End Of The Road Festival’s Early Bird and Tier 1 tickets for 2027 have sold out following its biggest edition yet, as the event celebrated 20 years of independent music. The festival returns to Larmer Tree Gardens from 2 to 5 September 2027, with Tier 2 tickets and payment plans still available.
The 20th birthday weekend delivered the kind of headline moments that define a landmark year. CMAT closed the Woods Stage on Sunday night by announcing a two year live hiatus, Pulp played an unforgettable Saturday headline set while revealing a break from live performing, and Mac DeMarco and Geese turned in career highlight performances. The Guardian called it “a rare yet deserved success story, testament to the enduring power and beauty of independent music” (five stars), while The Times hailed “a festival for the ages” and toasted the next 20 years, also five stars.
The 2026 edition ran from 3 to 6 September at Larmer Tree Gardens, on the Dorset and Wiltshire border, and organisers say it was the biggest End Of The Road yet. Founded in 2006, the festival typically welcomes around 15,000 people across five music stages, plus comedy, literature, cinema and independent food and drink.
With Early Bird and Tier 1 gone, remaining 2027 tickets sit in Tier 2, and payment plans are on offer for anyone looking to spread the cost. T2 tickets are available here.
On the closing night, CMAT brought the party to the Woods Stage before explaining that this was the perfect place to stop. “Every single year, every single lineup, this is the only music we listen to. So pleased you like us as much as we like you,” she told the crowd. Earlier on Sunday, Super Furry Animals played a career spanning set that was as weird as it was pop, pulling in hits including “Golden Retriever” and “Hello Sunshine”, with Gruff Rhys in imperious form. Kurt Vile & The Violators then closed the Garden Stage with elongated riffs and easy going charm, a welcome balm on day four.
Sunday kept serving left of centre thrills. Mozart Estate brought junkshop glam to the Folly, Factory Floor shook the Big Top with a muscular groove, and ØXN’s ancient ballads transported the Garden Stage. Fine packed the Folly with a beautiful, melodic set, before garage rockers White Denim closed the festival there with a celebratory secret set.
Hidden in the woods, the Piano Stage, where The Line of Best Fit curates secret sessions, hosted standout sets from Prewn, Modern Woman, Brother Wallace, Way Dynamic, Jeffrey Lewis, Cleo Reed, Hayden Thorpe singing Wild Beasts songs, and Madra Salach, whose session you can watch here. The weekend also drew strongly from further afield, with Nana Benz du Togo’s “digital voodoo” on the Garden Stage, BCUC’s explosive high energy on the Woods Stage, and Anatolian psych rockers Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek earlier in the festival.
Away from the stages, the Cinema programme showcased some of the weirdest and best cult films across the decades. The Talking Heads Stage spoiled comedy and literature fans, with Q&As from Kelly Lee Owens, Samantha Harvey, Stuart Murdoch, Shon Faye and Beverley Glenn-Copeland. Chump’s Comedy spotlighted boundary pushing stand up in the same spirit as the music line-up, with razor sharp satire, surreal absurdism and cult favourites from Fern Brady, Stewart Lee, Desiree Burch, Paul Foot and Jack Sheppard.
That attention to detail is still what sets End Of The Road apart. You could walk past a packed craft beer bar and find Wet Leg playing a surprise DJ set, or wander to The Shack and catch Adult DVD pumping out High NRG. During the day, people were whittling spoons or playing rounders on the lawn. A special gallery showcasing the festival’s history was curated by co-founder Sofia Genders, and next door came the welcome return of the Song Gallery, curated by Benjamin Woods from The Golden Dregs, featuring songs that could only be heard at the festival.
Across the weekend, Geese completed the 2026 bill with their first European headline show, a huge step up from their incandescent Big Top set in 2023. Pulp mixed deep cuts and hits, including a never before performed song, ahead of an indefinite hiatus. Mac DeMarco serenaded the birthday celebrations with cool charm, eight piece Caroline delivered towering ambition on the Garden Stage, and Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE performed their collaborative double album Pompeii // Utility to a locked in young crowd. Special mention also goes to Angine De Poitrine, whose kaleidoscopic math rock hit the main stage and a late night Folly set. End Of The Road returns on 2 to 5 September 2027.
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