Gate to Southwell Festival 2027

An independent, brilliantly curated, genuinely friendly, perfectly sized festival with a rich mix of UK and international roots music in a beautiful lakeside setting.

The Gate to Southwell Festival is an independent, not-for-profit folk and roots festival held in lakeside parkland at Kirklington, a few miles from the Nottinghamshire market town of Southwell. Run entirely by volunteers since 2007, with any surplus going back into future events, it has been described as quite possibly the best small folk and roots festival in the UK and won a Fatea Festival of the Year Award.

The four-day programme runs across nine performance areas including three main stages, with more than 60 acts - many playing multiple stages - covering acoustic, roots, folk and dance music from the UK and internationally. Alongside the music there is street theatre, children's entertainment, late-night sessions and a good range of real ales and ciders, and the festival has earned the nickname "The Biggest Little Festival in Britain".

Camping is on the festival site itself by the lakes, and vehicles can be brought onto the campsite so there is no need to carry gear across a field. The 2027 edition is the 20th festival and the site moved to its current Kirklington home in 2021 from the previous Southwell Racecourse location.