Shambala – the UK festival that has been entirely vegetarian and vegan for the past decade – has just opened an audience debate on whether to introduce wild British venison to its 2026 event. The public vote will determine if the pioneering music festival will offer meat on its menus for the first time in ten years.
The proposed move comes as conservationists warn that overgrazing by deer is stalling woodland regeneration and harming biodiversity. In the absence of natural predators, UK deer populations have reached record highs. Controlled culling is widely used as a land management tool, and venison is increasingly being touted as a low-input, local meat sourced from these necessary programmes.
Last week, the UK Government unveiled a new strategy to make deer management easier, responding to mounting ecological damage and the need to protect crops and habitats.
Ten years ago, Shambala removed meat and fish entirely from its festival site, cutting its food-related emissions to just 6% of its total carbon footprint. This is significantly lower than the 21% average for UK music festivals. The decision helped Shambala become a poster child for sustainable events, sparking a wider conversation about the climate impact of our food choices.
Now, Shambala is putting a new question to its audience: could responsibly sourced wild venison, culled as part of biodiversity management programmes, represent an environmentally restorative choice?
If approved by festival-goers, Shambala plans to introduce a single trader serving only wild British venison. A percentage of the profits would be donated to biodiversity initiatives. The festival would also host talks and workshops exploring the UK’s deer overpopulation and wider food system ethics as part of its 2026 programme.
Shambala MD and Co-Founder Chris Johnson explained the reasoning behind the potential change. “In 2016 we shocked the festival world, and some of our audience, by taking meat and fish off the menu. We did this to reduce environmental impacts, and also to spark debate,” he said.
“It feels time to reinvigorate these important conversations, and also to highlight that we urgently need to eat wild deer to rescue and protect what little is left of our natural habitats.”
Organisers acknowledge that around a third of Shambala’s audience identifies as vegetarian or vegan, and stress that they respect the ethical convictions behind those choices.
The debate is now open, and the results of the audience vote will be shared in early March.
Shambala 2026 will take place from August 27-30 at Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens in Northamptonshire. The line-up includes artists such as Bob Vylan, Hollie Cook, Emma-Jean Thackray, and The Selecter, alongside four days of theatre, circus, and workshops.
Image credits:
Ania Shrimpton
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