The best small boutique festivals

You know what they say, good things come in small packages. The same ethos can be carried over to festivals. We mean sure, Glastonbury and R&L are great, but there’s something special about small boutique festivals.

They’re charming, enchanting, intimate and many of them are centred around a specific genre or theme, which can make for crowds filled with people of a similar ilk. Small festivals are also top because you can make new friends and have a good chance of bumping into them later. If you make friends at Glasto, you best believe you’ll never see them again. 

Whether you’re looking to catch the best new indie bands or dance until you can’t feel your legs to hypnotic tunes spun by the best DJs - or if the Glastonbury tickets weren't quite secured - this list of the UK's best boutique music festivals in 2025 will more than have you covered. 

 

We Out Here

2025 lineup: Michael Kiwanuka, MJ Cole, Bashy, Pa Salieu, Incognito, Kokoroko, Rosie Lowe, Emma-Jean Thackery, and many more

When: Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th August 2025

Where: Wimborne St Giles in Wimborne

We Out Here is a festival for everyone. Curated by Gilles Peterson, and with a programme covering everything from spiritual jazz, live drum and bass, bossa nova and British funk, the festival represents true pioneers and exciting emerging talent alike.

Folk rock superstar Michael Kiwanuka leads the programme highlights, alongside rap gem Pa Salieu, acclaimed singers Rosie Lowe and Emma Jean Thackery, and jazz septet Kokoroko. 

If you couldn't tell, it's one of the coolest festivals about, and the intimate vibe means that it's also filled with the coolest people about. Get those tickets for their fateful return to Wimborne this August, you won't regret it.

 

Find tickets, FAQs, and more information on We Out Here - HERE

 

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Manchester Psych Festival

2025 lineup: Goat, Nadine Shah, Warmduscher, W.H. Lung, Crocodiles, Do Nothing, The Moonlandingz, and many more

When: Saturday 30th August 2025 

Where: Various venues around Manchester 

Taking over the majority of Manchester for one day a year, Manchester Psych Fest has become of the biggest events on the city's festival calendar and one of the UK's finest alternative events. The wild success of 2024 saw a cavalcade of eclectic bands fill up rooms across the city and deliver mesmeric performances of mind-bending music for all the tie-dye-clad customers to sway to. Many of the city's most treasured venues have provided their services, from YES and Deaf Institute to Albert Hall, the O2 Ritz and beyond.

Already announced are the likes of Goat, Nadine Shah, Warmduscher, and W.H. Lung, so you just know that it's gonna pop off. It is one of those festivals where there’s just too much good stuff for one person to fit in, given the persistent quality of the lineup, but that's why it happens each year! Also check out Edinburgh Psych Fest for more of the same otherworldly vibes north of the border. 

 

Find tickets, FAQs, and more information on Manchester Psych Festival - HERE

 

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Kelburn Garden Party

2025 Lineup: Sofia Kourtesis, Dillinja, Mandidextrous, Jamz Supernova, She Drew The Gun, Romare, and many more

When: Thursday 3rd - Monday 7th July 2025

Where: Kelburn Country Centre in Largs

Interactive art installations, pop-up parties, waterfall plunge pools, workshops, a 13th-century painted castle, the magical Kelburn Garden Party festival has it all. The surreal Scottish favourite, located just outside of Edinburgh, is a cultural and artistic safari for the mind, body and soul, featuring a unique programme of music, art and entertainment spread throughout the ancient  forest glen and gardens. 

This family-friendly, independent event is bursting at the seams with creativity. Turning its back on the standard idea of what a festival should be, entertainment can be found, seen and heard in the most absurd of environments. 

The magical garden party is returning for 2025, and brings with it a host of familiar music names. The lineup includes DJ sets from the likes of Dillinja, Jamz Supernova, Osunlade, and Sofia Kourtesis, with live sets from talents like The Allergies ,B.C.U.C, She Drew The Gun, and many more.  

 

Find tickets, FAQs, and more information on Kelburn Garden Party - HERE

 

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Equinox Festival

2025 lineup: Hazard, Ray Keith, Nicky Blackmarket, Reggae Roast, Taxman, Macka B, HENGE, and many more

When: Thursday 18th - Monday 22nd September 2025

Where: Chalk Farm in Lincolnshire 

Set inside a hill in the breathtaking Lincolnshire Wolds, Equinox is a true collaboration of cultures. The boutique festival’s awaited return will see six stages, spanning a wide range of music tastes, along with incredible light and fire shows, workshops, and more descending onto Chalk Farm for five glorious days.

