News / grassroots music
Bristol innovators announce bold new festival concept
‘Fiercely independent’ festival venue Chai Wallahs launched a game changing concept at the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) congress which took place at Bristol Beacon on Wednesday.
Seeking solutions to the challenges that have brought the scene to its knees in recent years, the travelling festival venue that is rooted in Bristol and known for its presence at Green Man, Secret Garden Party and Kendall Calling, has come up with a pioneering new model which, they say, will act as a safety net for festival organisers while nurturing new audiences, building sustainable careers and putting indie promoters back in the driving seat.
Chai Wallahs, known for its forward-looking lineups, is a longstanding independent touring venue that is well-placed to reconstruct the festival model – photo: Chai Wallahs
Grassroots Rising will be a festivals of festivals, created by a collective of promoters, music venues and audiences that will be able to vote on what they’d like to see at the event.
is needed now More than ever
Secret Garden Party site owner Freddie Fellowes has offered to host the festival, planned for June 18-21, 2026, saying it will be “a party that unites several independent festivals, stages and collectives into one large rave that can offer a proper party.”
The concept has also been backed by the Music Venue Trust which has secured the interest of nine grassroots venues across the country.
Chai Wallahs creative director Si Chai says the event will be “a celebration that unites independent festivals, grassroots music venues, club promoters and collectives into one large collaborative event.”
“We believe this idea is a solution for our whole industry” he said, speaking as part of a panel at the congress; “We want to provide platforms and a space for festivals that can’t afford to go ahead on their own or are having a fallow year, and for the music venues that really struggle during the summer.
“By joining together as a Community Benefit Society we can massively reduce our independent running costs and as a result of that bring down the ticket price to a more affordable level.
“It’ an alternative model that wont cost the partners anything, but will allow them to generate an income and keep their audiences warm and content.
“Grassroots Rising not only offers a solution to the financial challenges the industry faces but as a celebration of strictly ‘independent music and grassroots culture’ will also address the imbalances between commercially supported and non-supported artists”
View this post on Instagram
AIF report the UK scene lost a record 78 festivals in 2024, more than double the cancellation rate of the previous year, while news of cancellations for 2025 includes Cambridge Folk Festival – on its 60th anniversary – Valley Fest and Illusive. Organisers cite the pandemic, Brexit, the cost-of-living crisis and increased financial pressures on the events industry.
Grassroots Rising offers a solution that supports not only musicians but creatives and technicians across the industry, while disrupting the status quo and encouraging audiences to reconsider what they look for in a festival experience.
It aims to get back to the heart of festival culture, offering a unique weekend escape that will be an opportunity to discover new music while supporting independent ventures and new talent, and helping to shape the scene.
Secret Garden Party site owner Freddie Fellowes announced last year that the festival wouldn’t be going ahead in 2025 but that they would be hosting the new ‘festival of festivals’ instead – photo: Secret Garden Party
Find Chai Wallahs at Green Man, Kendal Calling and Found Festival this year or at their upcoming events in Bristol, including Chai Roots Acoustic at Snuffy Jacks on February 27 and Conn3ct featuring Madly, Aziza Jaye and Amy True at Jam Jar on March 6.
Main image: AIF
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
