Gate to Southwell Festival

16/06/2026

In more new news (🤷) we have an exciting new venue on site, down by the campfire. The Song House will be the centre for singing and some other workshops including:

Katie Rockliff's Family Singing Session - A gentle singing start to the morning for all the family, Katie’s view is that the best way to encourage children and young people to love music and singing is to see their grown ups joining in and enjoying it. Simple harmonies and rounds will be learnt and repeated until everyone knows the songs, open to everyone across the generations.

Alice Jones & Bryony Griffith, A Ca****la Harmony Workshop
Yorkshire folk singers Bryony & Alice will guide you through an a ca****la harmony arrangement of a traditional Yorkshire folk song. All voices welcome. No previous singing experience necessary.

Stuart Green Shanty Singing Workshop
Stuart ‘s shanty workshop is suitable for groups of all ages and is designed to teach a little history of shanties as well as having fun and singing along with some. It includes a variety of activities and group singing, but “it’s a singalong workshop, not a choral masterpiece!”

And more...

There are now 10 performance areas on site!
The Lake Stage
The Folk Stage
The Frontier Stage
The Barleycorn Bar Stage
The Boathouse Stage
Steeples
The Children's Tent
The Dance Stage
The Song House
The Campfire

tickets www.gtsf.uk/tickets

16/06/2026

FRONTIER STAGE UPGRADE!
One of the big changes you'll notice at GTSF this year is at the Frontier Stage.

Since moving to Kirklington Lakes in 2021, the Frontier Stage hasn't had an audience cover. We've now invested in a brilliant new cantilevered canopy, providing plenty of shelter if you come up to the front (from the sun clearly, as we're confident it won't rain at all... 😄).

We can't wait to see it in action in a couple of weeks' time.

The pic is a mock up so roughly to scale only! 😃

Some other improvements include
- extra campsite toilets and low level chemical waste points
- a sauna (bookable in advance - see website)
- a holistic therapy and massage tent
- early access option for those with 4-day tickets allowing arrival on Wednesday evening (add-on ticket required)
- some fixed seating under the Lake Stage canopy
- A bigger Lake Stage audience cover
- A new venue - The Song House!

Mostly it'll be more of the UK's best small folk and roots festival: we're an independent, brilliantly curated, genuinely friendly, perfectly sized festival with a rich mix of UK and international roots music in a beautiful lakeside setting! See you there 👏😀 -

16/06/2026

👏Workshops are now on the website! Educational, fun and inspirational, here's what's on offer (details and timing in the link).

Jim Crawford, Open Tuning Guitar Workshop
Katie Rockliff Family Singing Session
Tuneworks Beginners Workshops
Matthew Byrne & Sherman Downey: Comparing Traditional & Contemporary Folk Music
Tuneworks Intermediate Workshops
Alice Jones & Bryony Griffith, A Ca****la Harmony Workshop
Matthew Byrne, The Songs of Newfoundland & Labrador
Black Umfolosi Harmony Singing Workshop
Bryony Griffith Fiddle Workshop
Stuart Green Shanty Singing Workshop
Alice Jones Body Percussion Workshop
Black Umfolosi Gum Boot Workshop
Rennie Pearson Flute and Whistle Workshop
🎵👏🧑‍🎤

Music, dance and tune workshops, including some of the festival line-up

15/06/2026

🎺Announced! The Hoplites to play the all-new Frontier Stage on Friday.

www.gtsf.uk/thehoplites

The Hoplites are a 9 piece ska, rocksteady and reggae outfit from Nottingham with an arsenal of percussion, guitars, and a full horn section. They boast a vibrant set of all original tunes; their mission is to bring back that original 1st wave Jamaican Ska sound. The Hoplites live shows are guaranteed to get you skanking!

15/06/2026

So are we!

10/06/2026

Can’t wait!

08/06/2026

🎶👏Latest Flyer, Please Share! 😀🎵

tickets: www.gtsf.uk

06/06/2026

👏🎶Announced! Local acts to storm the Frontier Stage on Thursday. A showcase of nine of the best talent from within around 50 miles of the festival. A mix of up-and-coming and established acts playing from mid-afternoon Thursday on the Frontier Stage.

See the line-up here: https://www.gtsf.uk/localartistshowcase

The Limewoods
5 Hills Out
Laketown - Band
ROOTS HIGH ROLLER CLUB
JACKDOOR BLUES COLLECTIVE
Josie Field
George Nash
Leah Wilcox
FARRELL

03/06/2026

🎤The Proclaimers
🛢️Peat & Diesel
🎻Elephant Sessions
🎵Kris Drever

Tickets are selling at record levels but travelling Scottish music fans can still catch some of the best Celtic and Canadian artists performing in rural Nottinghamshire next month. The headliners on Friday July 3rd will be Scotland’s most famous and much-loved duo The Proclaimers, while on Saturday night (4th) GTSF welcomes those highly-entertaining “Hebridean Pogues” Peat & Diesel from Stornaway, and Sunday the 5th’s highlights include multi award-winning dance outfit Elephant Sessions.

In addition to top Irish act Ranagri, also on the Sunday, Gate To Southwell 2026 will hosting a special ‘Celtic-infused’ East Coast of Canada showcase on Saturday and Sunday starring Campbell & Johnston from Nova Scotia, Toronto-born banjo/guitar man Old Man Luedecke, Rum Rugged from Newfoundland, acclaimed folk songstress Emilea May from Prince Edward Island, Matthew Byrne & Sherman Downey from Labrador & Newfoundland, Cape Breton duo Rachel Davis & Darren McMullen, and Aboiteau from New Brunswick. Plus another brilliant, award-winning Canadian live act The Fugitives will be returning to Southwell following their memorable performances back in 2024.

The festival organisers recently announced that the ultimate “musician’s musicians” Kris Drever & Calahen Morrison, from Orkney and the USA respectively, will also be appearing on Saturday July 4th. Seven-time BBC Folk Award winner Kris played Southwell in 2023 and is well known for his great work with the trio Lau, and with Eddie Reader and Mark Knopfler.

Tickets www.gtsf.uk

26/05/2026

🥵Twas a little warm when we put up some goose deterrent fencing along the lake yesterday. Apparenly geese don't like flying in or out of water over an obstacle, and this is aimed at minimising the camping field goose poo issue we had last year. They can happily use the other shore. We looked at lots of options and this one came out on top! Spot the carp fins in the water 🐟

A few more changes this year after feedback last year include
- extra campsite toilets and low level chemical waste points
- a sauna (bookable in advance - see website)
- a holistic therapy and massage tent
- early access option for those with 4-day tickets allowing arrival on Wednesday evening (add-on ticket required)
- some fixed seating under the Lake Stage canopy

Mostly it'll be more of the UK's best small folk and roots festival: we're an independent, brilliantly curated, genuinely friendly, perfectly sized festival with a rich mix of UK and international roots music in a beautiful lakeside setting! See you there 👏😀

tickets: www.gtsf.uk