Boasting over a hundred bands and DJs and featuring unparalleled decor and atmosphere, Equinox has its focus fixed on people, not profit. It’s a gem of a festival worth visiting this September. 

 

Find tickets, FAQs, and more information on Equinox Festival - HERE

 

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Baltic Weekender

Image: Baltic Weekender / Facebook.com

2026 lineup: TBA

When: Friday 29th - Saturday 30th May 2026

Where: Baltic Triangle in Liverpool

One of the biggest dance events in Liverpool’s calendar, Baltic Weekender never fails to unite ravers up and down the country. . As individuals come together to become crowds, the music drops, the alcohol is flowing, and all that’s on anyone’s mind is music and good times. 

Last year saw an array of top talent descend onto the Baltic Triangle, which included 4am Kru, Bakey, Ben UFO, Dr Banana, and Horse Meat Disco, so you can bet next year’s will continue to raise the bar. And of course, being in the city, you can get a lovely AirBnB instead of lying in your own filth in a field in the middle of nowhere.

 

Find tickets, FAQs, and more information on Baltic Weekender - HERE

 

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Green Man Festival 

Photo: Green Man Festival / Facebook.com

2025 lineup: Wunderhorse, TV On The Radio, Greentea Peng, Kneecap, Underworld, English Teacher, and many more

When: Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th August 2025

Where: Crickhowell, Brecon Beacons 

Located in the beautiful Brecon Beacons near the Black Mountains in Wales, Green Man Festival is an immersive, otherworldly experience. When not taking in the jaw-dropping views, you’ll be watching some of the finest indie and alternative acts from around the world. We can’t wait to see what 2025, which boasts names like Wunderhorse, TV On The Radio, and Greentea Peng, has in store. 

The mesmerising boutique festival site has ten entertainment areas and a whole host of activities to get involved in. Previous years celebrated literature, art, stalls offering Japanese kumihimo braiding, candle wax-powered boats and more. Plus, you’ll get to witness the flames engulf the huge wicker effigy on the closing night!

 

Find more information on Green Man Festival - here

 

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Slam Dunk Festival 

Image: Slam Dunk Festival / Facebook.com

2026 lineup: TBA

When: May 2026

Where: Hatfield House, Hatfield (South) / Temple Newsam, Leeds (North)

Pop punk never dies! Since its inception in 2006, Slam Dunk Festival has become a mecca for pop-punk and rock fans. With both a North and South edition over the same weekend, pop punk fans all across the country will be going mad to their favourite tunes on the same weekend. It's almost poetic. 

If a day of moshing and screaming along to some of the hardest pop-punk anthems isn’t enough, you can sign up for the official launch and after-parties where you can catch some awesome exclusive sets from big bands. 

 

Find more information on Slam Dunk Festival North - here / Slam Dunk Festival South - here 

 

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Knockengorroch Festival

Image: Knockengorroch / Facebook.com

2026 lineup: TBA

Where: Knockengorroch in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland

Boasting a varied lineup of reggae, folk, electronica and beyond, Knockengorroch is a family-friendly affair that brings good vibes from deep within a Scottish river valley. In addition to its beautiful setting, the latest edition of the festival featured the sounds of multi-genre masters like Mungo's Hi Fi, Aziza Jaye, General Levy, among others. 

Like with other boutique festivals of its ilk, the good times don't just stop with the music at Knockengorroch. Music, cabaret, spoken word, comedy and dance all take place across five venues along with a sauna, dedicated children's activities, workshops and food stalls. Set in what was a populated village in ancient times, the festival re-populates the valley for the four days of the event. Plus it's ran by a local Knockengorroch family and presided over by their cows. What's not to like? 

Fiercely independent, the festival has overcome many challenges, from a foot and mouth outbreak to the COVID pandemic. The organisers have set up a fundraising campaign to help raise funds for their 2026 edition, which you can check out here. 

 

Find tickets, FAQs, and more information on Knockengorroch - HERE

 

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Missing out on Glasto tickets doesn't seem so bad, does it? These small boutique festivals have everything you'd want in an event and more, providing intimate and memorable experiences no matter what your genre you're after. If these small boutique festivals leave you interested in what else is out there, look no further than our festival finder here.

 

 

Header image credit: We Out Here / Facebook.com