One of Cheshire's biggest family festivals returns to Cholmondeley Castle from 6–9 August, with organisers promising new attractions, improved facilities and an expanded programme of live entertainment.

While the festival retains its popular mix of live music, comedy, family activities and camping, this year's event introduces several new features based on feedback from festival goers.

The biggest addition is Wonderland, a new Alice in Wonderland-inspired area featuring the Cheshire Cat Stage, a new "Back in the Day Time" daytime rave big top, and appearances from the Mad Hatter and other familiar characters. Visitors can book Alice's Parlour, an immersive afternoon tea experience overlooking the Cheshire Cat Stage.

The expansion means Deva Fest has grown from five stages in 2025 to six stages this year. The new stage will host daytime performances from DJs including Seb Fontaine, Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets and LOTTIE, alongside the festival's packed programme of live music.

Headline artists across the weekend include Ronan Keating, Jessie J, James Morrison, Vengaboys, Ash, N-Trance, The Christians, EMF, A1, Gok Wan and Dave Pearce.

Festival organisers say they have responded to visitor feedback by redesigning the main entrance to reduce queues. Separate entry routes for day visitors and campers are expected to speed up arrival times.

Connectivity has been addressed too, with free public Wi-Fi hotspots introduced after organisers acknowledged the challenges of staging a festival in an area with limited mobile coverage. Further improvements are planned for future festivals.

Camping facilities have been expanded with the introduction of The Alan Fields, a new campsite offering a later sound curfew for those wanting to continue the festivities into the evening. The festival has also partnered with a new glamping provider offering luxury tents with electric hook-ups.

As Cholmondeley Castle is not a permanent campsite, all camping facilities are installed specifically for the event. Campers can expect to have access to free showers, toilets, waste disposal points and allocated 8m × 8m pitches, while day visitors can use on-site parking for £20 per vehicle. Accessible Blue Badge parking is available close to the festival entrance.

Now in its latest edition, Deva Fest has established itself as one of Cheshire's leading family festivals and recently won the Marketing Cheshire Tourism Award for a second consecutive year.

For tickets, the full entertainment programme and camping information, visit the official Deva Fest website.

Cover photo courtesy of: Deva Fest.