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One of the UK's most beloved annual country music events, The Long Road Festival will make its triumphant return to Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, UK in 2026. The first headliner has now been confirmed as Bailey Zimmerman, who performs on Saturday. 

Setting up camp from August 27 through 20, The Long Road will no doubt serve up another stellar lineup, brimming with new and established faces in the country and Americana scene.

While 2025 saw the festival expand with a new sixth stage, we expect that the 2026 weekend will once again have a smattering of fun activities and culinary delights for attendees, including a plethora of US-inspired street food, BBQ and craft beers, as well as dedicated line-dancing sessions, campfires, vintage funfair rides, a kids camp and more. 

Here, we'll have all the up-to-date news on line-up announcements, the latest ticket and festival pass details, alongside any other info and details for the 2026 edition. 

Country hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman is the first headliner to be unveiled. The full lineup and day splits for The Long Road Festival 2026 will be announced in the coming months.

After posting record Early Bird ticket sales, The Long Road Festival team has now released Group, Saturday and a limited number of Early Bird tickets through the official site.

Tickets for The Long Road Festival 2026 are available to purchase below:

Midland and Drake Milligan served as the headliners for the sizzling 2025 edition of The Long Road, as well as James Bay on the Rhinestone main-stage.

Joining them on the impressive bill was ‘Where I Find God’ hitmaker Larry Fleet, along with country-folk prodigy Charles Wesley Godwin, who treated the packed-out audience to galvanizing takes on fan-favorites like ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Jesse.’ 

Also making appearances across the weekend were acts like Seasick Steve, Alana Springsteen, Evan Honer, Gareth, Fantastic Negrito, Elles Bailey, Ashley Monroe, Chuck Ragan, Fancy Hagood, Trousdale, Fanny Lumsden, Halle Kearns, Kim Churchill, Rainbow Girls, Will Varley & The Southern Rust, Simeon Hammond Dallas, Steady Habits, Janet Devlin and Jaywalkers.

Providing multiple stages’ worth of top-tier country, Americana and roots music, The Long Road Festival has established a reputation for providing some of the most sizzling lineups around.

Since the first edition of The Long Road Festival in 2018, the Stanford Hall, Leicestershire festival has welcomed the likes of Cam, The Cadillac Three, Blackberry Smoke and more. 

Check out other country festivals set for 2025 and 2026.

All the latest lineup announcements, set times, date confirmations and ticket details for The Long Road Festival.

Festival - The Long Road Festival 2026 1

The Long Road Festival

 EP in June 2022, it became the biggest streaming country debut of all time. Zimmerman also became one of just three country artists to earn over a million streams on each track during street week alone. The other two artists? None other than Luke Combs and Zach Bryan.

It’s sometimes difficult to believe that Bailey Zimmerman is still in his early twenties, and that he’s only been releasing music since 2021. In the space of just over a year, Zimmerman has enjoyed an ascent that has felt so meteoric, that he seems to have already transcended the labels of ‘prodigy’ and ‘prospect’.

‘Fall in Love’, one of the highlights from his 2022 EP, became his first Country Radio No. 1 in December. The single serves as the perfect encapsulation of what makes Zimmerman such a threat. It has the signature rasp and heart-wrenching intensity that pervades much of the project, but - crucially - it is packaged up with a pop-leaning production style that makes it ideal for Country Radio.

The result is a sound that simultaneously straddles both the mainstream and the outer edges of the modern country landscape. Part of Zimmerman’s ability to infiltrate both markets can be traced back to his blue collar roots, having grown up working on a gas pipeline.

In 2023, Zimmerman is joining Morgan Wallen on his blockbuster 

world tour. Zimmerman has previously cited Wallen as a mentor, with the Sneedville native having even co-written ‘Trainwreck’ from the 

When he heads out on the road with Morgan Wallen, Zimmerman will receive a first-hand glimpse into what it takes to become one of the biggest country stars on the planet. Given how emphatic Zimmerman’s emergence has been so far, few would be surprised to see him unveil his own world tour this time next year.

Home of all the latest news, information and coverage of Bailey Zimmerman on Holler.

Bailey

Zimmerman has enjoyed an ascent that has felt so meteoric, that he seems to have already transcended the labels of ‘prodigy’ and ‘prospect’.

Bailey Zimmerman: News, Songs & Reviews | Holler

The Long Road Festival: Lineup, Set Times, Dates and Tickets | Holler

Lydia Farthing is a Nashville-based music journalist and Nashville native who has spent her life immersed in the music industry.

 Magazine, Provident Music Group and Aristo PR, she's always in search of the best concerts and new music, and is an avid supporter of females in the country format.

Lydia

Contributor - Lydia Farthing 2

Contributor - Lydia Farthing

A handy, chronological list guide to the country music festivals taking place across the world in 2025 and 2026.

The Long Road Festival

Lineup

Tickets

2025 Highlights

History

Accomodation

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