Next month, Forest Live returns to Delamere Forest (for its 25th Anniversary) with a stacked lineup of dance, rock, pop and reggae legends.
If you’re looking to explore the forest between the live music, there are plenty of activities on offer for the whole family.
Get down early to ride around the biking trails, try out the Go Ape experiences, and wander the scenic trails, including accessible routes.
The site also includes running trails, disc golf, children’s woodland play areas and family trails, as well as a cafe, picnic areas, and bike hire.
The concert area at Delamere Forest is a natural amphitheatre in the largest woodland area in Cheshire.
Delamere Forest sits on the Cheshire plain, nestled between Manchester, Liverpool and Chester.
The forest is a mix of Conifer and Broadleaf woodland attracting over 750,000 visitors per year.
Delamere Forest is home to the leading tree nursery, growing our future forests from seed and helping us dispatch over a million trees each year.
Once you’ve explored the forest, head down to the amphitheatre to catch some truly legendary acts amongst the trees.
Series opener The Kooks take to the stage on 17th June. Following them will be the powerhouse double header of Skunk Anansie and Garbage, then reggae legends UB40 ft Ali Campbell.
The weekend will see the stage handed over to superstar DJ and Producer, Fatboy Slim, with the mighty MCFLY closing the weekend on the Sunday.
Melodic indie rockers Circa Waves and ‘one to watch’ band Girl In The Year Above are among the latest acts added to the bill to support The Kooks. Tickets for all shows are on sale here.
Merseyside Music Fans Eye Close-by Cheshire Amphitheatre for Summer Festival Dates
The proximity of the Cheshire woodland venue provides an accessible summer day-trip destination for music lovers and families travelling from across Merseyside.
Merging stellar performances from world-class acts with beautiful outdoor locations to create an atmosphere like no other, Forest Live will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2026 with stunning shows in four forest venues.
They consist of Forestry England Cannock Chase, Delamere Forest, High Lodge Thetford Forest and Westonbirt Arboretum.
Nile Rodgers & Chic were the last confirmed headliners for Forest Live’s 25th Anniversary shows in 2026 (playing Thetford Forest).
Following a hugely successful run of shows over the past 25 years, this year sees Forestry England present the concert series in partnership with Live Nation’s Cuffe & Taylor for the third year running.
Forests will be open to visit during the day, but may close earlier than usual.
You will need to pay day rates for car parking at the forest, as this is not included in your Forest Live car parking ticket.
You may need to move your car when the forest closes until car parking opens for Forest Live customers.
National Timber Reserves Maintained through Regional Live Music Ticket Sales
The commercial execution of the festival series directly serves to fund the upkeep of woodland spaces across the country.
Forestry England manages and cares for the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests.
They use the money Forest Live raises to maintain these beautiful natural areas for everyone to enjoy, run important conservation projects and keep growing trees.
Last year, they planted some 7.4 million trees and welcomed 313 million visits in 2024/25. Everyone in England lives within a one-hour drive of one of the nation’s forests.
Over two million people have enjoyed the Forest Live gigs over the last 25 years.
The complete event itinerary has been fixed for the regional woodland amphitheatre, with ticketing services and schedule registration now live at forestlive.com.
On Wednesday 17 June, The Kooks will perform with support from Circa Waves and Girl in the Year Above.
This will be followed on Thursday, 18 June by Skunk Anansie & Garbage with Du Blonde.
On Friday 19 June, UB40 ft Ali Campbell will perform alongside Bitty McLean and Reggae Roast ft MC Horseman.
The weekend programming features Fatboy Slim with Sarah Story and Sasha GiGi on Saturday, 20 June, before McFLY closes the concert series on Sunday, 21 June with Twin Atlantic and Remember Monday.
