Medicine Festival Gate B

What it’s like

A multi-day summer gathering with a swimming lake, ceremonies and a curated family area, all alcohol-free.

This is a five-day festival running from Wednesday to Sunday in August, built around ceremonies, a swimming lake and a programme that families are explicitly welcomed into. The family area has its own curated line-up, and the swimming lake has a designated area, a jetty and lifeguards, though they'll cap numbers when it gets busy. There's an Opening Ceremony on the Wednesday and a Closing Ceremony on the Monday at the Goddess Fyr, plus Collective Meditations most evenings if that's your sort of thing.

It's an alcohol-free site, which changes the whole feel compared to most festivals, and the food side leans hard into vegetarian and vegan, with the Medicine Café, a pizzeria and several bars serving nutritious options rather than the usual burger vans. There's no cashpoint on site though, so sort your cash out before you arrive if you want it. Single use plastics are banned too, so a refillable bottle is essentially compulsory.

At £333 for general admission, this is a proper investment rather than a casual day trip, and it's worth going in with your eyes open about the ground conditions: fields can turn muddy and slippery in wet weather, and there's no metal tracking for wheelchairs across the uneven paths. Phone signal is limited and there's no public WiFi, so treat it as a bit of a digital detox whether you fancy that or not. Parking's available with a shuttle service to help get your belongings between the car parks and campsites, which takes some of the sting out of a long walk with kit.

The accessibility side has clearly had proper thought put into it, with a dedicated Accessibility Hub campsite, Area Guardians offering viewing support, and accessible toilets on site. Only assistance dogs are allowed, so leave the family pet at home unless it's a working service dog with prior arrangement.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Available with shuttle service between car parks and main campsites to assist with transporting belongings

Food

Multiple on-site eateries including Medicine Café with organic vegan and vegetarian food, Cosmic Crust pizzeria, four Ka'Kau bars

Wheelchairs

Dedicated Accessibility Hub campsite and support area

Dogs

Assistance dogs only. Service dogs allowed with prior arrangement

• Bring cash and a card, there's no cashpoint on site.
• Single use plastic bottles are banned, so pack a refillable one.
• Phone signal is limited and there's no public WiFi, so plan for patchy contact.
• Drumming is restricted on site because of noise concerns for neighbours.
• You can bring prescribed medication, including cannabis-based products prescribed under UK law, and the Access Team will check discreetly at the gate.

Plan your visit

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