26/05/2026
Great mention for us, Talk Club & Ravers to Runners for bringing the conversation of mental health to Shindig Festival 🧡
Music festival Shindig has hailed its ‘best festival yet’ as music-lovers basked in May sunshine.
Around 9,000 people attended the four-day festival at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury, which was headlined by punk-rap act Bob Vylan.
The inclusion of the controversial band had led to a licence review and a last-minute reprieve, with members of Wiltshire Council’s licensing sub-committee giving the go-ahead for the event just three days before the gates opened.
The band found themselves in the centre of a political storm last summer when they led chants of ‘Death to the IDF’ – referring to the Israel Defence Forces – at Glastonbury festival.
The application to review the licence was made by the South Cotswold Conservative Association, with the backing of Charlton Parish Council and ward councillor Elizabeth Threlfall.
But the committee was persuaded by Shindig’s assurances that there would not be a repeat of the chanting, and that organisers were on hand to turn off the music and visuals if tough contractual conditions were breached.
The band had also agreed to stop performing if the crowd decided to pick up the chant.
Despite weekend temperatures hitting 33 degrees, the festival’s arboretum setting offered welcome relief for festival-goers.
Festival co-director Simon Clarke said: “This was the hottest Shindig we’ve ever had and also the best.
“The shade of the arboretum was incredible and the atmosphere all weekend was something really special.
“After everything the team had been through in the lead up, seeing people dancing, connecting and supporting independent culture meant everything to us.”
He added: “Independent festivals are under pressure everywhere. The response from our community this year reminded us why spaces like this matter.
“People showed up for music, family, connection and culture. We couldn’t ask for more.”
He said Bob Vylan’s 10pm Sunday slot had “delivered an electric atmosphere, drawing huge crowds and proving a defining moment of the festival.”
Across the weekend, audiences enjoyed an eclectic mix of punk, funk, soul, dub, hip hop, jazz and electronic music.
Beyond the music, wellbeing and mental health formed a major part of the programme.
Shindig partnered with Talk Club, Speak Up and Dance and Ravers to Runners to encourage conversations around mental health, movement and connection.
Families were also at the heart of this year’s event, with organisers describing the children’s area as “the best yet.”
It was the 12th Shindig Festival, and the second year at Charlton Park.
✍Original copy by Peter Davison
