Buckle and Boots Festival 2026 Review
In scientific terms the universe has no centre and has no boundaries because it constantly expands. The latter part of that statement is currently highly relevant with country music being the fastest growing genre on this side of the Atlantic with more and more fans are continually being converted as it is now able to leave a huge imprint on modern pop culture in the British isles. However, there is something about a farm beyond the weir in Etherow Country Park just outside of Stockport which is able to create a motion that feels centripetal where the genre of country music in the UK seems to revolve around.
Buckle & Boots have just celebrated their tenth anniversary over this bank holiday weekend and for what was my fifth trip to Whitebottom Farm and even after not having been up there in three years, you instantly feel at home and amongst a family in a way that you do not experience elsewhere. Buckle feels like it is what everything spins around is that once you are part of the family, you are ALWAYS part of the family! You see that with artists like how Jeremy McComb, Jenn Bostic, Blue Foley, Dan Smalley and Austin Jenckes not just returned to play the festival again this year but you would think these guys had now decided to live over here but the same is true for everyone that ever attends the festival, where you can completely step away from music or going to gigs and the second you pass the waterfall by the gate, it’s like you never left.
Buckle & Boots have just celebrated their tenth anniversary over this bank holiday weekend and for what was my fifth trip to Whitebottom Farm and even after not having been up there in three years, you instantly feel at home and amongst a family in a way that you do not experience elsewhere. Buckle feels like it is what everything spins around is that once you are part of the family, you are ALWAYS part of the family! You see that with artists like how Jeremy McComb, Jenn Bostic, Blue Foley, Dan Smalley and Austin Jenckes not just returned to play the festival again this year but you would think these guys had now decided to live over here but the same is true for everyone that ever attends the festival, where you can completely step away from music or going to gigs and the second you pass the waterfall by the gate, it’s like you never left.
The event is a micro festival (under 5k capacity) so it is very welcoming and inclusive because the organisers are widely known and very visible on site but also there is the ability to put in a lot of attention to detail and it is very evident that they look to do this. Being welcoming and inclusive with a sense of community are the magic buzzwords that every event reaches for but I don’t think there is another festival where these are more prominent, genuine or fitting in description. The vibe is fun, the people are friendly, the beer is plentiful and having one of the organisers being engaged to a chef has meant that the food vendors on offer are of a really high quality with some amazing and different options compared to other festivals.
Yes, the event has some challenges to overcome which are outside of their control based on the location such as a single lane access road through a country park, the water table due to the elevation can cause problems to the water pressure in hot weather and also there is very limited access to cell service (which I actually quite like in a way because it means people have to stay in the moment and can give artists more attention whilst they are performing) but they have always looked to listen, to experiment, to change and to evolve with how to enhance the experience for fans and performers alike.
One of the things that make this festival so special is that Gary, Karl, Jan and Laura have always wanted fans and artists to have a shared experience. They want artists to not just turn up, sit in the green room, perform and then leave straight away, this has always made Buckle & Boots unique with how they want people to stay all weekend, to eat at the same food vendors, go to meet the vendors, talk to fans at the bar and have the opportunity to see and meet other performers which can open up the door to future collaborations.
On stage, Northern Irish yet Nashville based rising singer-songwriter Gareth would headline the Saturday night and take the festival’s top billing whilst the stars of the weekend were two of our good friends and big supporters of the site: Halle Kearns and Harper Grace who are both veterans of other UK festivals but would head to Stockport for the first time and not just delivered high intensity full band sets, a really powerful shared writers round with Blue Foley and also both completely embraced the ethos of the festival. The same can be said for our pals returning to the festival like Jeremy McComb, Alyssa Bonagura and Austin Jenckes who not only make a huge difference to the vibe of the festival overall but also set the bar for the level of talent over the weekend. The other real stars of the festival were a multi award winning trio from Canada with a reputation of being one of the best live bands in country music which The Washboard Union more than justified with their high-energy, feel-good set on Saturday which made them the most talked about act of the whole weekend.
On stage, Northern Irish yet Nashville based rising singer-songwriter Gareth would headline the Saturday night and take the festival’s top billing whilst the stars of the weekend were two of our good friends and big supporters of the site: Halle Kearns and Harper Grace who are both veterans of other UK festivals but would head to Stockport for the first time and not just delivered high intensity full band sets, a really powerful shared writers round with Blue Foley and also both completely embraced the ethos of the festival. The same can be said for our pals returning to the festival like Jeremy McComb, Alyssa Bonagura and Austin Jenckes who not only make a huge difference to the vibe of the festival overall but also set the bar for the level of talent over the weekend. The other real stars of the festival were a multi award winning trio from Canada with a reputation of being one of the best live bands in country music which The Washboard Union more than justified with their high-energy, feel-good set on Saturday which made them the most talked about act of the whole weekend.
