Northamptonshire’s Shambala Festival marks 25th anniversary event

A music festival held at a “secret countryside estate” will return for its 25th anniversary event this weekend.

Shambala, a four-day festival held in the north of Northamptonshire, is set to welcome about 15,000 revellers from Thursday to Sunday.

The event, which has a long history of promoting sustainability, will see food vendors and facilities cook and heat entirely on biogas, a first for a UK festival, according to Shambala’s organisers.

As well as music, the festival features arts, spoken word performances and a range workshops.

First held in 2000, Shambala features a variety of music including rock, pop and folk.

There are also independent films, a variety of workshops, talks, debates and comedy.

Founded 25 years ago by a group of friends, Shambala has grown from a small gathering of 100 people in a field to a large-scale celebration of music, art, and community.

Its organisers said it provided a family-friendly atmosphere that had earned it a dedicated following.

Many attendees dress in costumes in accordance with the annual theme, which in 2025 is entitled “pun intended”.

While details of the venue can easily be found, is not widely publicised in advance in order to encourage a sense of community

This year’s event will feature 40 different stages and venues.

Among the artists on the line-up are Grammy award winning jazz rap act Digable Planets. UK grime artist Manga Saint Hilare and electro-dance act Fat Dog will also feature.

Other key names on the lineup include Lady Shaka, DJ Yoda, Grace Petrie, Freestylers v Dub Pistols, Hak Baker and Asian Dub Foundation.

Beyond the music, the festival will showcase spoken word performances from acclaimed poets Lemn Sissay and Vanessa Kisuule, alongside political satire and activism from Led By Donkeys.

The festival is run on “100% renewable energy”, its organisers said.

It is also completely meat- and fish-free and has no single-use plastics.

Attendees are encouraged to take public transport to attend, with shuttle buses running from Long Buckby and Market Harborough railway stations.

Organisers claim that they have cut their carbon footprint by 90% over the course of the festival’s quarter-century history.

Adult ticket prices for the full weekend started from £249, but in 2022 Shambala launched a “pay it forward” scheme that allows people on lower incomes to apply for a fully funded ticket, which includes accommodation and food and drink for free.

People in receipt of benefits such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance are able to apply for the fund, with half the money ring-fenced for those in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.