Shambala introduces Sunday tickets for residents living near the festival
Shambala Festival has today introduced a limited amount of Sunday day-tickets for the first time especially for local audiences.
Tickets for people living in NN and LE postcodes will give those who live near the acclaimed event the chance to see acts including Emma-Jean Thackray, Orchestra Baobab, Penguin Café, Los Bitchos, the closing ceremony fireworks display and the annual Shambolympics final.
Shambala has long championed positive impact in the surrounding area and after many requests to introduce them, Sunday tickets are being added as another way to engage with and celebrate the local community.
The Sunday will also feature an array of hands-on workshops, inspiring talks and family fun throughout the day.
Discounted Sunday tickets is the latest in a number of initiatives that saw Shambala recognised at the UK Festival Awards 2025, where it won the Sarah Nulty Community Impact Award and Independent Festival of the Year.
Shambala’s Pay It Forwards scheme is also back this year, funding full festival packages – including tickets, travel, food and camping equipment – for those who would not otherwise be able to attend, with half of all places reserved for people from the immediate local area.
The Pay It Forwards ballot, which is operated by Tickets For Good, is now open at https://ticketbank.ticketsforgood.co.uk/events/340987
Applications will close on Thursday, May, 28.
One of the festival’s longest running community partnerships, The NOSH Community Café, will also be back for its 10th year in 2026.
It’s an initiative that raises more than £20,000 annually for hard-to-fund local projects across three neighbouring villages - from youth clubs and village halls to services tackling loneliness.
Shambala provides the pitch and more than 70 tickets free of charge, while the café is entirely volunteer-run, bringing local people into the heart of the festival and strengthening community ties.
In another new local community partnership, Shambala is supporting Friends of Brampton Valley Way & Brixworth Country Park’s current fundraising initiative.
Shambala MD and Co-founder Chris Johnson said: “Around the corner from the Shambala site is the wonderful Brampton Valley Way & Brixworth Country Park, a nature reserve and the route for our cycle tours to the festival.
“We are currently supporting their fundraiser to provide better mobility scooters, so that everyone can enjoy the park and its biodiversity.”
More information is available at https://www.gofundme.com/f/friends-of-brampton-valley-way-brixworth-country-park
Shambala 2026 takes place from Thursday, August 27 to Sunday, August 30 at Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens and will feature more than 30 stages and venues.
Alongside its musical offering, the festival brings together arts, performance, wellbeing, workshops, puppetry, politics and much more.
Acts performing include Bob Vylan, Hollie Cook, Emma-Jean Thackray, The Selecter and more alongside four days of theatre, circus and workshops.
Sunday tickets cost £75 for adults, £45 for teens and £15 for children aged between five and 12 years old. All children and teens must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets are available via https://www.shambalafestival.org/buy-tickets