Deer Shed were back for their sixteenth year of music, amusements, and mirthful mayhem in the picturesque landscape of Baldersby Park from 24-26 July.

By Caitlin Barnard

This weekend featured acts such as Sleaford Mods, Lime Garden and Everything Everything.

The community-centred festival has long prided itself upon a dedication to inclusivity, and this year is no different. Deer Shed organisers offer a platform for a diverse range of performers, employing a firm policy aiming for a 50/50 gender balance across all bookings, including enigmatic headliners Say She She.

However, this doesn’t stop at their commitment to platforming FLINTA (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender) performers. Artists from across the country and further afield, from Dublin to Ghana, Falkirk to Soweto, gathered to put on a vibrant cultural event that offered a place for all to discover acts from a range of genres, including post-punk, indie, afrobeat and rock.

The plethora of musical performances was not the only draw of the event. Their ‘Into The Labyrinth’ theme was apposite for the wealth of activities on offer across the three-day weekend, with attendees weaving their way through a maze of comedy shows, yoga and wild swimming retreats, pottery classes, roller-skating rinks and much, much more.

Upon entering, festivalgoers were met with tree-climbing installations, a Ferris wheel and billowing flags that set the tone for a sun-soaked weekend of celebration. That vibrant atmosphere was mirrored in a diverse and carefully curated lineup, where artists from across the musical spectrum shared the bill. Edgy indie bands such as The North and Sorry, alongside the high-octane art-punk of Bathing Suits, shared the bill with Scottish folk-punk outfit Brògeal, creating an atmosphere of infectious, defiant joy where standing still simply wasn’t an option.

Many of the weekend’s most memorable sets weren’t always the biggest names on the bill, but the unexpected discoveries made while wandering between stages. Psychedelic Hindustani Rock outfit Karma Sheen were a standout act on the Lodge stage, with their sprawling, sitar-spliced textures creating a meditative, entirely immersive experience. The performance felt less like a conventional set and more like an expansive sonic epic, interwoven with moments of spiritual release, propelled by sprawling, esoteric vocals that rang out, suspended in the air.

The same stage later hosted another standout performance from Ghanaian singer-songwriter Lamisi, whose fusion of afrobeat, soul and highlife built towards a euphoric, polyrhythmic release. She captivated audiences with her magnetic presence and warm charm, encouraging festivalgoers to dance along. Her call-and-response moments transformed the performance into a collective experience, perfectly reflecting the inclusive spirit and communal ethos of the event.

BCUC also shone on the Main Stage, with the Soweto collective delivering a hypnotic tapestry of Afro-psychedelia and indigenous funk. Their spiritually charged vocals and sprawling compositions unfolded across ten-minute journeys, shifting through waves of rising and falling percussive textures that honoured a lived experience rich in tradition, identity, and community.

After a packed weekend, the festival crowd returned with just as much enthusiasm to welcome Sunday’s returning headliners, Everything Everything, for a landmark moment in the event’s history. The weekend marked the tenth anniversary of their album Get To Heaven, which they had performed as festival headliners a decade earlier. Their eclectic art-rock arrangements saw children and parents alike dancing the night away, hand in hand for a fitting finale to the weekend.

The environment carefully fostered by organisers was instrumental in ensuring the weekend is not only family friendly but offered so much beyond. Reflecting on their ethos statement to “create a space where different people can find their own version of the weekend, without the needs of one demographic overriding another,” they undoubtedly achieved this goal with flying colours.

Deer Shed Festival took place at Baldersby Park from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July 2026.