The best West Sussex festivals in 2027 are clustered around Petworth, Midhurst and Goodwood in the South Downs National Park. Confirmed dates so far include the Goodwood Festival of Speed (15–18 July 2027), Goodwood Revival (17–19 September 2027) and the Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair (7–9 May 2027). Petworth Festival, Cowdray polo and Midhurst's jazz festival are expected to return, with 2027 dates still to come.

Forget the idea that you need a mega-site and a muddy campsite to have a proper festival summer. This corner of West Sussex packs world-class classical music, supercars, high-goal polo, bluegrass in a brewery yard and candlelit jazz into a patch of countryside you can cross in 20 minutes. Here's how to plan your 2027.

West Sussex festival dates 2027: key details

These are the dates organisers have confirmed at the time of writing:

  • Rockaway Beach Festival – 8–11 January 2027, Butlins, Bognor Regis
  • Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair – 7–9 May 2027, Petworth House and Park
  • Goodwood Festival of Speed – 15–18 July 2027, Goodwood House, near Chichester
  • Goodwood Revival – 17–19 September 2027, Goodwood Motor Circuit

Expected to return, 2027 dates to be confirmed:

  • Petworth Spring Festival (National Trust) – usually April
  • Petworth Proms – usually mid-May
  • Cowdray Gold Cup and Midhurst Town Cup – usually late June to mid-July
  • Petworth Summer Festival – usually mid-July to early August
  • Yellow Moon Festival, Langham Brewery – usually mid-August
  • MADhurst Festival, Midhurst – every August
  • Petworth Literary Festival – usually late October into November
  • Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival – usually November

What festivals are on in Petworth in 2027?

Petworth Festival: Proms, Summer Festival and Literary Festival

Founded more than four decades ago by Lord Egremont and a group of locals, Petworth Festival started as a classical weekend and has grown into three distinct events a year. It punches well above its weight: Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Steven Isserlis and Mitsuko Uchida have all played here.

The Summer Festival is the main event. The 2026 edition ran from 16 July to 1 August, with gigs spread across churches, halls and historic spaces in and around town – including St Mary's Church, Leconfield Hall, the Petworth House Stable Yard and Midhurst Rother College. Expect classical, jazz, soul, world music and comedy on the same bill.

The Petworth Proms, run with the National Trust, are a gem: four 20-minute mini-concerts by Royal Academy of Music finalists, with the audience promenading between the state rooms of Petworth House. In autumn, the Literary Festival brings big-name authors to town.

Yellow Moon Festival at Langham Brewery

Just outside Petworth at Lodsworth, Langham Brewery hosts Yellow Moon, a one-day festival of Americana, bluegrass, folk and old-time music. It sold out in its first year (2025) and returned on 15 August 2026. Award-winning local beer, street food and banjos in a South Downs brewery yard – it's one of the most charming small festivals in the south.

Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair

Not a music festival, but a genuine Petworth institution. Running 7–9 May 2027 in a marquee in the Capability Brown parkland of Petworth House, it features more than 60 exhibitors, mostly members of BADA and LAPADA. Petworth is already one of England's great antiques towns, so make a day of it.

What festivals are on in Midhurst in 2027?

Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival

The newcomer that's already a fixture. The Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival launched in 2025 and pulled in more than 5,500 visitors. It turns the town's characterful venues into candlelit speakeasies and blues bars, with an Argentine twist that nods to Cowdray's polo heritage. The 2026 edition runs 19–22 November. Read our original Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival preview. 2027

MADhurst Festival

MADhurst – Music, Art, Dance and Drama – fills Midhurst with a month of events every August: performances, exhibitions, workshops, picnics and family days. It's run by volunteers and has a proper community feel.

Cowdray Gold Cup and the Midhurst Town Cup

Cowdray Park hosts the British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup, Europe's premier high-goal tournament, drawing over 30,000 spectators across three weeks. The 2026 final was on 19 July. General admission is free on most match days and dogs on leads are welcome.

For festival-goers, the pick is the Midhurst Town Cup: a family day of polo, street food, pop-up bars and countryside demos. In 2026 it was preceded by Cowdray & Western, an evening of live country music and a vintage funfair. 2027

Goodwood 2027: Festival of Speed and Revival

A short drive south over the Downs from Midhurst, Goodwood hosts two of the UK's biggest events. The Festival of Speed runs 15–18 July 2027, with general-sale tickets due in November. The period-costumed Goodwood Revival runs 17–19 September 2027 – think 1940s–60s racing, vintage fashion and dancing.

Tip: Festival of Speed 2027 lands the same week the Petworth Summer Festival usually runs, so local accommodation will vanish fast. Book early.

More West Sussex festivals in 2027

  • Rockaway Beach (8–11 January 2027, Bognor Regis) – the indie weekender at Butlins that kicks off the festival year.
  • Big Church Festival (Wiston House, near Steyning) – Christian music festival held in late August in 2026; 2027 dates TBC.

Tips for planning a Petworth and Midhurst festival trip

  1. Getting there: Petworth has no railway station. Haslemere, on the line from London Waterloo, is the usual jumping-off point, then taxi.
  2. Book early: Yellow Moon sold out in year one, and the big Petworth Festival names go fast.
  3. Stack your weekends: in July you can do Cowdray polo, Petworth Festival and Festival of Speed within a few miles of each other.
  4. Bring the dog: Cowdray welcomes dogs on leads; check each event before bringing yours elsewhere.

Throwing your own festival party at home?

Festival season doesn't stop at the gate. If you're planning a garden bash in Petworth or Midhurst – festoon lights, outdoor speakers, a pizza oven, maybe a charger for the EV before a road trip to Goodwood – get the outdoor power done properly. Extension leads snaking across wet lawns are nobody's idea of a good headliner.

Local firm Rewired Electrical are qualified electricians covering Petworth, Midhurst and West Sussex, handling outdoor sockets, garden lighting, EV charger installation, safety checks and more. Get them booked before the summer rush, when every electrician in the county is suddenly busy.

Plan your West Sussex festival year

With Goodwood's dates locked in and Petworth, Midhurst and Cowdray set to follow, 2027 is shaping up to be a cracking year in the South Downs. We'll update this guide as each festival confirms dates, line-ups and ticket prices.