State Fayre | The Essentials

State Fayre Festival 2026 will take place on June 26th, 27th, and 28th in Hylands Park, Chelmsford Essex.

Campsites:

Weekend Campervan: from 14:00 Wednesday 24th June

Weekend Camping + Early Entry Ticket holders: from 12:00 Thursday 25th June 2026

Weekend Camping Ticket holders: from 06:00 Friday 26th June 2026

Campsite is open 24 Hours, individuals can arrive at any time after the above

Campsite closes at midday Monday 29th June 2026.

If you have a campervan, caravan or motorhome pass, you can arrive on site from 2pm on Wednesday 22nd July, for more information on campervan and caravan passes check out the "Where To Stay" section here

Arena:

Friday 26th – Sunday 28th June 2026

Arena Opening times:

• Friday – Saturday: 12:00-22:30

• Sunday: 12:00-22:00

Day ticket & non-camping ticket holders should arrive with plenty of time before the first act that they wish to see.

With a day or weekend non-camping ticket, once you leave you cannot re-enter the arena.

Day and weekend non-camping ticket holders are not permitted to enter, camp in or otherwise access the facilities within the campsites and are not permitted to sleep in the car parks.

With a weekend camping ticket, you can leave and re-enter the arena and campsites.

There will be no receipts issued for any confiscated/surrendered items and they will not be available to collect after the festival.

You may be subject to more enhanced searches of bags and personal belongings. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches. Please pack light!

Please note, campfires and disposable BBQs are banned from both the campsite and the arena. For detailed guidance on camping stoves and fuels please see here

Please see full list of Items you can and cannot bring (list is subject to change)

We welcome all ages to the festival. However, there are entry restrictions for under 16s and we do advise not bringing young children. All under 16s must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder aged 18 or over who must remain on site throughout the weekend as the under 16-year-old's guardian. 

Teens 13-15 years old need a Teen ticket to attend and must be accompanied by a paying ticket holder over 18 at all times. 

Children 3-12 years old need Child tickets to attend and must be accompanied by a paying ticket holder over 18 at all times. Under 3's go free.

We operate a Challenge 21 policy. Please bring ID if you look under 21 years old and remember that legally there is no automatic right to be served alcohol. Service is always at the discretion of the licensee for whatever reason they decide, and the licensee is under no obligation to explain the reason.

The following forms of identification are accepted:

•  A Passport (Not a photocopy)
• Full Driving Licence or Provisional Licence
• A Proof of Age Card bearing a PASS hologram
• A Ministry of Defence identity card
• A National identity card issued by an EU member state

Please bring the original document as you won’t be able to use a photocopied version. If you don’t have any of these, or don’t want to lose valuable documents on site, we suggest that you apply for a PASS approved ID, some of which are free to get. We do not accept any parental or supervisory duty of care or liability for any under 18’s on site.

Young Children

Whilst we do allow under 3s to attend for free, we do suggest that this event is not suitable for young children. On entering the event, children will be given Tyvek wristbands which have space for you to write your telephone number (as a parent or guardian). We can use this as a primary contact to reunite you. Replacements can be picked up at the Wellbeing Tent.

Entry into campsites

We do not have bag size restrictions for first time entry although, we advise packing as light as possible. Please take note of our full list of prohibited items (in ‘What You Can and Can’t Bring’ category above).

Arena

We strongly advise you do not bring a bag into the Arena as there will be long queues while all bags are searched. If you do wish to bring a bag, please ensure that it is no bigger than A4 sized 8.27”x11.69”. There is a limit to one A4 sized bag per person permitted into the Arena. You and your bag maybe subject to a search upon entering the campsites and arena. CCTV is in operation throughout the festival site. Please be patient if there are longer queues than normal. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches.

You and your bag maybe subject to a search upon entering the campsites and arena. CCTV is in operation throughout the festival site. Please be patient if there are longer queues than normal. We request that you cooperate with any security requests and searches.

2026 information coming soon

We operate a Challenge 21 policy. The following forms of identification are accepted:

1.  A Passport (Not a photocopy)
2.  Full Driving Licence or Provisional Licence
3. A Proof of Age Card bearing a PASS hologram
4. A Ministry of Defence identity card
5. A National identity card issued by an EU member state

Please note: This may vary with certain establishments/traders onsite. Please be aware that bar staff always reserve the right to ask for proof of age if you look under 21.

The Event is produced for the enjoyment of all those who attend. Any person who disrupts the Event under any of the below sections will leave themselves liable for eviction from the Event. The decision as to the eviction will be at the discretion of the Eviction Team / Security Coordinator following advice from security personnel. Persons will be liable for eviction under the following circumstances:

Reasons for eviction:

Entering or being inside the Event without a ticket or relevant pass/ wristband;
Unacceptable, disruptive or anti-social behaviour; *
Having been arrested or cautioned in connection with a criminal offence, pending or post-hand-over to the Police.


*Unacceptable behaviour that can lead to eviction includes but is not limited to:

illegal activity;
breaching the terms and conditions of entry;
failing to submit to a search as a condition of entry:
offensive behaviour;
throwing hard objects in the direction of people;
encouraging others to behave badly by incitement;
preventing security or emergency responders reacting to a situation; committing a criminal offence but not arrested by the police; in possession of unlawful drugs;
unofficially selling alcohol, tobacco, counterfeit goods or any other unauthorized goods;
ticket scalping;
any other behaviour that leaves the Event open to prosecution or is not conducive to maintaining a safe Event.
All evictees will be processed via Eviction Team / Security Coordinator, and their wristbands / tickets will be removed to prevent them from re-entering the Event.
All persons presented for eviction by security will be interviewed by the Eviction Team / Security Coordinator who are independent of security, and their details will be recorded in a database with their full personal details, a photograph, date and time and the reasons for eviction.
All evictees will be able to make a free telephone call if they do not have a cell phone to contact members of their group and/or family.
Evictees will need to phone a friend at the Event to collect their belongings before their eviction as they will not be permitted back into the Event to find them. We will not be responsible for ensuring that they leave the Event with their belongings.
Evictees will receive a letter detailing the eviction process and details of onward transportation.
Evictees are normally evicted from the Event via the public transport hub/taxi rank.
Evictees are liable to receive a life time ban from purchasing tickets or working/volunteering for any LNE Events