Record crowds, major headline performances and an estimated £3 million boost to the local economy as Deva Fest delivers a landmark year in Cheshire
Cheshire, August 2026 — Deva Fest has celebrated its biggest and most successful year to date, with thousands of festivalgoers descending on Cholmondeley Castle for four days of music, entertainment and family fun.
The award-winning family-friendly festival welcomed around 10,000 people each day, as Deva Fest 2026 delivered its most ambitious event yet and further cemented its position as one of the North West’s leading independent festivals.
Across the weekend, audiences enjoyed headline and major performances from some of the biggest names in British and international music, including Jessie J, Ronan Keating, James Morrison, Ash, Vengaboys and Symphonic Ibiza.
But the impact of Deva Fest extended far beyond the festival gates.
More than 50 traders were present at the event, alongside the hundreds of people involved in staging and operating the festival. Visitors also generated significant additional spending across Cheshire and the surrounding area, including accommodation, hospitality, transport, retail and local suppliers.
Deva Fest estimates that the 2026 festival generated up to £3 million for the Cheshire and surrounding economy, demonstrating the increasingly important role major independent events can play in supporting the regional visitor economy.
Festival founder and director Philip Marston said:
“Deva Fest 2026 was without doubt our biggest and best festival yet.
“To see around 10,000 people a day enjoying themselves at Cholmondeley Castle was incredibly special. We had some phenomenal performances this year, from Jessie J, Ronan Keating and James Morrison through to Ash, Vengaboys and Symphonic Ibiza, but what makes Deva Fest so special is everything that happens around the music as well. Nintendo joined us this year to showcase their Switch 2 console, Jaguar Land Rover displayed cars and Harrods Beauty gave Charlotte Tilbury masterclasses.
“We’ve always wanted Deva Fest to be an event that Cheshire can be proud of. More than 50 traders joined us this year, we worked with a huge number of suppliers and businesses, and thousands of people travelled into the area to stay, eat, drink and spend locally.
“We estimate the wider economic impact could be as much as £3 million, and that’s something we’re enormously proud of. A successful festival shouldn’t just benefit the people inside the gates — it should create opportunities and economic benefits for the community around it too.
“Most importantly, though, there was an incredible atmosphere across the whole festival. Seeing families and friends making memories together is ultimately why we do it.”
The 2026 festival saw Cholmondeley Castle transformed into a huge entertainment destination, combining major live music with comedy, family entertainment, fairground rides, food and drink, camping and a wide range of activities and experiences.
The scale of this year’s event represented another significant step forward for Deva Fest, which has grown from its Cheshire roots into an established fixture in the UK festival calendar while retaining its independent and family-focused identity.
Organisers believe the combination of strong visitor numbers, national-profile artists and the festival’s distinctive family-friendly offering demonstrates both the growing appeal of Deva Fest and Cheshire’s ability to host major cultural events.
Co-owner Steven Hesketh of Savvy Collective added:
“We’ve grown Deva Fest considerably, but we’ve always been determined not to lose what makes it different. We want brilliant artists on stage, but we also want families to feel welcome, children to have an amazing time and people to leave feeling that they’ve had far more than simply a weekend of concerts.
“The response to 2026 has been phenomenal. It was the biggest Deva Fest we’ve ever staged, and we believe it was the best one too.
“A huge thank you has to go to our team, artists, traders, suppliers, partners, Cholmondeley Estate and, above all, every single person who came through the gates and made Deva Fest 2026 what it was.”
The Deva Fest 2027 camping presale begins on Thursday 13th August.
