End of the Road

Peacocks on the lawn, bands between laurel hedges and karaoke in the woods at night.

• Piano in the woods
• Real ale and good food
• Loyal regulars

End of the Road is a small festival in the Victorian Larmer Tree Gardens on the Dorset–Wiltshire border, and it has sold out every year since 2008. The stages are only a few minutes’ walk apart. Guests sometimes queue for an hour or more for comedy, and literature talks fill up fast too. After midnight the woods host a cinema, a disco ship and small DJ sets until around 2 am.

The crowd ranges from families with toddlers to much older fans, and it’s friendly: at the bar or by the campfire you easily get chatting. The catch guests have complained about for years: people talk a lot during quiet sets, and the space in front of the stages fills with chairs, blankets and trolleys.

At a glance

Beyond the concerts — A world of its own · 3 of 3

Comedy, readings, cinema, workshops – tents often full. As of 2026

Nights at the campsite — You can sleep · 1 of 3

Mostly quiet at night, separate quiet camping at the back. As of 2026

Ground after rain — gets muddy · 2 of 3

Heavy rain in 2025: slippery paths, but the site stayed usable. As of 2025

Check first

• Agree on meeting points in advance: there’s barely any signal on site, your best chance is at the Garden Stage, and a text is more likely to get through than a message on a messaging app.
• Pack a head torch and warm blankets, and plan for traffic on Monday: the compost toilets are dark at night and have steep steps, nights in early September are cold, and in 2026 the exit was jammed for hours.

Right for you

• For crews who would rather drift between bands, comedy and the woodland cinema than party until morning, and who are happy sitting next to families on the lawn.

What is FIPS?

End of the Road: 164 acts, 3 Sept 2026 – 6 Sept 2026, near Blandford Forum.

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