Festival review: the LeftLion guide to Shambala

As an incredibly hot, dry, and very un-British summer rolls to an end, it seems the weather gods didn’t get the memo about making sure the bank holiday weekend was fit for festivals. Still, there’s something very British about trudging through the mud and having a wonderful time despite the rain, and with a festival as jam-packed and awesome as Shambala, only a diehard curmudgeon could avoid having fun.

Summing up a festival for those who weren’t there can be tricky. The hilarious encounters, brilliant musical sets and surreal sightings don’t always translate well, so rather than provide a rambling, nonsensical Hunter S Thompson-esque novella, I’ve decided to keep this practical, so any Notts folk reading can make an informed decision about booking tickets for next year’s celebrations.

1. Ease & Accessibility

Having been to bigger festivals such as Boomtown for the past several years, Shambala offered the same creative, immersive party, full of hidden corners and silly behaviour, but with the joy of much less queuing and walking. Even in the rain and subsequent mudbath, the ease of this festival was a delight from start to finish.

The Shambala site is nestled in the grounds of Kelmarsh Hall, a 15-minute drive from Market Harborough. We decided to brave the public transport route to the festival (albeit with some kind friends bringing a few bits in their car) and, from Notts, the taxi, train, shuttle and walk to our camping spot took little over two hours. By 1pm, our tents were set up, the drizzle had cleared and the sun was starting to show its face. Time to crack open that first cider and set out to explore the site.

Festival toilets are what they are, but they were kept pretty clean and there was always a stock of loo roll. (I also heard you could go for a 'posh one' for a couple of quid at various points in the site). Plus, free showers throughout was a real rare treat to discover!

I can’t speak to what wider accessibility for disabled festival-goers was like, however it’s worth noting that the land is pretty flat, there were disabled access benches, sign language interpreters on the main stage, and numerous people were getting around in motorised scooters.

2. The people

I’d heard that Shambala attracts the loveliest of people, and this turned out to be 100% true. If spending time with a bunch of jolly, silly, eccentric and respectful revellers of all ages is your bag, this is a festival for you. Personally, I wasn’t quite prepared for the number of families with toddlers in tow (often carted like royalty in the most fabulously decorated pull-along carriages), but considering how enriching a life experience it must be for a young ‘un or tween to see so many people freely enjoying themselves, I can’t knock it. Word from my campmates was that Playtopia – the designated kids’ area – was brilliant fun and could keep kids entertained for hours.

As exemplified by the spotless campsite drone pictures published post-festival, Shambala is clearly built on an underlying sense of respect for both people and planet, with not a spot of trouble and people looking out for each other.

4. Workshops, talks and poetry

Outside of the late-night chaos, the range of chill daytime activities on offer was impressive. In the Craft Area, there were people trying their hand at glass-blowing, clay moulding, basket making, stone carving and many other types of tinkering. Being in such a creative environment, I found it extremely tempting to take part, but if you’re like me and like to hop around to lots of different areas, have a schedule of acts to catch or people you were meant to see half an hour ago, it’s tricky to get a workshop firmly scheduled into the day’s plan. Rather than being dazzled by the variety, I recommend having a browse and booking ahead of time. Even so, it was fun to watch, with the sound of singing and drumming floating along the breeze.

If the wondrous sights and sounds of the festival weren’t enough to inspire, there were also numerous talks each day, providing open forums to discuss ideas from politics, the environment and designs for future societies, to wellness, witchcraft and foraging. I am a bit gutted to have missed Green Party leader Zack Polanski in Rebel Soul (it was VERY popular despite the torrents outside), but managed to lounge outside on the grass to listen to Led by Donkeys discussing the inner workings of their political mischief and how resistance to fascism can vary in its approaches. Over in the Chew On This tent I also caught Stronger Together – Finding Community in Divided Times, which looked at making spaces for people to come together and encouraging and valuing volunteering, and Touch The Grass, which discussed intuition, food and reconnecting with the body and nature.

Seeing some Notts acts on the line-up, I was particularly excited to check out The Hustle Collective, who plan Nottingham’s fantastic Hockley Hustle, a huge day-long music festival set to celebrate 20 years this October, and Green Hustle, an annual get-together with dozens of opportunities to hear from and take part in numerous community initiatives in the city. At Shambala, the Collective were hosting Poets off the Endz at Roots Corner and a lovely collection of musicians in The People’s Front Room, which rather annoyingly were scheduled at the same time. On Friday, I opted for the music and, nestled on a chaise lounge, caught the beautiful sounds of Terrianne and Lara Elise Grant – two Nottingham-based singer-songwriters with exquisite voices.

3. Costumes and carnival

Another deep-rooted facet of Shambala is the creativity and silliness that is encouraged. I’ve never been to a festival that goes quite as hard on costumes, and I was IMPRESSED. Friday’s purple theme was an easy one to organise, and revellers looked fabulous against the green grass and blue sky (although it did make it slightly hard to spot friends: “Look out for X in the purple shirt… oh wait.”).

Saturday was when it got serious, culminating in a carnival in the afternoon. The ‘lyrical genius’ theme was excellent, with the majority of people participating making people-watching part of the main event. As Trash (à la New York Dolls or Suede), I personally donned a light-up Buzzball headdress and some bin liners, which were perfect for the slightly wet surroundings. I spotted quite a few spoon-laden brides in the rain (Ironic), an Egg Man, a Ring of Fire, and a woman with a chimney on her head with actual smoke arising from it.

