The UK Festival Awards have announced a range of updates for its 2026 edition. This includes changes to its categories and judging criteria, the introduction of several new categories and news of a daytime conference with the ‘Festival Focus’.
The new measures include publishing all judging criteria and the inclusion of a longlist to acknowledge all who entered, alongside the addition of a UK Festival Awards ‘Hall of Fame’.
These new additions come after conversations were had with festivals, partners and industry professionals across the sector, and follows feedback received during outreach from the UK Festival Awards.
Amongst the updates include changes to several categories and the addition of three new awards.
Non-Music Festival of the Year will now become Arts & Culture Festival of the Year, and aims to award the many cultural events that sit alongside the traditional green field weekender. Brand Activation of the Year will also become Brand Experience of the Year to award greater audience experiences, while the Headline Performance category will change to Festival Performance of the Year.
Three new categories are also being introduced for 2026. An award for festival innovators working within the Accessibility & Inclusion sector will be recognised, alongside those building and reimagining our green field stages through the Festival Infrastructure Award. We will also be introducing a Charity Initiative of the Year Award, which will shine a light on those using their platform to support everything from local community projects to large-scale charitable initiatives.
Meanwhile, the freshly introduced Hall of Fame will award festivals who have won the same category for three consecutive years. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a festival must win the same category for three consecutive years. It will then enter a Hall of Fame for the following year. During that year, the festival will step aside from that category.
And lastly, for the first time in its history the UK Festival Awards will also host the ‘Festival Focus’. The Festival Focus will be a one-day event that will host industry panels, networking opportunities, roundtables and acts as a hub for the festival industry to network and collaborate.
You can find the full range of changes and additions to the 2026 edition of the UK Festival Awards here.
