Kambe Events, the company behind Northamptonshire-based Shambala Festival, has become the UK’s first festival business to transition to employee ownership, the company has announced today. The move sees the festival’s original co-founders step away from ownership, handing the business to its team through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
The announcement comes at a time of significant industry consolidation, with many independent festivals facing acquisition by major live entertainment conglomerates. By contrast, Shambala is charting a different course entirely, one that keeps the business in the hands of those who have helped build it over more than two decades.
“All of us at Shambala have an emotional stake in what we have built over 25 years; now everyone has an ownership stake too,” said Co-Founder and MD Chris Johnson. “We would be nothing without our people, and they deserve to carry on the Shambala legacy as beneficiaries.” Johnson added that the festival “could not sell to venture capitalists or the big promotion companies,” describing the Employee Ownership model as one the team “fell in love with” while exploring alternative paths.
The transition was led by Dan Raffety, Head of Music and fellow Co-Founder, who described the move as “the next, natural step in Kambe’s adventures towards a utopia.” Raffety offered a broader critique of the current economic model, saying: “It is patently clear that the current capitalist model is fundamentally broken. As a society we must explore alternative models of ownership as a way through which the massive power and potential of capitalism can be focused on serving humanity and the planet at large.”
The EOT will be chaired by Tom Berry, who called employee ownership “the very best long-term option for people-focused businesses looking to protect their culture and reward their people.” Two employee representatives, George Devereaux and Sarah Mason, will also sit on the trust board. Devereaux, who grew up attending festivals and has spent most of his career in events, said he is “really excited to be part of the first ever EOT board within the UK festival industry.” Mason emphasised that the structure offers “the chance to retain our independence from big corporate influence.”
While community ownership of independent music venues has grown in recent years, and a number of retailers have adopted the model, the move represents an industry first for UK festivals. Shambala has always been at the vanguard of such thinking: last summer’s sold-out 25th anniversary edition saw the festival become the first in the UK to cook and heat entirely on biogas, and the event went on to win Independent Festival of the Year and Medium Festival of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2025, as well as the Sarah Nulty Community Impact Award and Best Independent Festival at the Access All Areas awards.
The festival takes place over four days each August at Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens in Northamptonshire, with more than 30 stages spanning everything from techno and soul to punk and folk. Shambala runs entirely on renewable energy, operates a meat and fish-free food policy, and has eliminated single-use plastics. The 2026 edition is set for 27–30 August, with a first wave of acts already announced including Bob Vylan, Hollie Cook, Goat, Emma-Jean Thackray, The Selecter, and MP Zarah Sultana for the festival’s political programming.
Image credits: Luis Kramer, Lindsay Melbourne
In this article: Shambala Festival, Employee Ownership Trust, Bob Vylan, Hollie Cook, Emma-Jean Thackray, The Selecter, Zarah Sultana, Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, UK Festival Awards. Generated by Wikidata Schema Link Builder.
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