State Fayre 2026 Review
Being a child that was born in the eighties who lived their teenage years through the nineties and early noughties in Mid Essex, Hylands Park was an integral part of each summer throughout my misspent youth. The highlight of each summer was of course V Festival where we were entertained by the likes of Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Eminem, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, The Killers and bunch of rockers from Nashville called Kings of Leon.
Photo credit: Matt Eachus
The Followill’s headlined V three times between 2008 and 2013 so it kind of felt like a very fitting, full circle moment for Kings of Leon to be an integral part of the first ever State Fayre where they would headline Chelmsford on the opening night. Since the last V Festival in 2017, the city has both craved and needed a new large-scale festival but more importantly has the facilities and the infrastructure in place to accommodate it which combined with the growing popularity of country, folk, roots, Americana and classic rock music, Live Nation saw an opportunity. This opportunity was not just grasped with both hands but delivered an event of the absolute highest quality in every respect with a high calibre and varied lineup but also meticulous attendance to detail with every single element of the site to create the festival that every other festival is jealous of!
Photo Credit: Patrick Gunning
My experience this year was limited to the Sunday which fortunately was not as hot as it was on Friday or Saturday but from the second we arrived, our initial reaction was of total awe and amazement with a real sense of walking into somewhere truly unique and special. This reaction continued to be enhanced with every aspect and area of the site we explored as it raised the bar to a whole new level for what a world class festival should look and feel like. This sentiment covers the layout, the theming, the stages, the food and beverage options, the variety, the incorporation of so many elements like the live fire area in the Fume Pit, the attention to detail, the amount of bins or recycling points and above all the lineup.
The primary enticement prior to setting foot on site was Avery Anna who is Arizona’s Queen of blending the Sad Girl aesthetic with Female Rage was the perfect way to start the day. Whenever we have seen her live she always delivers and the fact that she was the quote-unquote “country” singer on the Main Stage during the day who the crowd not just turned up early for but came to sing along to “Indigo” with her from top of their lungs. Whilst I have interviewed Avery before so was fully aware of her infectious personality and had seen her perform live multiple times, this was the closest I had ever been to watch her on stage. From an “industry” standpoint there is an unwritten law that people who pay to see the artist deserve to be at the front meaning we usually stand and congregate at the back but at the festival, there was plenty of space at the front so we took the opportunity to get amongst it and fangirl.
The primary enticement prior to setting foot on site was Avery Anna who is Arizona’s Queen of blending the Sad Girl aesthetic with Female Rage was the perfect way to start the day. Whenever we have seen her live she always delivers and the fact that she was the quote-unquote “country” singer on the Main Stage during the day who the crowd not just turned up early for but came to sing along to “Indigo” with her from top of their lungs. Whilst I have interviewed Avery before so was fully aware of her infectious personality and had seen her perform live multiple times, this was the closest I had ever been to watch her on stage. From an “industry” standpoint there is an unwritten law that people who pay to see the artist deserve to be at the front meaning we usually stand and congregate at the back but at the festival, there was plenty of space at the front so we took the opportunity to get amongst it and fangirl.
Photo credit: Emily Marcovecchio
What you take most from being able to be up close firstly is how much she loves performing as her smile absolutely beams as she moves around the stage, the second is the way that she works with the crowd so well to get them involved and finally how under the radar she is as an absolute badass of a guitarist. It’s always a strange coincidence that some people who sing fairly sad songs are actually some of the most positive human beings and like every other time we have seen her live this positivity glow’s incandescently so we really hope her own UK headlining tours are not too far off into the future.
Photo credit: Nick O'Donnell
As you walked around the site, it felt very homely yet not too compact as there is no bleed at any of the stages during any crossover of sets. The Big Top is more than your standard second stage “tent” as it feels much more open with a raised back and while we did not spend a great deal of time here it definitely would provide much needed respite from the sun. One place that we did spend a lot of time was in the Bossmans by Zyn speakeasy which was something I had not come across at a festival before and having a bar after walking through the fridge with the guys from Red Solo Club spinning the tunes was a really cool space and yes we have now seen that cat!
The food options were plentiful and the ability to promote the BBQ culture was evident throughout the Fume Pit and around the rest of the site. This area showcased a number of ways to be roasting meat and many of which resembled medieval torture devices but the smells were incredible and where it was positioned ensured that everyone was able to experience it and it was not merely an afterthought which was pushed to the side. In addition to a great variety of food options, there were plenty of bars and by festival standards were priced very reasonably and if you had signed up through their partners at PayPal £5.40 for a pint of Bud Light (more events need to have this available PERIOD) cannot be argued with.
