Houghton 2025: The Beating Heart Of Boutique Festivals

When Craig Richards launched Houghton in 2017, he set out to create something deeply personal, a festival driven by impeccable music, meticulous attention to detail, and artistic vision rather than profit. 

Now in its ninth year, Houghton has blossomed into one of the UK’s most beloved boutique festivals, and 2025 reflected this, with a sell-out crowd and its largest number of artist debuts to date - this year certainly did not disappoint. Set on the sprawling 1,000-acre estate of Houghton Hall in Norfolk, just outside King’s Lynn, this four-day celebration of underground electronic music is the UK’s only festival with a 24-hour music license. 

This alone makes it stand out, creating a rare, time dissolving, immersive playground of continuous kaleidoscopic rhythm. 

But what truly makes the festival special is the sense of community, intimacy and the other worldly environment, which as a second-time attendee was as omnipresent as ever. 

In the face of an increasingly commercialised festival landscape and an undoubtedly fractured world, the ethereal, affirming space Houghton creates where freedom, expression, dance and togetherness is prioritised has never been more important. 

A Sensory Delight

With the intimate crowd level stage design, art installations and sculpture gardens being immersed amongst the primal aura of the woods, the festival feels more like a living art installation than a standard music event. And for your ears, this year saw the return of regular favourites including Sherelle, Joy Orbison, Ben UFO, Helena Hauff, Shanti Celeste, Call Super, as well as fresh additions like Objekt, Tim Reaper and a rare UK performance from DJ Krush. 

Across 15 stages, more than 200 artists performed, pushing boundaries with extended sets that allowed for sonic storytelling beyond the confines of your typical hour-long set. 

From Sherelle’s high-energy swirl of jungle-tech fast footwork on the Derren Smart stage, or entering the dub depths of Mala’s late-night set, and levitating to Batu’s boundary-pushing UK bass-tech hybrid on Sunday, the electro light was undoubtedly lit. 

The result? 

An amalgamation of unparalleled artistry exploration, creating harmonies synonymous with a two-stepping oneness, I don’t believe you can find anywhere else. 

Community And Care 

Houghton is a community ritual. A sonic pilgrimage. 

This year, 10,000 worshippers of the dance collided, each of their stories weaving into one another. From ravers who have returned every year since 2017, to strangers forming connections on the dancefloor, lovers, and collaborators, the sense of community, care and respect is undeniable. 

And not just with the people, as the organisers made clear efforts to care for the nature where the festival takes place as well. 

There is an upcycling scheme for tents and camping equipment, eco-bear volunteers, compost toilets and a wellness programme in the Orchard offering breathwork, yoga, and sound baths. 

You can even venture to Auntie’s Tea tent, where herbal teas and deck chairs sit, providing a peaceful pause alongside the dancefloor chaos. It’s this balance that makes Houghton so special. The art also transforms the landscape, with a particular highlight being light artist Chris Levine’s new high-powered laser. An installation which stretched across the whole site, creating a euphoric, meditative atmosphere - complementing the pearly moon. 

Chronicles To Remember

Thursday kicked off with Craig Richards himself, who set the tone with his signature blend of house, techno and experimental cuts. Followed by Pangea, who delighted with a genre-busting set pulling from dubstep roots, electro and leftfield techno, it was unpredictable, thrilling, and classically impossible to pigeonhole. 

Friday delivered standout sets from Hamish & Toby at Earthling, Dr Banana’s phenomenal jungle-tinged garage set at Pavilion was a highlight, as well as Voigtmann’s minimal techno onslaught. Sherelle raised the roof with 160BPM goodness, while Ben UFO and Raresh pulled the crowds deep into the night. Saturday saw psychedelic grooves from Red Axes, soulful playfulness from DJ Masda, and Mala’s sub-heavy dubstep sermon at the Outburst stage, delivering his trademark message of “please send everyone love.” 

On Sunday, Joy Orbison juggled the energy sky high with his blend of house, garage and dubstep, serenading the crowd. 

But if I had to choose a favourite, it would be Batu’s daring experimental bass-tech set at the main stage. Quite possibly, my feet did not touch the floor, and my expectations were certainly surpassed. 

Rebelling Against The Commercial Wave 

Houghton’s significance feels even greater in the context of the current UK festival scene. According to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), 39 UK festivals have folded in 2025 alone.  The number of active festivals has dropped to just 592, down from 800 – 900 pre-pandemic. 

Live Nation continues to dominate the UK music industry and now owns or controls most of the large-scale events.  As monopolisation casts its web wider, boutique festivals like Houghton stand as a beacon of resistance, with its roots representative of curation, community and culture. These festivals offer something different. 

Genuine connection, risk-taking artistry, and a sense of discovery and expression that can’t be mass-produced. You can show up as you are. The AIF is now calling for a music festival tax relief to support independent festivals and protect these spaces from extinction. 

And if Houghton is anything to go by, the value of these festivals cannot be overstated, not least for what they offer in terms of music, but also for what they represent about life, people and the planet. 

The Spirit Of Houghton 

I have friends who said to me they never wanted to leave. This is a collective feeling and speaks to the spirit of the festival. You enter a world where time doesn’t exist, emails don’t exist, news alerts don’t exist, and the freedom pulses through you. Whether you are dancing until you drop or swinging in a hammock, all of Houghton’s disciples understand the feeling of home it creates. 

Houghton isn’t just a music festival – it’s a love letter to electronic music and all those who find themselves within it. An annual reminder that passion, not profit, is what sustains our culture. And in a world leaning towards consolidation and a dilution of personality, Houghton 2025 was a reminder of why small, boutique festivals are essential.