Highways Festival

Highways is a country and Americana music festival that has been held at the Royal Albert Hall in London every year since 2023. The inaugural edition of the festival took place on 20 May 2023, which the festival expanding to two nights at the following two iterations. As of the 2026 iteration, the festival has taken place over three nights. It is a joint production between the Royal Albert Hall and Live Nation Entertainment.

Since opening in 1971, the Royal Albert Hall has a history of hosting country and roots music artists and promoting the genres in the UK, including Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Kacey Musgraves, and the UK debut of Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1970.

The festival was first announced on 2 December 2022, with tickets going on sale a week later on 9 December. As part of the announcement, the Vice President of Touring at Live Nation, Anna Sophie-Mertens, stated, “I am thrilled to bring to life this incredible festival alongside our partners at the Royal Albert Hall. It is every artist’s dream to play this legendary venue, and delivering such an unforgettable occasion for the Country and Americana community has been a longstanding dream of mine.” A spokesperson for the Hall added, “we’re delighted to be building a completely new Country and Americana event with our long-standing partners at Live Nation. Our 152-year-old auditorium will provide a backdrop unlike anywhere else for some brilliant acts, and we’re particularly pleased to be able to build on the long-running history of country music at the Hall in this way – as these genres continue to grow from strength to strength in the UK.”^[1]

The lineup for the inaugural festival was announced on 2 December 2022.^[2] Regarding his reveal as the first ever headliner, Kip Moore stated, “It’s pretty overwhelming to think about playing such an iconic venue as Royal Albert Hall. It’s been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. Audiences in the UK are some of my all-time favourite to play and I can’t wait to be back over there to launch Highways Festival. It’s going to be really special.”^[3]

The second edition of the festival was held on 17 and 18 May 2024. The line-up was announced on 4 December 2023.^[4]

The third edition of Highways too place on 16 and 17 May 2025. The line-up was announced on 27 January 2025. Eric Church headlined both nights with an exclusive pair of performances as part of his To Beat the Devil residency show, which had previously only taken place at Chief's, his Nashville bar. A statement accompanying the announcement read, "Our third edition of Highways is set to be a special occasion not to be missed with Eric Church, one of Nashville’s greats, headlining both nights. His acclaimed residency will make history at Highways as the only time we get to see this show in Europe and there isn’t a venue more fitting to experience this than the Royal Albert Hall." The 17 March show was Charles Wesley Godwin's first UK performance.^[5] The festival also included a "country for kids" event starring Ashley Campbell prior to the Friday night performances, and songwriter's round featuring Ben Earle, Hammack, Eric Paslay, and Katie Pruitt prior to the Saturday performances. Our Man in the Field and Alyssa Bonagura performed at late night afterparties following Church's headlining sets.^[6]

The fourth edition of Highways Festival took place from 15 to 17 May 2026, expanding to three nights for the first time. The line-up was announced on 24 November 2025, headlined by Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, and Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris, who performed as part of her European farewell tour.^[7]

• List of country music festivals
• List of folk festivals

• Official website