Festival announces line-up amid expansion plans

A festival which will run for the 20th time this year has announced its line up and said it will start a day earlier.

Kaiser Chiefs, Levellers, Feeder and Sophie Ellis-Bextor will headline Wychwood Festival, which returns to Cheltenham Racecourse from 28 to 31 May.

Noise complaints from the 2024 event led to event organisers moving stages further from neighbouring houses the following year.

Organisers also hope to eventually expand the festival's capacity to just under 15,000 - with 2026's event to have a capacity of nearly 13,000 - and are waiting for a licence review by Cheltenham Borough Council to be finalised.

Boney M, The Pigeon Detectives, Newton Faulkner and Chesney Hawkes will also play, alongside The Dutty Moonshine Big Band, who will headline Wychwood's first Thursday.

Festival organisers said the event was expanding to four days to meet a growing demand for tickets.

A licence review was held by Cheltenham Borough Council in March 2025, and the stage was moved further from neighbouring homes and noise monitoring was also introduced.

The festival's licence is due to be reviewed by the council again, with a consultation currently taking place.

Daniel Padfield, whose partner Sophia Galpin lives on Parth Lane near the racecourse, and he said things had improved last year.

Padfield said the noise from the festival in 2024 was so loud the floor at Galpin's house was vibrating, something that was "traumatic" for her and she is bedbound with chronic fatigue syndrome.

"2025, [Wychwood] did a really good job... but the wind in 2025 was also away from where my partner lives so I suppose that helped," Padfield said.

A representative for the festival said: "To mark the 20th edition, we're in the application process to open the gates early on Thursday for the first time, providing an optional fourth day with music on the smaller stages.

"This will help make it easier for everyone to arrive, settle in, and get set up for the weekend."

The spokesperson added the application will help the festival manage anticipated "steady growth" in coming years.

"We're pleased with the series of improvements made in 2025 in managing sound for our neighbours, and we will continue working together with all parties to ensure these positive results continue," they said.

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