Yoga and Cheerobics. There will also be a selection of tasty food stalls and bars serving delicious food, real ale and cider.
*An adult weekend ticket costs £64.95
29-31 July
Described as ‘putting the boot into boutique festival’, Gloucestershire-based Livestock is a musical grand tour backed up with fine food, local ales and great company.
With 2016 headline acts including Reverend and the Makers, Reef, Jason Donovan and Chesney Hawkes, there will also be classic films shown on the main stage after the bands have finished and, for those that want to keep the party going, the woodland DJ Stage will be keeping the party going throughout the night.
*Weekend tickets with camping cost a very reasonable £110
