| Wychwood Festival has today revealed the main body of artists set to perform at the landmark 20th anniversary edition, as the much-loved family-friendly festival returns to Cheltenham Racecourse from 29th to 31st May 2026. With chart-topping indie icons Kaiser Chiefs headlining Saturday night, they will be joined by an eclectic and celebratory lineup led by Sunday night headliners Levellers, and a packed weekend of live music marking Wychwood’s biggest evolution to date. Among today’s announcement are a host of acclaimed artists including Feeder, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Boney M, The Pigeon Detectives, Newton Faulkner and Chesney Hawkes, alongside an expertly curated mix of festival favourites, rising talent and joyful curveballs that have become synonymous with the Wychwood experience. Plus, for the first time in the festival’s history, Wychwood will open its gates on Thursday for those looking to expand their weekend to four days of live music and camping, and will increase the overall capacity of the festival in line with growing demand in recent years. Thursday night at the racecourse will be headlined by Dutty Moonshine Big Band and signals the start of an extended anniversary celebration. With the Friday night headliner and more names still to be revealed, this year is already shaping up to be one for the books. Sunday night headliners Levellers bring four decades of genre-defying folk punk anthems to the Prestbury Hills, promising a powerful and unifying close to the weekend. Across the bill, Feeder return with their era-defining catalogue of alternative classics, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor delivers her signature disco-pop euphoria. Disco legends Boney M are set to bring pure party energy, with crowd favourites The Pigeon Detectives, Newton Faulkner and Chesney Hawkes adding unique singalong moments across the weekend. Elsewhere a wide array of some of the most respected groups come together, with the likes of The South, The Subways, Dub Pistols, The Wedding Present and Tankus, coupled alongside a hand-picked roster of the most exciting newcomers, including Adult DVD, Elles Bailey, Pale Blue Eyes, Bloodworm, Hunny Buzz, Pia Rose and more. Always championing local talent, this year Wychwood welcomes a Cheltenham-based modern alternative rock band, Nuns of the Tundra. Firmly on the rise right now, the band’s debut album rocketed into the top 10 of the Official UK Album Chart, and they were interviewed on stage by Justin Hawkins of The Darkness during his recent show at Cheltenham Town Hall. Adding to the celebratory edition of the UK’s fast-growing family-friendly weekender will be a selection of festival favourite moments. The UK’s #1 Shrek musical tribute The Ogretones, Shaun Williamson’s Barrioke, and Taskmaster creator Alex Horne’s The Horne Section are all confirmed for Wychwood 2026, alongside James B Partridge Primary School Bangers, Hip Hop Karaoke, 3 Daft Monkeys, Mr B Gentleman Rhymer, The X & Y, Witney Soul Club and of course local Wychwood stalwarts Thrill Collins, keeping festival spirits suitably high from start to finish. Renowned for its popular Comedy tent, Wychwood unveils close to 20 of the best stand up talents today, guaranteeing laugh out loud moments a plenty. The unofficial German Comedy Ambassador to the UK Henning Wehn leads the charge, as seen regularly on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and QI, alongside seasoned performers Patrick Monahan, Javier Jarquin, Jonny Awsum, Duncan Oakley and many more. Fresh from being crowned Family Festival of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2025, Wychwood continues to set the standard for inclusive festival experiences. Thousands flock from around the UK in growing numbers each year, and it’s no wonder with the hundreds of family-friendly activities, arts, comedy, children’s literature and workshops laid out across the weekend at The Village Green and beyond – plus it’s free for under 10’s! Taking place beneath the beautiful Prestbury Hills at Cheltenham Racecourse, Wychwood marks the very first weekend of the summer festival season and has become a treasured tradition for families and music lovers alike. Festival Director Graeme Merifield said: “Reaching our 20th anniversary is a huge moment for Wychwood, and this lineup reflects everything we love about the festival. Opening on Thursday for the first time and expanding to four days feels like the perfect way to extend the good times and offer more to our incredible