Greenbelt pause plans for 'full' festival in 2027 after admitting more time is needed to find new home

Last year, the team behind the award winning faith, arts and social justice festival revealed this summer would be their last at Boughton House where it has taken place since 2014.

Since then, organisers have undertaken an extensive search for a future site capable of supporting the festival's long-term vision.

While a number of options are being considered, today it has been revealed more time is needed to secure a venue that will allow Greenbelt to grow and evolve over the coming decades.

Greenbelt Festival's Creative Director, Paul Northup, said: "Over the last year we've visited some wonderful sites and had countless conversations about what Greenbelt's future could look like.

“The process has taught us a huge amount, not just about the places that might work, but about the kind of festival we want to become.

"We've realised that we're not simply looking for somewhere to site a festival.

“We're looking for somewhere Greenbelt can more fully be itself. More imaginative, more rooted, more sustainable, more accessible and more open to both our existing community and the people who haven't discovered us yet.

“There are some really strong contenders on the table, but after more than 50 years of Greenbelt, we owe it to our audience, artists, partners and future generations of festivalgoers to take the time to get this as right as we possibly can.

“We'd rather pause for a year than settle for somewhere that doesn't allow Greenbelt to flourish over the long-term."

Greenbelt was founded in 1974 and the festival brings together music, performance, literature, politics, spirituality and activism - attracting thousands of attendees each summer.

Although there will be no full-scale festival in 2027, organisers are planning a range of events and initiatives designed to keep its community connected throughout the year.

These include a community camping gathering over the August Bank Holiday weekend, a new online Lent programme, discounted access to and collaborations with kindred festivals in the UK and Europe and free access to Greenbelt's vast archive of recorded talks and discussions.

Further plans will be announced over the coming months as Greenbelt continues its search for a new long-term home. The full festival will return in 2028.

Mr Northup added: “Greenbelt isn't going anywhere. The festival may be taking a breather in 2027, but the community, the conversations and the spirit of Greenbelt will continue. We'll spend next year keeping those connections alive while ensuring an exciting new chapter for 2028 and beyond.”

In the meantime, Greenbelt will stage its final full festival at Boughton House this August Bank Holiday weekend, with what promises to be a memorable farewell to its Northamptonshire home.

The 2026 line-up includes headliners hip-hop group Arrested Development, Scottish legends, The Proclaimers, South African collective BCUC, Congolese eco-punk sensation Fulu Miziki, activist and singer Charlotte Church, actor and campaigner Michael Sheen, journalistic trail-blazer Cathy Newman, comedians Reggie Watts and Ria Lina plus a groundbreaking show from Luisa Omelian, as well as hundreds of speakers, artists, activists and thinkers from across the worlds of culture, faith and social justice.

Post-pandemic Greenbelt introduced a radical and inclusive pay-what-you-can ticketing model.

There are three price points for adult tickets - Supported, Standard and Supporter.

Greenbelt 2026 adult weekend tickets cost £180 for those who choose the Supported price, £240 for the festival’s Standard ticket and £300 for the pay-it-forward Supporter ticket.

Young adult tickets – for those aged from 18 to 25 years old - are now £140, with youth tickets for those aged 12 to 17 years costing £60 and tickets for children between five and 11-yearsold £35. Admission for under 5s is free.

Greenbelt Festival 2026 takes place at Boughton House near Kettering from 27-30 August 2026.

For more information and to book tickets to this year’s festival, visit https://www.greenbelt.org.uk