More acts for Highest Point Festival line-up confirmed

Gok Wan, Sigma, Craig Charles, Friendly Fires and Freya Ridings are among the names added to the line-up for the Highest Point festival.

They will join headliners Hacienda Classical, Bastille and Anne Marie at Williamson Park in May.

With 50% of tickets already sold, Highest Point has announced a huge variety of new acts joining its bumper weekend of music, food and activities from chart-topping artists and indie legends to underground house heads, D’n’B superstars and funk groovers. 

‘Lost Without You’ singer, Freya Ridings will be joining the Highest Point line up in time to debut her new album, ‘Blood Orange’, as well as the Funk and Soul presenter and Corrie Legend, Craig Charles, who will be headlining The Woods stage.

Sigma, Friendly Fires and Freya Ridings

More new names on the line up include indie band, Friendly Fires, British Drum and Bass DJ duo, Sigma, Drum and Bass legend, Sub Focus, DJ Mag Breakthrough winners Girls Don’t Sync return alongside the legend that is Skream plus Manchester-based indie band, The Lottery Winners, known for their top 40 hits ‘Young Love’ and ‘Hawaii’, and set to return for their third year at the festival.

The festival is set to be held from Thursday 11th – Saturday 13th May 2023 at the stunning 54-acre grounds of Williamson Park, and will be headlined by Hacienda Classical, Bastille and Anne Marie.

Anne-Marie

Hacienda Classical will open the festival on the Thursday night, with their first live performance since their sold out performance in 2018, and will be bringing all the dance floor anthems in classical versions you’ve never heard before. With three number one albums to their name, Bastille will be performing a variety of their top 10 singles, which include ‘Pompeii’ and ‘Happier’, for their headline slot on the Friday night, and closing the festival will be ten-time Brit Award nominee, Anne-Marie, known for her chart-topping singles 'Ciao Adios’ and ‘2002’.

Bastille (Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett)

As well as these incredible headliners, guests can expect to see more than one hundred artists across six stages over the course of the weekend, plus enjoy a premier regional street food and craft beer offering on-site.

Other acts joining the festival line-up include TV fashion presenter and DJ Gok Wan, Radio 1’s Danny Howard & Charlie Tee, DJ Paulette,  House Gospel Choir, Elvis Fronted Nirvana, Toploader, General Levy and The Cuban Brothers with Guilty Pleasures taking over The Woods on the Saturday. Chris Hawkins (6 Music) will be hosting The Dell Inn, a pub in the woods, in collaboration with Manchester Union Brewery.

The Dell Inn, soon to be everyone’s favourite festival pub, will be the home of comedy, poetry slams and acoustic sets across the weekend, as well as opening its door, or branches, to some well-known stars. This is one of the many changes the festival has made this year as part of its ambitions to become bigger and better, as well as Bushrocker Hi-fi roots reggae takeover at the Waterfall and a new look to the much-loved Sundial stage.   

Festival Director, Jamie Scahill, said ‘We are always looking for new ways to make Highest Point bigger and better every year so there will definitely be a few changes this year. The team behind the festival are working really hard to make this year the best one yet with new and exciting experiences added to the festival,  as well as a much more diverse lineup of acts.”

The setting for the festival could very well be one of the most beautiful event sites in the UK, with enchanting woodland, and breathtaking views over Morecambe Bay and the Lake District fells and mountains. The park is also home to Lancaster’s most iconic building, the Ashton Memorial, which dominates the city’s skyline at around 150 feet tall.

Highest Point Festival was recently awarded Large Event of the Year at the Lancashire Tourism Awards 2022 for its tourism excellence to the region, as it brings an economic impact of around £4.68 million to Lancashire, and a return on investment of £4.26 for the local economy for every £1 invested in the event. 

In 2022 the festival welcomed 35,000 ticket-holders for four days of fun-filled musical performances from some of the music industry’s biggest names, including chart-toppers Clean Bandit, indie icons, Kaiser Chiefs, and The Verve’s legendary frontman, Richard Ashcroft, and were accompanied by the likes of Basement Jaxx, Sigala, Example, Low Steppa, as well as breakout stars Mae Muller and Mimi Webb, plus many more.