ArtistDirect News
Everywhere At Once Festival Brings 2,000 Acts to UKs Small Venues Amid Glastonburys Fallow Year
When Glastonbury’s fields lie fallow, the nation’s most intimate stages take center stage. The Music Venue Trust’s inaugural Everywhere At Once festival will run from 26‑28 June 2026, bringing more than 2,000 performers to 400 grassroots venues across the United Kingdom. The event is scheduled for the weekend that would normally host Glastonbury Festival, which is taking a planned fallow year to allow the Worthy Farm site to recover.
The festival, produced with support from the National Lottery, is a direct response to the sharp decline in the live‑music sector. The Trust reports that 37 % of UK clubs have closed since the pandemic, and more than half of the remaining venues made a loss last year. National insurance and business rate changes have added to the pressure, costing the sector an estimated 6,000 jobs, and the Trust says it is losing three nightclubs a month.
Everywhere At Once will feature a mix of established and emerging artists, including Becky Hill, Tinie Tempah, Rizzle Kicks, Inspiral Carpets, The Lathums, Fatboy Slim, D Double E, The Divine Comedy, and the Inspiral Carpets again. Performances will take place in venues ranging from the 60‑seat Pipeline in Brighton to Nottingham’s Brickworks warehouse. Preview sets will include new material from Becky Hill’s forthcoming album Rebecca at Worcester’s Marrs Bar and a special DJ set from Fatboy Slim at Brighton’s Pipeline. The festival will be streamed live on its website.
The Music Venue Trust has highlighted the cultural value of small venues. “We’re losing three nightclubs a month,” says Tinie Tempah, who will perform in Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton. He adds that venues have nurtured genres such as trip‑hop in Bristol and grime in London. Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze echoes this sentiment, noting that his career began in 1970s London clubs.
Local councils and venues are also stepping in to support the sector. In Halifax, proceeds from shows at the 6,000‑seat Piece Hall subsidise five smaller venues. Liverpool’s city council offers grants of up to £3,000 to venues with a capacity of less than 30. The O2 and Royal Albert Hall donate a portion of ticket sales to the Trust. Artists are contributing to the cause as well: Harry Styles has pledged £1 from every ticket sold during his 12‑night Wembley residency to the Trust, raising more than £900,000. Wolf Alice has made a similar donation on their tour, stating that small venues were “a huge, formative part of our journey.”
Calls for a mandatory £1 levy on all arena and stadium gigs have been made, but the government has kept the scheme voluntary and major promoters such as Live Nation have opted out. In February, nightclubs and grassroots spaces were excluded from the business rates relief scheme, despite the venues’ rateable value rising 56 % since 2017.
The festival’s website lists venues across the M25 and beyond, with tickets available for local and national audiences. The event is a direct counterpoint to Glastonbury’s absence, offering fans a chance to experience live music in intimate settings while drawing attention to the precarious state of the UK’s live‑music infrastructure. The Everywhere At Once festival will conclude on 28 June, and the Music Venue Trust will continue to lobby for legislative protection of small venues. The festival’s success may influence future policy and funding decisions aimed at sustaining the live‑music ecosystem.
The festival, produced with support from the National Lottery, is a direct response to the sharp decline in the live‑music sector. The Trust reports that 37 % of UK clubs have closed since the pandemic, and more than half of the remaining venues made a loss last year. National insurance and business rate changes have added to the pressure, costing the sector an estimated 6,000 jobs, and the Trust says it is losing three nightclubs a month.
Everywhere At Once will feature a mix of established and emerging artists, including Becky Hill, Tinie Tempah, Rizzle Kicks, Inspiral Carpets, The Lathums, Fatboy Slim, D Double E, The Divine Comedy, and the Inspiral Carpets again. Performances will take place in venues ranging from the 60‑seat Pipeline in Brighton to Nottingham’s Brickworks warehouse. Preview sets will include new material from Becky Hill’s forthcoming album Rebecca at Worcester’s Marrs Bar and a special DJ set from Fatboy Slim at Brighton’s Pipeline. The festival will be streamed live on its website.
The Music Venue Trust has highlighted the cultural value of small venues. “We’re losing three nightclubs a month,” says Tinie Tempah, who will perform in Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton. He adds that venues have nurtured genres such as trip‑hop in Bristol and grime in London. Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze echoes this sentiment, noting that his career began in 1970s London clubs.
Local councils and venues are also stepping in to support the sector. In Halifax, proceeds from shows at the 6,000‑seat Piece Hall subsidise five smaller venues. Liverpool’s city council offers grants of up to £3,000 to venues with a capacity of less than 30. The O2 and Royal Albert Hall donate a portion of ticket sales to the Trust. Artists are contributing to the cause as well: Harry Styles has pledged £1 from every ticket sold during his 12‑night Wembley residency to the Trust, raising more than £900,000. Wolf Alice has made a similar donation on their tour, stating that small venues were “a huge, formative part of our journey.”
Calls for a mandatory £1 levy on all arena and stadium gigs have been made, but the government has kept the scheme voluntary and major promoters such as Live Nation have opted out. In February, nightclubs and grassroots spaces were excluded from the business rates relief scheme, despite the venues’ rateable value rising 56 % since 2017.
The festival’s website lists venues across the M25 and beyond, with tickets available for local and national audiences. The event is a direct counterpoint to Glastonbury’s absence, offering fans a chance to experience live music in intimate settings while drawing attention to the precarious state of the UK’s live‑music infrastructure. The Everywhere At Once festival will conclude on 28 June, and the Music Venue Trust will continue to lobby for legislative protection of small venues. The festival’s success may influence future policy and funding decisions aimed at sustaining the live‑music ecosystem.