The inaugural State Fayre Festival 2026 is offering us stellar stars like Alanis Morissette, Kings of Leon, Elvis Costello and Counting Crows. The festival in Chelmsford is being billed as ‘the UK’s largest BBQ and music festival’ right from the get go. Judging from the strong line-up, they’re more than ready to make good on their promise of celebrating good times, good food and, of course, good music!
State Fayre Festival: June 26-28, 2026 – Hylands Park, Chelmsford
Festival Republic and Live Nation have joined forces for this new weekend camping festival at Hylands Park, Chelmsford with a capacity of around 30,000 Americana-loving festival goers.
These big hitters promise a blend of contemporary and classic rock, Americana and folk music across three stages.
UK BBQ festival, FUME – co-founded by @eatingwithtod – will host The FUME Pit, featuring award-winning pitmasters and vendors from the UK and abroad, including Big John (John Fisher) .
There will also be an array of vegetarian and vegan food such as Wholesome Junkies (as seen on Netflix and BBC Two’s Million Pound Menu) and London’s leading vegan smokehouse LD’s Kitchen. There will also be live food talks and demos plus whiskey, craft beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
Alongside the music, food and drink there will be a variety of state fair rides, activities and camping options, including boutique camping.
“We are thrilled to unveil a brand new camping festival that builds on the phenomenal UK growth in Americana, rock and country over the past few years. We’re so excited to present this music in an immersive outdoor setting complete with the authentic food, activities and big open skies of an American state fair.” – State Fayre’s organisers Anna-Sophie Mertens and Alex Simmonds of Live Nation
State Fayre Festival 2026 Line-up
Credit to the State Fayre Festival organisers for launching with such a strong line-up, and for including the day splits right from the first announcement. Festival line-ups are subject to change and although State Fayre was impacted by Neil Young cancelling all his dates in Europe, the organisers responded decisively by announcing Alanis Morissette, Skunk Anansie and Razorlight instead.
Friday June 26, 2026
Kings of Leon, Stephen Wilson Jr., The Black Crowes, Kingfshr, Max Mcnown, Brenn!, Molly Tuttle, Kezia Gill, Nina Nesbitt, Benny G, Sons of Habit, Emma Ogier, Landon Smith, Linka Moja, Bec O’Malley, Dug, Aubory Bugg, Jamie McIntyre, Tooth, Dave Lofts.
Saturday June 27, 2026
Alanis Morisette, Skunk Anansie, Kip Moore, Jack Savoretto, Razorlight, Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Sierra Ferrell, The Magic Numbers, Muireann Bradley, The Brudi Brothers, Sarah Julia, Joe Jordan, Hayden Blount, Caroline Grace, Anna Graves, Barrett, Ava Hall, Isak Benjamin, Dermot Henry, Juno James.
Sunday June 28, 2026
The Lumineers, Counting Crows, Amble, Dylan Gossett, The Coral, KT Tunstall, Orville Pack, Avery Anna, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Mae Estes, Elles Bailey, Leah Blevins, Ike Dweck, Marfa, Bebe Stockwell, Ryman, Lily Moore, NAte Bergman, Hannah Hill, McGrath.
Headliners
Kings of Leon
The first ever headliner of State Fayre will be Kings of Leon. They had a metaphoric rise – reportedly signed by RCA before the band had ever played live together and before several band members had mastered their instruments. Yet they easily proved themselves with the catchy hit Molly’s Chambers, and a big break supporting The Strokes [Editor’s note: that was a great show!]
Sex on Fire and Use Somebody moved into our brains in 2008 and the rest is history – they’ve sold 20 million albums and nearly 40 million singles worldwide and counting. Kings of Leon have plenty of festival headlining experience already including Coachella, Glastonbury, Roskilde and Lollapalooza.
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette’s 1995 debut album Jagged Little Pill was unimaginably popular. It’s said to have sold at least 33 million copies placing it within the top 15 buggest selling albums of all time. Her 2021 U.S. tour sold out with more than half a million tickets and in the UK, she recently sold out the O2 Arena in London and performed at Glastonbury for the first time. That first iconic album (since followed by nine more) has since inspired an award-winning Broadway musical.
