British Country Music Festival reveals star-laden 2026 line-up ahead of blockbuster 7th edition
The British Country Music Festival, now in its seventh year, has announced its 2026 line-up, with two of the three headline acts coming from the UK.
The festival will take place in Blackpool at the Winter Gardens from 4–6 September, continuing its commitment to championing UK country and Americana artists. With five stages across three days and more than 100 performers, the event supports both established and grassroots singer-songwriters from across all four nations.
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Taking the main headline slot on Saturday night is Cammy Barnes, who has amassed over 100 million combined views and streams worldwide. His rising career has seen two concerts sell out within minutes at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom, alongside a tour of Ireland expected to do the same.
Barnes has quickly established himself on the UK country music scene, with his breakout single Whiskey Roll becoming a UK Top 40 hit and reaching the Top 10 in both the Official Singles Sales Chart and the Official Singles Downloads Chart.
In just a year, he has built a social media audience of more than 1.2 million. Drawing on his Scottish roots, his music reflects authentic, lived experiences, and his incorporation of bagpipes into modern country arrangements offers a distinctive sound likely to resonate with Blackpool audiences.
Friday night’s headline act is Elles Bailey, an Americana-blues performer from Bristol. Bailey first appeared at the festival in 2021 supporting Nathan Carter, and has since gone on to win Live Act of the Year at the UK Americana Awards 2024 and Vocalist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards.
Her latest single Growing Roots was the most played track on BBC Radio 2 for the first three weeks of 2026, and she now returns to headline the Empress Ballroom main stage on the opening night.
Closing the festival on Sunday afternoon are SmithField, a Nashville-based duo originally from Texas. Known for their harmony-driven sound blending contemporary country with classic pop, they have achieved more than 150 million streams, performed multiple times at the Grand Ole Opry, and supported major artists including Morgan Wallen and Kane Brown.
Festival promoter Martin Blore of Fit The Bill said: “We have always championed UK artists. Whilst the UK continues to lead the way in almost every other genre of music, our homegrown talent is getting overlooked and pushed down many festival bills, often because the streaming numbers can rarely compete with US artists.
“We should celebrate the talent and the contribution made by the UK to the history of the genre. British and Celtic settlers travelled across the ocean to the Appalachian Mountains and shared their fiddle playing, their stories, ballads and dance reels.
“This was enhanced with African- American music and instruments and out of that country music emerged. It wasn’t born in Nashville, it was created by our joint nations and we should be celebrating our contribution to the fastest growing music genre.
“UK singer-songwriters have now found their own voice and sound. They write about pubs and the countryside, not saloons and cowboys. We have some amazing country and Americana artists here. We need to keep providing an equal platform for them alongside talent from across the globe.”
International acts will also feature strongly, with Canada taking a leading role in this year’s line-up. Artists including Lennie Gallant, Jessica Sevier and Ryan Langdon will appear on the main stage, alongside New York performer Annie Keating. The remainder of the programme will feature UK-based artists.
Organisers highlighted the importance of international support, noting that Canadian government funding for artists’ travel helps remove financial barriers for UK promoters while also promoting tourism and elevating Canadian musicians on the global stage.
New for 2026, the festival will introduce a range of immersive experiences, including dance classes led by professional instructor Emma Gill, as well as a poetry workshop and performance hosted by Festival as Form.
Check out some pictures from last year’s festival below...