Kings of Leon and Neil Young head to new festival

Kings of Leon, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts and The Lumineers have been announced as headliners at a brand new 30,000-capacity music festival in Essex.

State Fayre will be held at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, from 26 to 28 June 2026 and be "American-themed".

The line-up spans rock, country and folk music across three main stages.

Promoters Anna-Sophie Mertens and Alex Simmonds, from Live Nation, said they were "thrilled" to reveal details of what they called "the UK's largest music and barbecue festival".

It marks another high-profile booking for Hylands Park, which hosted Radio 2 in the Park in September and was previously the home of V Festival.

Live Nation said people could camp at the event and it would celebrate barbecue food and American culture.

It was inspired by state fairs, long summer nights and tailgate parties, made popular in the US.

The organisers said there had been "phenomenal UK growth in Americana, rock and country over the past few years".

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Ms Mertens and Mr Simmonds added: "We're so excited to present this music in an immersive outdoor setting complete with the authentic food, activities and the big open skies of an American state fair."

Kings of Leon have had six number one albums in the UK since their debut in 2003, while Neil Young's career stretches back to the 1960s.

Also on the line-up are:

• The Black Crowes
• Elvis Costello
• Counting Crows
• Amble
• Avery Anna
• Bec O'Malley

Tickets would go on sale on 28 November, said Festival Republic, which is part of Live Nation.

Natacha Dudley, from Liberal Democrat-run Chelmsford City Council, said she was delighted to have another festival in the city.

"With decades of experience in hosting high-quality music events behind us, we're looking forward to working with Festival Republic to make this brand-new State Fayre festival another fantastic weekend for Chelmsford," she added.

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