NVRF 2026 ~ 3rd-6th September ~ Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincs
The UK's boutique Classic Rock, Prog and Blues Festival
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Run by music fans who think the way you do, on a not-for-profit basis - every penny goes to the festival
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All stages inside marquees with just 1,000 tickets per day so you can actually see the bands
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On-site camping, glamping, caravans & motorhomes, right by the music, with luxury toilets and showers
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The sound and view of a concert hall in the magnificent festival setting of Grimsthorpe Castle
Latest News
THANK YOU !!!!
Thank you all for being there and we know you all had a fantastic time!
Thank you to the bands, the volunteers, Grimsthorpe Castle and the weather!
And thank you especially to everyone who has already bought tickets for nest year - that really does help more than you'll know.
Finally for now, apologies for still showing last year's details, I am slowly changing it over to 2026 but I'm shattered! (Trevor)
On our website
Here are some other things you can find on our website
Biographies and sample videos of every band will later be found here:
Plans for 2026 festival are already underway; special price tickets on sale at NVRF25!
NVRF 2026 will again take place at Grimsthorpe Castle in south Lincolnshire over the weekend of 3th-6th September. This means it will be one week after the bank holiday, rather than two weeks as this year. Our Super-Earlybirds tickets are now available and again there will be a maximum of 1,000 people per day (quite a few of which have already gone!), so please book yours straight away!
Bands for 2026
We are already booking bands and some will be announced at this year's festival! We have been inundated with applications by bands wanting to play and w will stay true to our original aim of offering top quality rock, prog and blues that isn't the same as many other festivals and we believe again offer a mixture of bands you know and love, and others that you'll discover and love just as much! There will be some we've featured before and some that are new to NVRF.​
(limited to 1,000 people)
Line-ups for 2023, 2024 and 2025
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Music
Once confirmed, our line-up will feature many exciting names! We will use our official Facebook Group to keep you updated with any further announcements and there are more details on this website:
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classic rock, blues rock and progressive rock
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bands you'll almost certainly know and others you'll wish you had discovered sooner
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some local, many from around the UK and some from overseas.
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two main stages that will alternate so you can see all of those bands (as 2023 and 2024)
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our aim will again be that another stage will offer something different
Here's a few of the bands that played in 2024 Just click play!
​Location
The 2025 event will be held at the stunning grounds of Grimsthorpe Castle, near Bourne, that dates back to the 13th century with the most recent additions by Sir John Vanbrugh (Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace etc) and grounds designed by Capability Brown (Longleat, Highclere etc). We know how much you appreciated our endeavours to take the festival standard up a notch or two and we're determined to keep it that way at our new venue, with great bands, sound quality and facilities. We will still have:
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a dedicated NVRF camp site close to the music arena for tents, motorhomes and caravans, with both a price per pitch and a single-person tent option
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hotels reasonably nearby for those not wanting to camp
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we will again have a number of 'glamping' options, including having real beds
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free day parking available for all
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peaceful family-friendly surroundings
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easy access to major roads
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decent facilities such as "luxury loos" and "luxury showers"etc.
Tickets and prices
All of our tickets and camping pitches are available direct from this website. Payment options will be shown at the checkout. Book your tickets here
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We have tried to keep our costs as low as possible, while still bringing you a quality festival with great sound and not just a 'festival in a field'. Please remember though, NVRF is run on an entirely not for profit basis. No one running the event takes any payment at all and the festival is planned, prepared and operated entirely by volunteers. 2024 and 2025 saw a step forward in our numbers so the trend is looking good and we've already confirmed 2026 but we're not yet where we need to be. Tickets are now on sale please book yours early (this really does help us enormously with cashflow) and please encourage someone else to do so too.
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Arena
Your comfort matters!
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all stages and their audience will again be housed within fully covered marquees
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"luxury loos"! Not those horrible blue cubicles; we've booked the sort of toilets you get at weddings. It costs us more but we know it matters to you!
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open sides, weather permitting, so you can sit in the sun if you wish
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space to bring your own camping chairs into the arena within a designated area subject to appropriate conditions, including H&S rules. This is offered at your own risk and must operate within reason - we can't allow chairs to prevent other people having access to the marquees.
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real-ale bar (other drinks will also be available!) and food concessions within the arena
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additional benches for your use
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camp site in the same field as the music arena.
Mission
We are all music lovers. The festival is all about the music and its fans - you! We aim to:
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provide opportunities to some amazing bands that the bigger, established festivals won't touch because they have yet "made it" so won't make money for them
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support the iconic bands from earlier years who now struggle to get gigs, many of whom are now cited as influences
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cover the costs of the festival but the festival is run 'not-for-profit'. The organisers will not take any wages, salary or even expenses. If there is any profit it will stay in the festival and will go towards the following year.
Questions?
Please feel free to ask your questions via the website or Facebook– we will answer honestly as we always have done. And we hope that you will be able to join us for a hugely memorable occasion