The UK festival industry descended on Manchester last night for its annual celebration of excellence, with Boomtown Fair and Shambala Festival emerging as the standout winners of the UK Festival Awards 2025.
Held at the industrial-chic venue DIECAST on Tuesday (2nd December), the 20th edition of the awards brought together organisers, suppliers, and industry leaders to toast a challenging but creative year. While Boomtown secured the prestigious Large Festival of the Year alongside an award for Tech Innovation, it was Shambala Festival that arguably stole the night, taking home a “triple crown” of awards including Medium Festival of the Year, Independent Festival of the Year, and the Sarah Nulty Community Impact Award.
The ceremony, hosted by comedian Emmanuel Sonubi with live performances from Isaac Neilson, saw Truck Festival recognised for its curation with Line-Up of the Year. Meanwhile, the legendary set by Pulp at Tramlines was immortalised as the Headline Performance of the Year, with Tramlines also picking up Inner-City Festival of the Year.
Wychwood Festival celebrated their win for Family Festival of the Year with a heartfelt statement looking ahead to their next major milestone.
“To be recognised by such an esteemed body as the UK Festival Awards is a testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into Wychwood Festival every single year,” said Festival Director Graeme Merifield. “We would not be here without the incredible crew, the amazing volunteers, the brilliant traders, the unbelievable performers and most importantly the dedicated audience that joins us each and every year. This is for you, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to Wychwood in 2026 to celebrate our 20th Edition.”
The award comes as the festival prepares for its landmark anniversary edition at Cheltenham Racecourse from 29th–31st May 2026, with Kaiser Chiefs already confirmed to headline. Demand has been exceptional, with over 70% of weekend tickets already sold.
Lindisfarne Festival, who recently announced their 2026 line-up, also shared their joy at being crowned Small Festival of the Year, posting a photo of the wooden pyramid trophy with the message: “Thank you thank you thank you pilgrims 🏆 Winners of the BEST SMALL FESTIVAL in the UK.”
The judging panel for this year included high-profile figures such as musician Frank Turner, Jon Collins (CEO of LIVE), and editors from TPi Magazine, ensuring the results reflected both fan sentiment and technical expertise.
UK Festival Awards 2025 winners:
- Large Festival of the Year: Boomtown Festival
- Medium Festival of the Year: Shambala Festival
- Small Festival of the Year: Lindisfarne Festival
- Micro Festival of the Year: Between The Trees
- Family Festival of the Year: Wychwood Festival
- Non-Music Festival of the Year: Bristol Pride
- Inner-City Festival of the Year: Tramlines
- Independent Festival of the Year: Shambala Festival
- International Festival of the Year: Electric Castle
Production & specialist awards:
- Line-Up of the Year: Truck Festival
- Headline Performance of the Year: Pulp at Tramlines
- Festival Production of the Year: The Arcadia Dragonfly at Glastonbury Festival
- Tech Innovation of the Year: Boomtown Unboxed at Boomtown Festival
- Marketing Campaign of the Year: Y Not Festival
- Brand Activation of the Year: Thatchers at Kendal Calling
- The Green Award: Radio 1’s Big Weekend
- Sarah Nulty Community Impact Award: Shambala Festival
- Initiative for Emerging Talent: Liverpool Sound City
- Promoter of the Year: Escape Records
- Artist Agency of the Year: Midnight Mango
- Industry Recognition Award: Matthew Phillip, CEO of Notting Hill Carnival
Image credits:
Sian Herbert / Shambala
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