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Splendour has a proud history of bringing international artists to Nottingham’s Wollaton Hall with past line ups featuring Richard Ashcroft, Kaiser Chiefs, Anne-Marie, Becky Hill, Billy Ocean, The Specials, James, The Human League, Happy Mondays, Bananarama, Lawson, Jake Bugg, Madness, The Darkness, Pet Shop Boys, Calvin Harris, Dizzee Rascal, Paolo Nutini and many more.
For our 15th birthday celebrations, we brought out two absolute icons of UK Music Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Madness headlining the festival, alongside The Kooks, Rudimental, Sugababes, Sam Ryder, The Vaccines and loads more, as well as the addition of our new ‘On The Hill’ stage.
2022 saw us return after 3 years away with our biggest line up yet, bringing our two day event back to Nottingham as our first full weekender for 14 years. With phenomenal sets from Richard Ashcroft, Supergrass, The Human League, Becky Hill, Craig David Presents TS5, and an exciting last minute addition of Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia with Special Guest Tom Grennan, this year was certainly one we will never forget.
Whilst we were all stuck indoors because of you know what, the Splendour team rallied together to put on a very special charity event on the day the festival should have taken place, called Splendour at Home. With over five hours of entertainment for all our fans to watch from the comfort of their armchair, the day hosted a wide variety of interactive entertainment, including a salsa class, comedy, childrens theatre, a Splendour quiz and more. We also shared a tell-all documentary from the organisers of Splendour throughout the years, alongside exclusive performances from Harleighblu, Nina Smith, Georgie, a GEM DJ set and a wide range of archive footage from some of the greatest ever Splendour performances over the years.
The event was a huge success, raising over £500 for Framework charity and showing just how important community is to our festival fans and organisers alike.
2019 saw us celebrate our biggest Splendour to date, with over 25,000 revellers enjoying blistering sets from Manic Street Preachers, The Specials, Rag’n’Bone Man and All Saints. A wet start to the day gave way to glorious sunshine, and the Little Splendours area, salsa class, yoga and silent disco all went down a storm. This will be one to remember!
A special year in the festival’s history, 2018 saw Splendour Festival celebrate its 10th anniversary, with a headline set from pop megastar Paloma Faith and stand-out performances from 90s heavyweights The Charlatans, post-punk heroes The Stranglers and pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
2017 was a year for huge singalong moments as we had indie legends the Kaiser Chiefs, 80s R&B icon Billy Ocean and pop-rock sensations Busted all playing at the festival!
2016 was the year we saw in glorious pop hits with Jess Glynne, who burst onto the scene and took the crowd by storm! We also had the privilege of hosting reggae legends UB40, 80s synth pop heroes The Human league and had a masterclass in glam-rock from The Darkness.
2015 saw us celebrate Splendour with a headline set from The Specials! Other highlights included 80s pop legends Bananarama, Brit-pop heroes James and titan of British urban music Roots Manuva.
2014 saw a co-headline bill from Brit’s Critic Choice winner Tom Odell and a greatest hits set from Madchester legends Happy Mondays, as well as the first inclusion of the Confetti Stage, which was headlined by national treasure Sir Bob Geldof’s band The Boomtown Rats! Other highlights on the day included Scouting For Girls, Foxes and Reverend and The Makers.
It was a huge moment for the Nottingham music scene, as local lad Jake Bugg topped the Splendour bill! Also playing this year were; Squeeze, KT Tunstall and Maximo Park.
In 2012, Clifton lad Jake Bugg made his Splendour debut where he showcased his self-titled album and made the performance one to remember. 2012 also saw hyped grime act Dizzee Rascal go down as one of our most popular headliners, with Katy B and Razorlight getting the crowd on their feet.
2011 was a record-breaking sales year with a triumphant and outrageously fun headline set from Scissor Sisters. We were also thrilled to bring iconic 80s rockers Blondie to Wollaton Park & see long-time favourites Feeder headline the Confetti Stage.
Then in its third edition, 2010 well and truly brought the party with sets from 80s icons Pet Shop Boys, global super star DJ Calvin Harris as well as sets from Shed Seven, Terrorvision and more on the then-named Rightfield stage.
Returning for a second year as a new one-day event, 2009 saw ska legends Madness headline the festival, who were joined by The Pogues, Fun Lovin’ Criminals and The Rifles.
Back to the very start, 2008 is where it all began! Originally a two-day event, Kate Nash, Paolo Nutini, Ocean Color Scene and Rufus Wainwright helped us kick of Splendour Festival in style, leading the way for an event that has become renowned for bringing international talent to our local area.
In 2008 DHP and Nottingham City Council decided to start a festival for the people of Nottingham, to showcase some of our talented local musicians, and bring some of the world’s best music to the area. That first year our headliners were Kate Nash and Paolo Nutini, and since then we’ve doubled in size to become Nottingham’s biggest party of the summer! Highlights include: Madness; Calvin Harris; Scissor Sisters; Blondie; Dizzee Rascal; Paloma Faith and The Specials.
We’re proud to have played a part in developing local talent, and it’s been amazing to see the growth of acts like Jake Bugg and Saint Raymond. Splendour Festival is all about bringing together the community of Nottingham, and beyond, for a day of great music and fun activities in a beautiful setting, all while creating special memories for the whole family.