community. This year we wanted to bring some big names to the bill to show the ambition of where we’re heading, whilst also marking this momentous anniversary year with some friends who have played an important part of our journey from the start, and will ignite those cherished memories in the crowd for so many. From Kaiser Chiefs’ anticipated debut to one of our most-loved and requested headliners of all time, Levellers, 2026 is shaping up to be our most exciting year yet – and there’s even more still to come!” With the Friday night headliner and more artists, comedy, arts and family programming being revealed soon, Wychwood Festival 2026 promises a truly special anniversary celebration. The 20th edition of Wychwood Festival takes place 29th to 31st May 2026 at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire. Thursday entry tickets are available for £30. Pre-sale opens Monday 9th February at 6pm, with general tickets on sale Tuesday 10th February at 10am via www.wychwoodfestival.com |
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Levellers said: “Great to be back at Wychwood! We’ve played here many times before – many memorable, high energy shows. Good old school festival vibes … It’s Levs first festival of 2026 – so of course we can’t wait!” Kaiser Chiefs’ Ricky Wilson said: “Really looking forward to playing Wychwood next summer. Any festival that puts us top of the bill must have excellent taste so it bodes well. The summer is when we thrive, we are good at festivals and if you haven’t seen us before it’s a strong recommend. If you have seen us before then we hope to see you” The Pigeon Detectives said: “We’re buzzing to be playing Wychwood Festival this year! Bring on Summer 2026!” The Wedding Present’s David Gedge said: “The Wedding Present will be making their first-ever appearance at the Wychwood Festival this year, and that’s always very exciting. We are, first and foremost, a live band, so we love visiting new festival locations and having the opportunity to perform in them” Barry from Eastenders said: “Hi everyone, we’re back at Wychwood Friday the 29th May at the Cheltenham Racecourse. We love it there, it must be our third or fourth time, it’s always an absolutely brilliant evening so come along and join us. You can join me on stage for a little ‘Mustang Sally’ or ‘Something Inside So Strong’. Whatever happens, come and join us at Cheltenham Racecourse, Wychwood Festival, Friday 29th May. I’ll see you there” 3 Daft Monkeys said: “We are super excited to tell you that we will be playing at the 20th Wychwood festival in 2026. We will be playing on the Friday night in May and we’re very excited because we haven’t played there for 15 years, I can’t believe it. They were one of the first festivals to book us as a young band when we first started out and we’re celebrating 25 years this year so lots of stories to tell you. We’re really excited to see you all” James B Partridge said: “I’m extremely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing on the main stage at Wychwood Festival on its 20th Anniversary on May 30th 2026. We will be bringing all of the Primary School Bangers and all the nostalgic vibes to Wychwood so hopefully see you there” Elles Bailey said: “I’m delighted to be heading to Wychwood Festival. It’s a festival I’ve always dreamed of playing and I’m looking forward to bringing songs from my brand-new album and favourites from previous records – it’s gonna be so fun” The line-up so far Kaiser Chiefs, Levellers, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Feeder, The Pigeon Detectives, Boney M, The Horne Section, The Subways, The Twang, Newton Faulkner, The South, The Wedding Present, Chesney Hawkes, James B Partridge Primary School Bangers, Elles Bailey, Dub Pistols, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, Adult DVD, Pale Blue Eyes, Nuns Of The Tundra, Bloodworm, Hunny Buzz, 3 Daft Monkeys, Tankus, The Standard, Barrioke, Fleetmac Wood, Vote Pedro, The Ogretones, Vibe Roulette, Hip Hop Karaoke, The In-Here Brothers, Taylor Swift Lauren’s Version, Thrill Collins, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, Elvis Lesley, The X & Y, Witney Soul Club, K-Pop Demon Hunters V Swifty Disco, Reet Stranger Things Disco Comedy: Henning Wehn, Jonny Awsum, Card Ninja, Angie Mack, Mabel Read, Edi Johnston, Louise Leigh, Patrick Monahan, Howard Read, Andrew White, Bella Humphries, Darryl Carrington, Joe Wells, Javier Jarquin, Amelia Hamilton, Dani Johns, Sunjai Arif, Kate Martin, Duncan Oakley Plus more to be announced! |