'We have had a long love affair mixing wonderful forests with great music': Cannock Chase Forest Live events manager talks magic of venue ahead of special anniversary
It's a concert series which has seen millions of people take in shows from some of the biggest names in music, all within the open air beauty of the nation's forests.
The Forest Live concert series has brought artists of all types to forest locations in different parts of the country to perform inside natural amphitheatres and bowls to large crowds, providing a special outdoor festival experience for the more than two million people who have attended.
The concert series is organised by Forestry England, which manages and cares for the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests and which uses the money Forest Live raises to maintain the beautiful natural areas for everyone to enjoy, run important conservation projects and keep growing trees.
It first launched in 2001 with Jools Holland and the Levellers playing shows at Dalby in Scarborough, Sherwood in Nottinghamshire, Thetford in Norfolk and Bedgebury in Thetford and Bedgebury in Kent and has grown since, with Cannock Chase Forest becoming one of the primary locations in 2006.
Big names such as Madness, Sting, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Van Morrison, Kaiser Chiefs, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Boyzone, Ed Sheeran, the Darkness and Status Quo have taken to the stages of the different forests over the years and now, as Forest Live celebrates 25 years and Cannock Chase 20 years as a venue, the line-up for 2026 is full of big names.
At Cannock Chase alone, there will be shows from Bewdley-born singer Becky Hill, legendary DJ Fatboy Slim, McFly, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and 80s legend Billy Ocean across five days from June 24 to June 28, as well as a host of support acts including former Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow and Eurovision stars Remember Monday.
According to National events programme manager Rhodri Jones, the idea for the concert series had started with a discussion about how to best use the forest sites to get more people going to them.
He said: "At Forestry England, we are custodians of the 1,500 forests of England and, through the years, we've always looked at different ways of using our forest sites, whether for the every day things such as mountain bike trails and things like that.
