Krankenhaus Festival – The Best of Contemporary Music and Culture Returns to Muncaster
Krankenhaus Festival – The Best of Contemporary Music and Culture Returns to Muncaster
Krankenhaus Festival returns to Muncaster this August bank holiday weekend (28 – 30 August).
Krankenhaus is a truly unique festival, where rock music meets the highest rocks in England. Attendees can experience the best of contemporary, alternative music and culture in the stunning setting of Muncaster Castle, impressively positioned between the mighty mountains of the Western Lake District and the force of the Irish Sea. The festival is hosted by the BAFTA-winning Cumbrian rock group Sea Power and returns for its 6th edition this year.
The 2026 line up is stacked. It includes Stereolab, Charlotte Church, Stewart Lee and Sea Power, plus Sprints, Bill Ryder-Jones, Murkage Dave, BBC 6 Music’s Deb Grant, H Is For Hawk author Helen Macdonald, and New Order’s Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris. All of this is blended with action that you may not expect from your typical music festival.
There will be steam trains, exhilarating hawk and owl flying displays, and 77 acres of stunning gardens and a medieval castle to explore, along with children’s activities, a dog show, workshops, a brass band, and a great selection of food and drink. It is a weekend like no other, with BBC 6 Music listeners voting for the festival in their top three of the year in 2023.
With an audience of just 1,500 people, the festival is a delightfully intimate affair, offering a chance to get up close and personal and experience incredible artists. Charlotte Church will be bringing her End Times Pop Dungeon to the Krankenhaus stage for what will be one of only two live Pop Dungeon performances given this year. Her set draws on her remarkable covers repertoire that ranges from Black Sabbath to Prince, Rage Against the Machine to the Sugababes, and Beyoncé to CAN. Offering eclecticism in excess and a chance to shake off any preconceived notions and surrender to the Pop Dungeon’s undeniable energy, it is understandable that their set has become stuff of festival legend and a true cult hit, not to be missed.
In addition, acclaimed, Anglo-French, alternative heavyweights Stereolab will bring their electro-pop grooves and Ireland’s Sprints will rock the castle with their cerebral punk power. Mercury-nominated, Cumbrian-raised Sea Power will play two sets.
The musical line-up also includes Bill Ryder-Jones, Brakes, House Of All, TTSSFU, The Fallen Women, Tristwch y Fenywod, The Fire Doors, BBC 6 Music’s Deb Grant, Pictish Trail, Adult DVD, My Precious Bunny, Hector Gannet, Ellis D, British Birds, TVOD and Laura Cannell.
Audiences can also enjoy intimate and insightful talks with a variety of incredible speakers including a deep dive into the history of Factory Records with New Order’s Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris, discussions with H is for Hawk author Helen Macdonald plus talks on red squirrels, atomic Britain and the history of Sheffield music.
It is set to be an unforgettable weekend, get your tickets at: www.krankenhausfestival.com
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