Sport and music lovers unite for energetic Cheltenham festival

Back for its third year, the Cheltenham 7s Festival is taking over Newlands Park on Southam Lane for an exciting weekend of sport and music events this July 2023.

By Sarah Kent | Published Monday 22 May 2023

This year's Cheltenham 7s Festival at Newlands Park is a fun-filled mix of sport and music, with teams to enter and DJs to dance to.

The main stage at Newlands Park on Southam Lane will feature a whole host of DJs and live bands to dance the evenings away.

Teams will gather to kick off the games, with hockey, rugby, netball, dodgeball, rounders and five-a-side football all on offer.

Festival organisers hope to capture an atmosphere of 'play and party' at this year's event, with plenty of shopping, eating and fairground rides for the kids.

Over 18s can enter sports teams and be in with the chance of winning prizes on the day, as well as have fun with family, friends and colleagues who can all sign up for a team spot.

One of Gloucestershire's most unique festivals, the Cheltenham 7s event is a jam-packed two-day extravaganza for both sport and music lovers, offering festival-goers the chance to take part in sporting events and then dance the night away to an energetic line-up of music acts.

Back for a third year, the festival takes place on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 July 2023 and this year's visitors will be treated to more sports competitions, big prizes up for grabs and the chance to meet sporting legends playing in the all-star rugby game.

On the Friday, there will be charity events happening throughout the day, with an all-star rugby game in association with Rugby for Heroes and a 5k colour run in aid of Gloucester Rugby player Ed Slater, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Rugby legends to look out for include Jordan Crane, Matt Banahan, Olly Morgan, Charlie Sharples and Jonny Goodridge.

Headlining music acts on the first day of the festival will include beatbox band Duke, DJ Emma Vibes and Satellite Down.

Saturday is game day, with a full day of sports action and live music, too, with headlining acts including former England rugby player turned DJ James Haskell, Radio 1's Gemma Cairney and mashup DJ duo Switch Disco.

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Sports competitions are open for festival visitors over the age of 18 to enter and of any age to watch, with loads more categories to sign up for this year, including rugby 7s, netball, dodgeball, rounders, five-a-side football, hockey and CrossFit.

No matter your sporting ability, everyone is welcome to join a team and take part in the action. Teams can start with as little as 10 members and as many as 30, with team ticket prices including entry to the sport of your choice, access to both days of the festival and free entry to Friday's colour fun run.

Based at Newlands Park, home of the Cheltenham Tigers, the festival will also feature an athlete’s village with stalls offering food, clothing and assorted vendors, with bars, fairground rides, ice baths and even massage tables for a spot of post-competition recovery.