OAUK Members Nominated for UK Festival Awards

We are pleased to see OAUK members shortlisted in the UK Festival Awards, recognising the incredible talent within our sector and demonstrating the power of outdoor arts across the UK. It’s especially exciting to see three members going head to head in the Inner-city Festival of the Year category (Arts Trust, Leicester City Council and Rochdale Council) and two members going head to head in the Initiative for Emerging Talent category (Leicester City Council and Rochdale Council), while Boomtown is shortlisted for a total of four awards.

Shortlisted members include:

Arts Trust

Arts Trust is shortlisted for four awards: Independent Festival of the Year, Inner-city Festival of the Year and Micro Festival of the Year for King’s Cross Summer Sounds and Independent Festival of the Year for St Osyth Summer Sounds.

“It’s amazing to see King’s Cross and St Osyth Summer Sounds recognised in this way. To be shortlisted for four UK Festival Awards is something we’re all incredibly proud of. We believe everyone should be able to enjoy great music and arts, and we put so much care into making our free festivals welcoming spaces. None of that happens without our artists, volunteers and teams, or the support of our funders and partners. This recognition belongs to everyone involved, including the audiences who make both festivals so special.” Dr Martin Collins, Founder and CEO, Arts Trust Productions

Boomtown

Boomtown is shortlisted for four awards: Large Festival of the Year (capacity: >40,000), Festival Infrastructure of the Year (new for 2026), Festival Production of the Year and Tech Innovation of the Year.

“It’s a real honour to be nominated. What makes Boomtown different from the other festivals in these categories is that we’re not a music festival with some theatre added on. We’re a fully realised parallel world, an outdoor arts production at scale. Every year we build a city where hundreds of performers, makers and theatre companies tell one main story, across the whole site, and the audience lives inside it. Music and set building are a part of that, but the street theatre, the play, the ceremonies and the immersive storytelling are what make it Boomtown. It would be great to see outdoor arts get recognition at the top level of the festival industry.” Mair Morel, Creative Director, Boomtown

Rochdale Council

Rochdale Council is shortlisted for two awards: Initiative for Emerging Talent for its event Rochdale Music Stories and Feel Good Festival and Inner-city Festival of the Year for Rochdale Feel Good Festival.

“Being shortlisted for both Inner-City Festival of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2026 and the Initiative for Emerging Talent Award is a fantastic achievement. Rochdale Feel Good Festival has become an incredible event and a much-loved fixture on our calendar, bringing residents and visitors together to enjoy great entertainment in the heart of our town centre. The recognition for Rochdale Music Stories is equally rewarding, reflecting our commitment to identifying, supporting and promoting emerging talent, helping local artists develop their skills, gain confidence and showcase their creativity to wider audiences. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, from organisers, performers and volunteers to partners, local businesses and artists. It makes me very proud to see Rochdale recognised on the national stage and would encourage everyone to get behind the festival and cast their vote.” Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council

Leicester City Council

Leicester City Council is shortlisted for two awards: Initiative for Emerging Talent and Inner-city Festival of the Year for its event Leicester Riverside Festival.

“The Leicester City Council Festivals and Events team is delighted to have been shortlisted for ‘Best Inner City Festival’ and ‘Initiative for Emerging Talent’ at the prestigious UK Festival Awards which is testimony to the incredible depth of the cities artistic talents and their hard-work. We would also like to thank our key partners De Montfort University, Leicester Music Board members, our funders Arts Council England, Youth Music and PPL PRS, and all of our amazing vendors and event suppliers without who we couldn’t deliver such an amazing free event for Leicester. Alongside this, as an OAUK board member, I’m pleased that we’re competing against two other OAUK members for the Best Inner City Festival and I welcome the friendly competition.” Graham Callister, Head of Festivals, Events and Cultural Policy