My personal favourite, however, was a lovely chap I spoke to in a Hendrix-esque jacket with the word HEY written all over it in purple lettering (I’ll leave you to work that one out), who pulled a tower of watches and a tiny owl out of his pocket (that one too). Even on Sunday, when we were all a little tired, muddy and dishevelled, the freedom and creativity on display was exceptional and left me lamenting why we can’t simply be more flamboyant and colourful in everyday life.

5. Food & drink

Something I was not aware of pre-festival, but was a delight to discover, is that every food vendor at Shambala is vegetarian and vegan. Of course, this might not be to everyone’s tastes, but being a vegetarian it was great to be able to take my pick from such a vast range of cuisines. (My weekend’s meals included a masala dosa and a huge plate of onion bhajis, Turkish fries, mac and cheese, a delicious mozzarella and pesto crêpe, a cheese twist and pain au chocolat from Olivier’s Bakery.) To add to this, most stalls offered affordable meals, with smaller portions at £6-8, which is handy if you’re just a bit peckish or on a budget.

With a pint costing around the same as many city-centre pubs these days, I can’t really fault the bars either. Shambala’s resident pub, The Wonky Cock, provided our gang a trusty meeting spot each day, the cup-return scheme (cups provided with a £1.50 surcharge if forgotten) reduced litter and waste, and a pint of off-brand Guinness was available at Irish bar Sibín Beag.

6. Music

While the line-up is arguably what draws most people to a festival, I had only really earmarked a handful of acts to see each day, safe in the knowledge that there would be many surprises to stumble across. At night, some exceptional house, techno and drum and bass DJs graced the decks of smaller venues to keep people dancing until the early hours (music is available until 4-5am most nights), while the daytime offered a mix of folk, psychedelic, punk, world music and more. I particularly enjoyed how much music there was from across the globe – from the sounds of the Moroccan desert with Darra Tribes, one of those acts you amble past and then decide can’t be missed, to some Parisian-Middle-Eastern funk from Sababa 5, and the chill gypsy swing sounds of Cazelle Cafe.

Having always loved a bit of electro-swing, Shambala did not disappoint – in fact, it showed how varied the genre can be. I correctly predicted that the wonderful Mr Bruce, ex-frontman of The Correspondents, would bring some excellent showmanship to his set. Bringing a more electro-pop sound to his solo musical antics, this was a brilliant late-night set to dance to. Over at Swingamajig on Sunday, the ever-lovely Professor Elemental helped us chase away the Sunday scaries and gave us a gentlemanly education, backed by some sublime scratching from DJ Nick Maxwell, while Electro Swing Circus took over Swingamajig – the stage they create and play each year to close the party with a bang.

Headliners at Solasta included rap-punk duo Bob Vylan, who brought a predictably raucous show on Friday. Between bangers such as He’s A Man and Dream Big, frontman Bobby openly discussed his BBC lawsuit and the controversy the duo have courted over the past eighteen months, while the screen behind called for justice for victims of police violence, genocide and other social injustices.

As nightfall hit on Saturday, a whirlwind performance from GOAT seemed to conjure up a storm – which, although perfectly complementing their dramatic, swirling sound, caused many to flee for cover. Then on Sunday, Los Bitchos took us on an exotic psychedelic surf adventure full of big chords and XX. It was great to see women-heavy acts headlining the main stage two nights in a row.

Other notable shoutouts go to the legendary Chris Tofu, who was joined on Thursday night by vocalist Debbralee Wells & Friends (who knew drum and bass Gospel was a perfect mix?), some very danceable dark house in Rebel Soul from DJ Mazza on Saturday, and Fedzilla, an MC with a Latin twist, who was joined at one point by an exceptionally talented 12-year-old rapper.

Out of the whole weekend, however, it was the life-affirming poetry and joyful sounds of Joshua Idehen that has become my happy-place memory in the grey days since. Mum Does The Washing brought laughs from the crowd, Learn to Swim provided a deep-breath moment of calm, and This is The Place was truly joyous.

7. Atmosphere, activities and other attractions

Shambala clearly puts a lot of effort into cultivating a fun, creative and immersive experience, whether through gorgeous creative touches in the décor and art installations or the daily events. This is most exemplified by the three-day extravaganza that is the Shambolympics – a comical competition in which participant teams battle in a series of bizarre challenges, a bit like mad party games, to see who will be crowned champions in the Sunday finale. Evidently it’s quite an undertaking to actually get involved, and Saturday’s rain seemed to halt things a little, but it was fun to stop and watch the antics and work out what the hell the teams were trying to do.

Elsewhere, you could find karaoke, extreme musical statues, power ballad yoga and disco ceilidhs taking place, and if you so fancied (as I did) you could join the Church of David Attenborough (although they did seem a little culty). There were lots of wonderful and weird things to play with in the Enchanted Woods, circus and cabaret in Compass (a beautiful spiegeltent that was great for hiding from the rain) and numerous hijinks and spots I've since heard of that I didn't come across on my travels. 

In conclusion, I am now a Shambala convert. This was one of my favourite festivals I’ve been to: a chance to step away from the mundane of everyday life, get muddy, dance, dress ridiculously, discover new music and revel in a bit of merriment. It was exactly what I needed to round off the summer, and the fact that I’m already pining for next year tells you pretty much everything you need to know.

Shambala Festival took place between 27-30 August 2026. Sign up for the 2027 pre-sale now.

shambalafestival.org