The Lumineers
Since being founded by Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion, piano) in 2005, The Lumineers have found success in blending rock and Americana with storytelling prowess. With five studio albums, they’ve earned 24 #1 hits across multiple radio formats, 6 billion streams, and 22 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
TL;DR – They’re the Ho Hey band.
More highlights
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie emerged in 1994 and gained notice and praise for fusing hard rock, punk, and funk influences with Skin’s unique voice and commanding stage presence.
The Black Crowes
Formed by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson in Georgia in 1984, The Black Crowes broke through with a string of hits in the early 90s. After extended breaks, they reunited in 2019 and promise a thrilling, loud live show.
Counting Crows
Counting Crows are one of our favourites here at Music Closeup. They had one of those of multi-million selling debut albums in the U.S. that was worth the hype – and more. They’ve released seven studio albums and sold 20 million records.
Since we shared She Talks To Angels by The Black Crowes, we’ll stick to that theme with Angels of The Silences by Counting Crows here.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton
Legendary British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame. It’s testament to the quality of the State Fayre line-up that he’s not even a headliner. He will be performing with his acclaimed band The Imposters, featuring longtime collaborators Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher alongside Charlie Sexton.
Stephen Wilson Jr.
Stephen Wilson Jr. has been a boxing championship finalist, an indie rocker, and a scientist. In 2016, he swapped the science for a publishing deal with BMG Nashville. Ten years later, he’s completed a sold out tour and a prestigious slot on Later…with Jools Holland.
Max McNown
Max McNown recently released the stripped-back EP Both Sides of the Blade, honouring his acoustic roots.
“Both Sides of the Blade’ begins with a cold conversation over coffee in the morning between a couple who’s lost their spark. The song follows a romance gone numb, and its desperate desire to feel something… anything… once again.” – Max McNown
The 24-year-old has already released two albums and earned 500 million streams and performed at Lollapalooza and C2C.
Here’s a video of performing on The Kelly Clarkson Show. So how about I go ahead and dive down the rabbit hole of Kelly Clarkson videos on my algorithm while you tell your friends about the new festival you’re going to next year. Deal? See you at Counting Crows!
State Fayre Festival 2026 Tickets
Tickets for State Fayre Festival 2026 went on sale on 28 November 2025. You can choose from various standard or boutique camping options, including standard tents, luxury yurts, bell tents and even an Airstream! If field life isn’t for you, a range of non-camping weekend tickets or day tickets are also available.
State Fayre Festival 2026 logistics and rules
We all want to have fun and avoid conflict, so it’s definitely best to check the festival information and rules in advance to avoid disappointment.
Children and teens are welcome to attend, but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder aged 18 or over. Children and teens must have the appropriate ticket for their age.
It’s a different story about pets – this isn’t a dog festival, other than service animals and guide dogs.
Having seen people at other festivals face huge problems over unaccompanied teens, stove fuel, amounts of alcohol, and other things they never dreamed would be an issue, we urge you to take the time to read the ‘Essential Information.’ The clue is in the title! There are some important rules about food, drink and bag size that you really should check. It also includes vital information about prohibited items like fireworks, flares, campfires, disposable BBQs, and drugs. Also, no flags in the arena although they will typically be OK in the campsite to help you identify your tent (as long as they are not considered “items which promote Cultural Appropriation.)
Whether arriving by car or public transport, please build plenty of extra time in your schedule to account for traffic, queues, security checks, and needing to exchange your ticket for a wristband after you arrive. Delays are inevitable and you don’t want to miss your favourites! Check State Fayre’s website for information about parking, routes, shuttle buses, and key contacts.
If you need to use accessibility facilities, don’t delay as you would need to apply fora Nimbus Access Card (if you don’t already have one) or free Digital Access Pass AND complete the State Fayre accessible facilities application form. Please carefully check the State Fayre accessibility information page for vital information and be mindful of any deadlines.
Check out musiccloseup.com for more music news, reviews and photography!