Just quickly before rounding off, I wat to throw out a couple of little mentions: Gary, Karl, Laura, Jan and Alex - smashed it, it was amazing on every level, thank you for having me and letting me be more involved for what was a truly special anniversary year and looking forward to topping it again next year.
Hal - you’re a dream to be around, you slay every time you set foot on a stage and each time you come over, you make me even more proud to be your British bestie. It was great fun hanging out with you and London, then it felt so special to be there when you played your song for Ben to an audience for the first time. ILYSM and already am counting down the days until I see you again in August! (Becky promises to not be sick next time so when Kelly is back too, we’ll drag the Irish one out as well and we can all happily drink margs in dive bars all night long again)
Hal - you’re a dream to be around, you slay every time you set foot on a stage and each time you come over, you make me even more proud to be your British bestie. It was great fun hanging out with you and London, then it felt so special to be there when you played your song for Ben to an audience for the first time. ILYSM and already am counting down the days until I see you again in August! (Becky promises to not be sick next time so when Kelly is back too, we’ll drag the Irish one out as well and we can all happily drink margs in dive bars all night long again)
Eddy, Yannick and all the house band guys - these fellas really are the hardest working people at this festival! They learn so many sets from scratch and must perfect them when they often only meet someone in person for the first time an hour before people see them on stage. They are really good at what they do and luckily for us they know the score so well now, which makes our lives so easy but you all also help make the weekend really good fun.
Then lastly and most importantly, Hannah, where are my beer tokens? I had the absolute best time getting to be your partner in crime this weekend and I cannot believe it took us this long for us to really get to hang out properly but I’m so happy to now have you as my Scottish sister. I’m not sure either of us are ever in danger of becoming professional darts players and if only #DontKnowAskGary was the solution for our day to day jobs, but at least we now are fully aware why musicians cannot be trusted with power tools. I’m travelling to Manchester and over to Germany even more for gigs so I’m really happy to have a great reason to be looking at Glasgow as a new option too because in the guise of Tony Stark, I don’t just love you three thousand, I LOVE YOU SEVEN THOUSAND!
Then lastly and most importantly, Hannah, where are my beer tokens? I had the absolute best time getting to be your partner in crime this weekend and I cannot believe it took us this long for us to really get to hang out properly but I’m so happy to now have you as my Scottish sister. I’m not sure either of us are ever in danger of becoming professional darts players and if only #DontKnowAskGary was the solution for our day to day jobs, but at least we now are fully aware why musicians cannot be trusted with power tools. I’m travelling to Manchester and over to Germany even more for gigs so I’m really happy to have a great reason to be looking at Glasgow as a new option too because in the guise of Tony Stark, I don’t just love you three thousand, I LOVE YOU SEVEN THOUSAND!
This place and this festival really are the beating heart of country music in the UK. This event is real on every level: the fans are real fans, the artists share real stories which people listen to and this is curated truly from passion without any huge multinational bankroll or a push from major labels or even much attention from other outlets who are the key avenues for covering the genre over here. Whilst the universe doesn’t have a centre, country music on this side of the pond definitely does and it always comes back to Whitebottom Farm and Buckle & Boots.
The vibe was perfect, the weather was glorious, the setup gets better in every way each time you visit, and the lineup was truly on point where everybody really brought it! There are plenty of incredible memories from the weekend (that are on par with my all-time Buckle & Boots highlight which happened at the 2018 edition of the festival where Amy Westney electrocuted herself on a cow fence and it still remains the funniest thing I have ever seen!) and cannot wait to make even more at year eleven in twelve months’ time.
Buckle & Boots will return to Whitebottom Farm in 2027 over the weekend of 27th to 30th May with Super Early Bird tickets on sale now at the link HERE. You can find more information about the festival on their WEBSITE and relive this year’s event on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK where you also can head to be the first to know about next year’s lineup when it is announced.
Buckle & Boots will return to Whitebottom Farm in 2027 over the weekend of 27th to 30th May with Super Early Bird tickets on sale now at the link HERE. You can find more information about the festival on their WEBSITE and relive this year’s event on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK where you also can head to be the first to know about next year’s lineup when it is announced.