TRUCK FESTIVAL 2026: THE UK’S NEW FAVOURITE FESTIVAL DELIVERS AGAIN

FESTIVAL REVIEW | TRUCK FESTIVAL 2026 | 23rd-26th July 2026 by Charlie Wright

No Glasto this year? No problem. Revered as one of the UK’s most beloved festival weekends, and touted by NME as a ‘miniature Glastonbury’, Truck Festival returned to Hill Farm with a stacked line-up of The Maccabees, Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats, CMAT and The Libertines. We sent Charlie down to the farm to bring you all the action as it unfolded.

Thursday

Headlining Thursday was the wonderful CMAT, who’s rightfully skyrocketed in recent years thanks to her stellar third record EURO-COUNTRY. If you attended Truck Festival last year, you’ll know she graced the main stage to a sea of people. So, it’s only right she returned to headline, bringing The Very Sexy CMAT Band along for the ride. Her set kicked off with ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station‘ before dancing into ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’. From there onwards, song after song, she had Hill Farm in the palm of her hands. And for those who are wondering, she was taking requests, adding fan-favourite ‘Coronation St‘ to the setlist.

Also on the main stage was Everything Everything, who brought the fun in the afternoon along with a mesmerising performance from upcoming artist Etta Marcus. Elsewhere, Lizzie Esau wasn’t one to miss on This Feeling’s stage, as she continues her trajectory year-on-year to bigger stages. While the festival officially starts on Friday, this bonus day is always jam-packed and a reminder to arrive early.

Friday

As the festival got underway, Friday was a scorcher. Headlined by the indie heroes The Maccabees, who have recently reunited, they proved their catalogue still has a place in the hearts of many. Playing hits like ‘Pelican‘, ‘Latchmere‘, ‘No Kind Words‘ and ‘Toothpaste Kisses‘, it was a trip down memory lane for some and a bucket-list moment for others. If that wasn’t enough, Primal Scream also performed immediately before, super-charging the crowd with timeless tunes ‘Loaded‘, ‘Movin’ On Up‘ and ‘Rocks‘.

There were also huge sets from The Cribs, DIVORCE, Brooke Combe and Girl In The Year Above. The latter was particularly memorable, and not just because they brought a glowing ball with Elvis’ head to perch on the stage. The Irish-Cornish quartet delivered an unforgettable performance while being equally charming, frontwoman Jennifer Ball making us chuckle between tracks.

On the market stage, sponsored by So Young Magazine, we also caught new trailblazers The North and Get Down Services, making a huge splash.

Saturday

The good times didn’t stop there. On Saturday, things kicked off with the iconic Oxford Symphony Orchestra with a special appearance from Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes. Then, the stacked line-up commenced. Two Door Cinema Club brought their critically acclaimed debut in full to celebrate its 15th anniversary. With tracks like ‘What You Know’, ‘Undercover Martyn‘ and ‘Something Good Can Work‘, it’s no wonder they continue to headline festivals.

In fact, The Vaccines did something similar, offering celebratory tracks from their debut What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? earlier in the day, which went down a storm. And to top it all off, Kaiser Chiefs and Florence Road also played, serving up banger after banger.

Those who ventured to the market stage would have seen The Royston Club, who at this rate are heading for an evening main stage slot. They’ve become a Truck regular, dotting around different stages. As you’d expect, the crowd went feral, chanting “Roystern” between every track and losing their minds to the viral track ‘Cariad‘. Despite technical difficulties, this was a set many will remember fondly. The stage also featured great sets from Radio Free Alice and Brooki, who are both garnering huge audiences in their respective scenes.

The real chaos, however, came from Bleech 9:3, who were arguably one of the most exciting sets from the weekend. Overflowing the market stage, as they continue to grow in popularity, they gave a performance nobody will forget anytime soon. By the end of the set during ‘Ceiling‘, you could spot their photographer filming on top of shoulders in the middle of a tent-wide mosh-pit. There’s no band like Bleech 9:3, that’s for sure.

Sunday

Closing the festival in style were The Wombats and The Libertines. Two bands from different generations, who both know how to put on a show. With fireworks, dancing wombats and a catalogue of festival anthems, The Wombats squeezed every last bit of energy from Hill Farm’s crowd. The Libertines, however, focused on their heritage as one of the spearheads of early 00s indie music, playing tracks you know and love, as well as newbies. During ‘What A Waster‘, they also invited a fan on stage to play guitar alongside them. Also on the main stage were the likes of Vanessa Carlton and Rizzle Kicks, with Harley Alexander-Sule bringing his son onto stage for a dance.

KEO also made their debut appearance at Truck Festival, playing a rammed market stage ahead of their highly-anticipated debut album Put A Smile On For Me. Their set was bursting with energy, as they raced through their impressive catalogue, including ‘Hands‘, ‘That’s Me‘, ‘Thorn‘, ‘Fly‘ and the recently released ‘Pistol‘.

Limerick band THEATRE also made their Truck debut and are certainly ones to watch following their dazzling debut EP. Outside of music, many also enjoyed the annual paint party and Mr Motivator’s morning wake-up routine.

Before we knew it, Truck Festival 2026 was wrapped up for another year. As always, a party you cannot miss.

Truck 2027 goes on sale this Friday, marking the festival’s 30th birthday at Hill Farm, Oxfordshire, from 22nd-25th July 2027. Super Early Bird tickets start from £142 (with payment plans from £11.81 per month), with priority pre-sale at 10 am and general sale at 11 am. Sign up for priority access here.