2000trees Festival is, and has been for years, my favourite place in the world. I’ve been back home from Upcote Farm for a few days now and, as usual, I’m suffering from some major festival blues, so here’s some slightly soppy words about why I love it.
When I first attended back in 2018, I didn’t know a single band on the lineup. In fact, as ridiculous as this sounds now, I didn’t really care for music at all. I went because two of my oldest friends needed a lift. They were going because one of their favourite bands, Enter Shikari, was headlining. I was going because I was someone they knew with a car.
We camped with a relatively big group, mostly comprising my friends’ mates from university. I didn’t know any of them at the time, and they did all know each other, but they welcomed me into their camp with zero hesitation.
Our group chops and changes a bit every year now, but at least some of us have returned to each edition of Trees since. Live music has become the hobby I spend the most time (and money) on, Enter Shikari has become one of my favourite bands too, and that group of random people I met eight years ago have become some of my closest friends.
Trees is special to me for that reason. But I know that in that field of 10,000 people, my experience isn’t even close to being unique. Sure, the music’s good, the location is stunning, but the people there are what makes it - it’s a field full of nice people being nice to each other, and every year it (briefly) restores my hope in humanity.
Pictured: our 2026 cohort, all slightly heat exhausted and delirious.