ABOUT GTSF
The gallery above is from 2026. There's another gallery at the foot of the page.
An independent, brilliantly curated, genuinely friendly, perfectly sized festival with a rich mix of UK and international roots music in a beautiful lakeside setting.
2027 marks the 20th anniversary of GTSF – and, because there was no festival in 2020, it's also our 20th festival. Join us from 1st to 4th July as we celebrate two decades of unforgettable music, friendship and festival magic at our beautiful lakeside home. Described by ticket-buyers as "quite possibly the best small folk and roots festival in the UK", GTSF has earned a loyal following of people who return year after year for the music, the atmosphere and the welcome.
Enjoy four unforgettable days with 60+ acts across three main stages (all with audience covers), plus intimate venues, late-night sessions, workshops, ceilidhs, dance, street theatre and family entertainment. Camp or glamp just steps from your car, discover outstanding artists spanning folk, Americana, Celtic, blues, world music and far beyond, and experience the friendliest festival atmosphere you'll find anywhere. Under 12s go free, with generous discounts for under 18s.
And GTSF is a not-for-profit organisation, run by enthusiastic and experienced volunteers, and we love putting on this festival. Any surplus income goes straight back into future events.
In 2021 we moved to a fantastic new setting in lakeside parkland at Kirklington, 3 miles the other side of town from our previous site at Southwell Racecourse. Southwell is a beautiful Nottinghamshire market town (see the about Southwell page) approximately 13 miles from Nottingham and 8 miles from the A1 and Newark. See how to get to us here. It really is a great venue for a festival - see some pictures at the foot of the page.
There's plenty of space to camp, right on the festival site by the lakes. You can bring your vehicle onto the campsite (park your car by your tent) so there's no need to lug tents and equipment about. For those not camping there's a free day car-park right next to the entrance. Or for a bit of extra luxury, why not try glamping? (The campsite has chemical waste disposal points.)
You'll find over 60 artists performing over 4 days on 3 main stages plus a children's stage and a workshop tent, and further occasional performances in the main bar and by the boathouse bar. The Lake Stage (our biggest) is a large open arena with an audience cover which was new in 2024. The Folk Stage has a folkier feel to the music and it's in a marquee. The Frontier Stage is our smaller third stage with a more lively feel to lots of the music. This is an open stage, though we are exploring use of a cover for 2026. You can bring chairs or mats to all the stages.
Well behaved dogs are welcome to the campsite and into the festival arena, though not into the Folk Stage marquee or Steeples (the workshop tent). They are allowed under the Lake Stage audience cover and into the indoor market.
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Dogs Welcome!
Dance remains a popular part of the festival with an emphasis on variety and entertainment. Ceilidhs or other social folk dances normally take place each day on site. We also programme time for sessions in the bar and by the campfire.
Southwell is a family friendly and fun festival with plenty of entertainment for the kids and youths alike. Many children’s activities are aimed to be educative as well as fun with our own instrument workshops, and various other hands-on opportunities. Family entertainment always includes a liberal dose of street theatre and ‘walkabouts’ as well as storytellers and musicians. The children's programme is mostlly on Saturday and Sunday.
We are a member of the Association of Independent Festivals (previously AFO), the UK's predominant organisation for independent festivals, where we share best practice and benefit from technical advice and experience. This was particularly valuable during the pandemic.
