40,000 Country Fans Hit the Road for The Long Road Festival 2026

The Long Road Festival brought the UK country community together in full force this weekend, as more than 40,000 fans descended on Stanford Hall, Leicestershire for four days of country, roots and Americana in all its forms.

Rain or shine, the party carried on. Across the weekend, festival-goers packed out stages, hit the dancefloor, tucked into BBQ, checked out classic cars and bikes and proved exactly why The Long Road has become one of the UK’s biggest celebrations of country music and its ever-growing community.

Friday got things moving with The Shires, Steve Earle and The 502s, while Saturday saw Ronnie Wood bring the classics — opening with It’s Only Rock’n’Roll (But I Like It) before teaming up with Imelda May for a special run of songs.

Sunday closed the weekend with a huge UK-exclusive set from Maren Morris, while Emmylou Harris delivered an especially emotional final UK performance of her European farewell tour.

Across the weekend, artists and fans also paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton, with a dedicated Dolly Forever Wall giving festival-goers the chance to share their own messages and memories. Ronnie Wood and Imelda May’s performance of 9 to 5, alongside Emmylou Harris’ deeply personal tribute, made for some of the weekend’s most powerful moments.

Elsewhere, The Long Road continued to fly the flag for the next generation of UK country talent. Josh Beer took home this year’s Homegrown Country Music Contest, while a stacked bill of emerging artists made it clear the homegrown scene is only getting bigger.

From Twinnie and Josh Ross to First Time Flyers, Hayley Jensen, Ryan and Rory, The Brothers Comatose and plenty more, The Long Road 2026 was a reminder that country music is no longer one sound — it’s a whole lot of them.

The Long Road is already heading towards 2027, with the festival set to return to Stanford Hall from 26–29 August. Earlybird tickets go on sale Thursday 3 September at 9:30am.