Manchester Pride, Download and TRNSMT among nominees at UK Festival Awards at Freight Island - full shortlist

The only UK awards ceremony dedicated to festivals has announced its 2023 shortlist. This year, the awards night will be held right here in Manchester. 

The 18th edition of the UK Festival Awards will be held on Tuesday December 5 at Manchester’s Escape to Freight Island. The night will be a combination of getting in the mood for Christmas and celebrating the best that UK festivals have to offer.

This year the most standout festivals will be awarded once more and two brand new categories added. Best Micro Festival, which celebrates those super-boutique events, and Transport Impact Innovator, which will highlight festivals that strive to reduce the huge impacts of audience travel.

These come on top of returning, fan-voted awards including Best Large, Medium and Small Festival, Best Metropolitan Festival, Best New Festival, The Grassroots Festival Award, Best Family Festival, The UK Greener Festival Award and Best Non-Music Festival. 

As well as those awards, a special festival industry panel of 20 judges is also assembled to judge further award winners such as Best Festival Production, The Brand Activation Award, Promoter of the Year, Line-Up of the Year, The Community Impact Award and many more.

Tickets to the UK Festival Awards 2023 at Escape to Freight Island

Tickets for individual seats and tables of up to 12 people are on sale through the festival website. Individual seats start at almost £190. 

Full UK Festival Awards 2023 shortlist

The full list of nominees for all of the awards up for grabs is listed below. Highlighted in bold are the Manchester festivals nominated. 

The Innovation Award

Amplead Apply to Play at Isle of Wight

NFT-Tix at Sarajevo Film Festival

NFT-Tix - Garden of Dreams

Tagmix at Multiple Festivals

Marketing Campaign of the Year 

Barn on the Farm

Boardmasters

Camp Bestival

Forbidden Forest

Kendal Calling - Take Your Tent Home

Truck Festival

Best Festival Production

Black Deer Festival

Bluedot

Boomtown

Fly Open Air

Terminal V Festival

We Are FSTVL

The Brand Activation Award

It's In the Bag Cancer Support at Testfest

Stoli Vodka @ El Dorado by The Collab

Brewdog @ El Dorado by The Collab

Amazon Fashion @ El Dorado by Collab

Lidl @ Various Festivals by CSM Live

Absolut Born to Mix by Magic Number

Line-Up of the Year 

110 Above

Africa Oye

bluedot

Love Supreme

Standon Calling

We Out Here

Best Non-Musical Festival

Festival of Bounce

Homotopia

Manchester Film Festival

Voices of Windrush

Womanifest

Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival

Promoter of the Year

bluedot/From the Fields

DHP Family

Fly Festivals and Events

Neapolitan Music

JBM Music

The Cambridge Club/S&C Productions

Best festival for Emerging Talent

110 Above

Breaking Bands

Focus Wales

Sound City

Standon Calling

Tramlines

Best Family Festival 

3 Wishes Fairy Festival

Call of the Wild

Eden Festival

RockWich Festival

Whitchurch Children's Festival

Woo Fest 

The UK Greener festival Award 

American Express Presents BST Hyde Park

Cambridge Folk Festival

Greenbelt

Green Gathering

Love Saves The Day

The Grassroots Festival Award

110 Above

Barn on the Farm

Breaking Bands Festival

Crapfest

Lovefest UK

Woo Fest

The Festivals’ Favourite Agency Award

ATC Live

Candy Artists

Get Comedy

Midnight Mango

Mother Artists

Wasserman Music

The Transport Impact Innovator Award

The Green Gathering

Junction 2 Festival

2000 Trees

Greenbelt Festival

Boomtown Fair

Above & Beyond @ On The Beach

Timber Festival

bluedot

Best New festival 

Coast Fest

Festival of Bounce

Good Vibrations Society

Maid of Stone

Salt & Tar

Tewkesbury Live Free Music Festival

Best Metropolitan Festival

Altitude Comedy Festival

Burn It Down

Crapfest

Dot to Dot

Homotopia

RADAR Festival

The Sarah Nulty Community Impact Award

Africa Oye

Boardmasters

Teddy Rocks Festival

Tramlines

Victorious

Woo Fest

Best Micro Festival

Breaking Bands Festival

Burn It Down Festival

Crapfest

Lovefest UK

RockWich Festival

Vans in the Valley

Best Small Festival 

A New Day Festival

Barn on the Farm

Call of the Wild

Coast Fest

New Forest Folk Festival

RADAR Festival

Best Medium-sized Festival

2000trees

ArcTanGent

Bloodstock Festival

Beautiful Days

Bearded Theory

Kendal Calling

Best Large Festival

Barclaycard Presents Isle of Wight Festival

Boardmasters Festival

Download Festival

Manchester Pride

TRNSMT

Victorious Festival