2024’s Best Boutique Festivals To Book Now

When the British summer delivers on the weather front, there’s nothing better than a music festival (especially if you can find one serving champagne). Whether you’re looking for family-friendly festivals, extra-special independent music festivals, or smaller options at your favourite dusk-till-dawn alfresco rave, we’ve rounded up the best boutique festivals to come in 2024.

UK Boutique Music Festivals Guide

Park Fair

Returning to The Great Tew Estate in Oxfordshire this June is Park Fair, a three-day boutique festival filled with food, shopping, wellness, fairground rides and more. Enjoy an array of culinary treats from pizza to BBQ fare, catch chef demonstrations, sip wines from the South of France at the amie Wine Bar, listen to live music, and take part in yoga and sound healing workshops. The festival has activities for all ages too: children can get involved with silent discos, arts and crafts and dance classes. 

Details: 21 – 23 June 2024, The Great Tew Estate. parkfair.uk

Cheltenham Jazz Festival

One of Europe’s largest jazz festivals is returning to Cheltenham this May, featuring world premiers, brand new commissions, exclusive collaborations and one-off shows alongside a series of free performances at venues across the pretty town centre. Superstar vocalist Gregory Porter is back as the Artistic Curator for 2024, handpicking a selection of artists. Last year, this included Laura Mvula, Gregory Porter, Will Young and MIKA – so keep your eyes peeled for the 2024 line up.

Details: 1–6 May 2024 in Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham. cheltenhamfestivals.com

Elderflower Fields

One of the most family-friendly boutique festivals on the scene, this Sussex-based extravaganza is designed especially with children in mind. With live music, silly games and sports, nature and art, this lush festival features hot showers and a woodland spa, set in beautiful Sussex countryside.

Details: 24–27 May 2024 in Ashdown Forest, Sussex. elderflowerfields.co.uk

KITE

This fledgling festival of ideas and music is set across seven stages at the idyllic Grade I listed Palladian house in Kirtlington Park overlooking the Chiltern Hills near Oxford. Returning in June 2024, expect a mixture of literature, music, politics, art, culture and comedy, with music from Pretenders, CMAT and Hot Chip, and debates and talks from the likes of Sir John Major, David Baddiel, Dame Joan Collins and George The Poet.

Details: 7–9 June 2024 in Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire. kitefestival.co.uk

Hampton Court Palace Festival

Boutique festivals don’t get much better than this. Artists perform to a beautiful backdrop in Henry VIII’s open-air Base Court for an intimate audience of 3,000 at what is sure to be one of the summer’s biggest celebrations. This year’s line-up includes Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Sam Ryder and Paloma Faith among many more. It’s also the perfect festival if a picnic on the lawn pre-show is on your check-list. We’re very much in.

Details: 11–22 June 2024 at Hampton Court Palace, Richmond-upon-Thames. hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com

The Grange Festival

The Grange Festival is an event series dedicated to performing world-class opera in the heart of Hampshire. Located in a modern opera house, tucked away in the orangerie of the neo-classical ruined The Grange, head here if classical music is your thing, and be pleased by the added benefit of rolling parkland, the beautiful main house, and delicious delicious sparkling wine grown on site.

Details: June–July 2024 in Hampshire. thegrangefestival.co.uk

Iford Manor Jazz Festival

One of the country’s most beautiful, historic venues, Iford Manor launched a new jazz festival a few years ago. Curated by multi-award-winning jazz vocalist, Claire Martin OBE, the programme is filled with acclaimed jazz artists from all over the world, alongside rising stars. The 2024 series includes an evening with Elaine Delmar, a Scandi jazz evening starring special guest vocalist Ian Shaw, a lue Note Special from QCBA, and two delicious three-course lunches accompanied by two 45 minute sets from The Karen Sharp Trio. Divine.

Details: 20–23 June 2024 at Iford Manor, Bradford-upon-Avon. ilfordmanor.co.uk

Henley Festival

Henley Festival

We’re always first in line for tickets to the country’s only black-tie music festival. The music line-up is always stellar, but if it’s festival food that gets you excited, you won’t find a better culinary line-up than this one on the banks of the river Thames. Stay tuned for all the 2024 details, but last year was headlined by Rag’n’Bone Man, Westlife and Nile Rogers & CHIC.

Details: 10–14 July 2024 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. henley-festival.co.uk

Summer Camp By The Good Life Society

Over in the glorious, unusual and historic setting of the Hawarden Estate against the backdrop of two castles, The Good Life Society will return with their Summer Camp in 2024, a series of three micro festivals set in the estate’s Walled Garden. Stepping back from larger-scale events following the pandemic, micro really does mean micro: there is a limited number of guests at each weekend, creating an intimate and personal atmosphere bolstered by guided foraging walks, wild swimming and self-improvement workshops. New for 2024 is a special families weekend (26–29 July) sandwiched between weekends ‘for all’, featuring special craft activities, children’s open water swimming, a compost club, and free ice cream all weekend. All weekends host great speakers, delicious food and fun activities.

Details: 19–22 July, 26–29 July and 2–5 August 2024 at the Hawarden Estate (Deeside, Wales CH5 3PB). thegoodlifesociety.co.uk

Wilderness Festival

Set in the idyllic Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire, Wilderness Festival is hailed as one of the UK’s top weekend wellness festivals. While it holds many of the aspects of a traditional music festival (including a stellar line-up), guests can also take part in activities like wild swimming, fireside cooking sessions and mindfulness classes. Think yoga brunch clubs, foraging workshops, supper clubs and live theatre shows, alongside relaxation time at The Sanctuary & Lakeside Spa, complete with outdoor hot tubs.

Details: 1–4 August 2024 at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. wildernessfestival.com

Boomtown 2017, photo by Sam Neill

Boomtown

As boutique festivals go, Boomtown is certainly one most highly anticipated. This multifaceted music and theatrical event is hosted at the Matterley Estate, Winchester, and last year saw Mura Masa, Confidence Man and Loyle Carner all take to the stage (among many others). Boomtown puts equal importance on stage design and theatrical storylines, with the ‘city’ split into nine unique districts.

Details: Boomtown will take place from 7–11 August 2024 at the Matterley Estate, Hampshire. boomtownfair.co.uk

Houghton Festival

This Norfolk fest has a licence that permits music from dusk to dawn, with ‘spontaneous’ back-to-back sets, award-winning DJs and a stellar music line-up. Set amongst dense woodland with an abandoned woodland and a picturesque lake, Houghton, curated by DJ Craig Richards, is becoming one of the most exciting prospects on the festival calendar.

Details: 8–11 August 2024 in Norfolk. houghto­­nfestival.co.uk

Big Feastival

Held on founder and Blur star Alex James’ farm in Kingham, the Big Feastival is a music/food festival with plenty on offer for everyone. With festival fun for all the family, little ones can enjoy the Little Dudes’ Den, pop along to the Farm Park and enjoy entertainment from children’s TV favourites. This year’s headliners include Becky Hill, Ministry of Sound Classical, and Snow Patrol.

Details: 23–25 August 2024 in Kingham, the Cotswolds. thebigfeastival.com

Featured image: Big Feastival