Top 9 Festivals in the Cotswolds to visit this summer

If you love the idea of a festival but not so much the camping, you can use your base at Watermark Cotswolds to experience all the wonderful music events in the area and retreat to luxury at night. Here’s our best 9 local 2022 festivals in the Cotswolds to visit this summer:

Managed by Forestry England, Forest Live 2022 is taking place at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, here in Gloucestershire. Concerts are a relaxed affair set in spectacular forest, with tickets still available for Keane and Texas. Income from ticket sales contribute towards preserving the nation’s forests and wildlife so you can party hard knowing it’s for a great cause.

We love the Big Feastival’s laid-back family vibe. With a foodie-focus this festival is a civilised affair with Champagne and oyster bars, celeb cookery demonstrations and a great street food offering. Located at Blur bassist Alex James’ farm in the Cotswold countryside, the festival is easy to get to from our location in South Cerney. It also has a surprising number of big names performing, with this year’s line-up including The Stereophonics, Basement Jaxx, and The Human League.

Sci-fi, fantasy, cosplay and re-enactment enthusiasts unite at Sudley Castle’s Fantasy Forest Festival. Expect mythical costumes, circus acts and workshops for all tastes from belly dancing to light sabre duelling. Embrace your whimsical side and dress up for the occasion! Fantasy Forest also hosts the biggest Fantasy Market in the UK with over 100 stalls selling everything from steampunk goggles to vegan jerky.

2000 Trees is a rock, indie and metal festival run by a group of passionate music fans who decided they could create a better event than the profit-hungry music industry could. Still fiercely independent, 2000 Trees has earned many awards and has become a firm favourite with alternative music fans. This year’s line-up sees big names like You Me At Six, Idles and Jimmy Eat World head to Upcote Farm.

It’s not all about the music, why not take part in the Cotswold Big Swim Festival, just a stone’s throw from our lodges at Watermark? Open water swimming has many mental and physical health benefits, and the Big Swim Festival at Cotswold Water Park is a great event for beginners to give the sport a try in a fun festival atmosphere. You can register in advance for the 1 or 2.4 mile events, or simply turn up and enjoy the spectacle, music and food with the family.

Top of our must-visit festivals in the Cotswolds is Soul Circus – a wellbeing, yoga and arts fest in the hills of Elmore. Take part in astral projection and aerial workshops; cacao ceremonies and comedy; massage and meditation; burlesque and blindfolded yoga. Then let loose and party the night away with cocktails to music acts such as Mike Skinner, the Cuban Brothers and DJ Yoda. Locally sourced good-for-you food is on the menu at the Soul Café so you can return to work feeling nourished in mind, body and soul.

A programme of classical concerts takes place at the end of the summer in the beautiful old town of Tetbury. The week of fine music is a wonderful way to see internationally acclaimed musicians in an early Georgian Gothic church. The concerts include lectures and interviews to share deeper insight into the great works performed. The 2022 programme includes popular recitals of Mozart, Elgar, Schumann, Vaughan Williams, Brahms and Mendelssohn, so there’ll be familiar pieces for everyone to enjoy.

Daylesford Organic Farm’s annual Harvest Festival is always a treat, set in their picturesque Market Garden. To celebrate the yields of the season the festival is a feast of organic produce. Artisan food stalls, live music and traditional crafts are yours to enjoy with a firm focus on sustainability. This day-long event makes for an ideal family activity during your stay at Watermark.

Sister event to the Cheltenham Science, Music and Literature festivals, the Jazz festival is one of the UK’s leading jazz events, back after a 2-year hiatus. Of all the festivals in the Cotswolds this summer, this one is probably the best-known, attracting artists such as Emile Sandé, Gregory Porter, Gabrielle and Jamie Cullum. With other big names from the world of jazz, blues and world music, the Cheltenham Jazz Festival takes place over May Day Bank Holiday.

Whichever festivals in the Cotswolds best suit your style, using our luxury lakeside lodges in South Cerney as a base will make the whole experience a breeze, with absolutely zero need to pitch a tent! You can browse our available properties and book here.