Norman Jay and Bez to bring headline sets to Keswick Mountain Festival

Norman Jay MBE and Bez will headline the live music programme at the 2025 Keswick Mountain Festival. Organisers have unveiled details of a host of acts who will perform at the festival, including returning groups Steel Foxes, State of Satta and Thieving Magpies, along with a debut for High Fade, and numerous local performers. Music will feature through the day and night at various locations at the event, concluding with the line-up on the main stage on the Friday and Saturday evenings. The 2025 Keswick Mountain Festival will run from 16-18 May and tickets are available now.

Live music and DJ sets will be a prominent feature throughout the 2025 Keswick Mountain Festival. A full schedule of solo acts will perform in the food and drink area in the Festival Village in Crow Park, on the shore of Derwentwater and with the backdrop of the Lakeland fells. A new Hangout zone will have a stage set up underneath a large stretch tent, where festival goers can sit on benches, and enjoy their refreshments and the entertainment. Each day, a DJ bar tipi at the top of the hill will offer another place for people to relax and listen to music.

In the evening, the focus will switch to live music on the main stage, which will run from 5:30pm to 10:00pm on the Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Cumbrian band Steel Foxes will get the party started with a set of their funk indie fusion. More funk, plus disco, will follow with High Fade, and then a DJ set from ‘Madchester’ music icon Bez will bring the night to a close. On Saturday, rock, rhythm and blues will come to the fore with The Thieving Magpies, followed by the reggae of State of Satta. The finale on the main stage will be delivered by DJ legend Norman Jay MBE, with a set that promises to deliver his famous mix of ‘rare groove’ to Keswick.

Throughout the weekend, Keswick Mountain Festival will showcase a wide variety of solo acts, many of whom are from Cumbria, continuing the event’s commitment to showcase local talent. They include Ava Grace, J Lewis, JP Worsfold, Chloe Jane Hirst, Bruin Valentine, Stoney Broke, Cassette Baby, Ewan Scarlett, Clara People, Alfie Davies, and Leonie Sax.

During the day, access to the Festival Village is free, and the live music in the evening is included as part of a sports event ticket or a general festival ticket, which will be required to stay on the site after 5:00pm.

Bookings for the 2025 Keswick Mountain Festival are open at www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk, with an option to donate to The National Trust’s Fix the Fells initiative on nearby Catbells with each purchase. All of the latest information about the festival will be added to the website and the public can find the event on Facebook or follow @keswickfestival on X and Instagram for the latest news.