Another thing about the bars which was so cool yet we did not take advantage of was the charity concierge service in aid of Child.org who work with pregnant women, new mums, communities and governments to provide life-saving antenatal and postnatal health information, connect communities and services, and advocate for quality care so that mums and babies stay safe, alive and healthy in sub-Saharan Africa. These volunteers walk around the crowd, take your drink order and bring them back to you for a small commission which would save you the walk and queue at the bar so that you would not need to miss any of the artists' sets that you were watching.
Another thing about the bars which was so cool yet we did not take advantage of was the charity concierge service in aid of Child.org who work with pregnant women, new mums, communities and governments to provide life-saving antenatal and postnatal health information, connect communities and services, and advocate for quality care so that mums and babies stay safe, alive and healthy in sub-Saharan Africa. These volunteers walk around the crowd, take your drink order and bring them back to you for a small commission which would save you the walk and queue at the bar so that you would not need to miss any of the artists' sets that you were watching.
Photo credit: Matt Eachus
Coming back to music being the focus of a festival and as it always should be, it felt incredibly nice to just go with the flow at a festival which for us pretty much involved the main stage when we weren’t walking around to explore or dancing in the speakeasy. In addition to Avery, the Sunday bill featured Counting Crows, C2C Berlin headlining alumni Dylan Gossett and a stunning sunset closure from The Lumineers performing “Ho Hey” at the end of their runway with the most perfect of skies.
However our highlight of the entire weekend was “a busker from Scotland” as KT Tunstall described herself when she told the story of how she stepped in for Nas on Jools Holland but in my opinion her set held the charisma, crowd engagement, warmth, level of hits and energy more than anyone we saw at any festival over the course of the weekend. We also appreciated the attention to detail where “Big Fish, Little Fish” may have been too complex for a Sunday hangover crowd and I am flabbergasted (that word would sound so much better in her accent) how I had never seen her play a festival before but we are DEFINITELY booking tickets to see her when she next goes on tour!
However our highlight of the entire weekend was “a busker from Scotland” as KT Tunstall described herself when she told the story of how she stepped in for Nas on Jools Holland but in my opinion her set held the charisma, crowd engagement, warmth, level of hits and energy more than anyone we saw at any festival over the course of the weekend. We also appreciated the attention to detail where “Big Fish, Little Fish” may have been too complex for a Sunday hangover crowd and I am flabbergasted (that word would sound so much better in her accent) how I had never seen her play a festival before but we are DEFINITELY booking tickets to see her when she next goes on tour!
In the same way that as a local, I am invested with what Donna and Pete are doing at Country Calling, my old stomping ground thrives when it has a well organised festival. Little things that really stood out to us were how there was a taxi rank for pick ups at the end of the event, traders were scattered amongst other elements rather than a retail village as such and by all accounts were given terms that allowed them to comfortably sustain their livelihood and whilst yes I will always despise chairs being allowed at a festival (you are more than welcome to see the PowerPoint I created for a family night discussing our strongest passions) there is little more that I can even offer constructive criticism towards.
Photo credit: Emily Marcovecchio
I loved being carefree at a festival, having no hurry and most refreshingly of all being able to walk around having random conversation where you make new friends because you do not recognise another face beyond the girls from GILP, Holler or G&T along with our friends at Bro-Kin Strings and Red Solo Club in addition to Bec O’Malley who had played the festival earlier in the weekend. This just showed us all how the scope of this genre is growing wider than we imagined and this festival really looks set to be a central cog as we turn into the future where we cannot wait to come back in 2027 for year two.
State Fayre will return in 2027 to Hylands Park in Chelmsford with dates and the lineup to be announced. You can find more information about the festival on their WEBSITE and relive this year’s event on INSTAGRAM, X, TIKTOK & FACEBOOK where you also can head to be the first to know all of the details on next year’s instalment.
State Fayre will return in 2027 to Hylands Park in Chelmsford with dates and the lineup to be announced. You can find more information about the festival on their WEBSITE and relive this year’s event on INSTAGRAM, X, TIKTOK & FACEBOOK where you also can head to be the first to know all of the details on next year’s instalment.