Lakefest, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire, drew around 20,000 visitors for a family-friendly weekend of music, fairground rides, and entertainment. The festival, which ran over four days, featured a lineup heavy on 80s, 90s, and 2000s retro artists, alongside activities for children.
Glamping and Festival Practicalities
Accommodation for the weekend was in one of the festival's glamping bell tents, which came equipped with beds, mattresses, quilts, pillows, rugs, a mirror, and a plug socket for charging phones. Mobile signal was largely absent, making it a true getaway, except for one hidden area with network coverage near the Secret Rave.
Parking was located nearby, which proved handy when temperatures dropped at night, and the festival arena was a short walk away. The site offered a VIP Village with a private viewing platform, where visitors could watch performances with a Moscow mule in hand.
Music Highlights and Family Activities
The Bluetones opened the main stage with a set that included their 1995 hit Slight Return, greeted with warm applause from a crowd of mums, dads, and festival veterans. EMF delivered a party atmosphere on Thursday night with covers of Prodigy's Breathe, Faithless' Insomnia, and New Order's Blue Monday, and brought out Utah Saints for a rendition of Unbelievable. The Charlatans followed with Madchester anthems like The Only One I Know and One to Another.
Soul II Soul impressed on Friday with a live set that included Back To Life and a version of Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U. Madness drew a huge crowd on the Abbey Main Stage, while Reef, the first ever Lakefest headliners in 2012, performed a rock-infused set at the Scenting the Scene Stage in Funky Town, with Gary Stringer belting out Place Your Hands, Come Back Brighter, and Yer Old, plus a cover of AC/DC's TNT.
Beyond the music, fairground rides cost about £4-£5 a go, with the biggest at £7. South West Wrestling hosted seven shows across the weekend, featuring steel chair matches, bouts that moved through the crowd, and a rumble match that enthralled the audience. Children also tried circus tricks, watched a blacksmith forge swords, played classic consoles in a gaming tent, and saw a BMX stunt show.
Food, Family Bingo, and a Memorable Finale
Food options ranged from fish and chips and pizzas to Sri Lankan curries, Jamaican jerk chicken, and Nutella crepes. Most adult meals cost between £15 and £18, with soft drinks around £2. Highlights included Cotswold Salt Beef Company's bagels and The Beefy Boys' National Burger Award winners.
On Sunday, family bingo in the Greatest Show Tent won free tickets for carnival games and bags of Haribo. Elvana, a Nirvana tribute band fronted by an Elvis impersonator, delivered what was described as the most entertaining performance of the weekend, switching between In Bloom and Hound Dog, with frontman Paul Kell, aka 'Kellvis', crowd-surfing and orchestrating a mosh pit for Smells Like Teen Spirit.
The Lightning Seeds closed the weekend with a set in the sunshine, including Lucky You and You Showed Me, the latter with snippets of Imagine and All You Need is Love. Ian Broudie led a subdued Three Lions singalong, referencing England's recent World Cup capitulation against Argentina, before finishing with Pure and Life of Reilly. Lakefest 2027 will run from August 11-15, 2027, with special autumn price tickets on sale now.
