Carfest 2026 was bigger and better at Silverstone
CarFest welcomed thousands of people to its new home at Silverstone across the Bank Holiday weekend
CarFest presented by bp 2026 smashed records with over 30,000 attendees per day flocking to Silverstone over the Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the festival’s first year at its iconic new home. The event combined headline entertainment, jaw‑dropping cars and an electric atmosphere with a fierce spirit of generosity, raising more than £125,000 for UK children’s charities just through on‑site raffles, the Sporting Bears Auction and donations from CarFesters alone, turning a record crowd into a record for good.
For the first time, CarFesters experienced the festival against the backdrop of the Home of British Motorsport, with action stretching from the famous Silverstone track to stages and festival areas across the site. Combining seven festivals in one showcasing music, food, cars, well-being and more, it made for the perfect weekend for all, with plenty to see, explore and do.
The move to Silverstone put cars firmly at the heart of the action over at Cars at CarFest. With over 260 cars taking part in high-octane track shows on The Michelin-Protyre Track and Paddock across the weekend, hundreds of Supercars and Hypercars on display, including Oscar Piastri’s McLaren 750S Coupe, plus breathtaking daily drift shows, gave CarFesters the chance to see some extraordinary machinery in action. The daily themed Grid Walks also allowed thousands of CarFesters to walk along the famous Silverstone Circuit and get closer to the cars. History was also made at CarFest with the first ever mother and daughter race team, Lucie & Honey Hodgson, showcasing their championship cars on the Silverstone circuit. There were also 18 NASCAR’s together on the track – the most NASCARs ever on the track at the same time in the UK. For those looking for a new motor, CarFest also hosted the Classic Car Auction with Iconic Auctioneers, with over 150 cars up for auction.
There was some incredible music across the weekend from the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Gabrielle, Sugababes, James Morrison, Gok Wan, Rick Parfitt Jnr and many more. Spanning many genres and decades, the musical line-up brought all generations of CarFesters together to sing, dance and have a good time. There was also plenty to feast on over at The Wigwam Stage as up and coming artists such as Flo Gallop, Charlie Ward, Matilda Prattand more dazzled new crowds.
Stars from TV, film and comedy all met over at The StarFest Stage hosted by Away Resorts for insightful talks and a lot of laughs. Over the weekend, the likes of Rob Brydon, Lee Mack, Jimmy Carr and Maisie Adam graced the stage to share stories from their careers so far. At The Authors Stage, authors and key celebrity voices including Jake Humphrey, Ben Miller, Bryony Gordon and Dame Prue Leith came together to talk through their writing processes and inspire CarFesters. The brand-new Tech Lab also opened up new possibilities for teenagers, with sessions in computer coding, AI and more, while The Talent Lab offered workshops in songwriting, guitar and vocal harmonising. And as day turned to night, The StarFest Stage became Club CarFest with DJ sets from GoldieRocks, Switch Disco, Rickie & Melvin and more, to keep CarFesters partying through the night.
Elsewhere, FoodFest with Škoda cooked up a storm and went down a treat with CarFesters. Tom Kerridge shared his secrets to a brilliant BBQ, Lisa Goodwin-Allen showed how to cook the perfect seafood and Aldo Zilli shared the secrets to the Italian BBQ as part of The Big BBQ Cookout with Napoleon Grills. The Chef’s Shhtage with Škoda hosted some big-name cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend for CarFesters to feast their eyes upon, including Ching He Huang’s Wok Wonders, Spanish Summer Flavours with Jose Pizarro and Reimagining British Classics with Glynn Purnell. Something for every taste and cuisine. There were interactive sessions for CarFesters to get involved with too. From spirit tasting to cupcake creating, it gave CarFesters the chance to hone their cookery skills.
Across the festival, there was just as much for families to discover. Bluey & Bingo, Supertato, Pudsey & Pals, Basil Brush and morewere among the familiar faces who appeared for younger CarFesters. Over at The Curiosity Stage, kids were treated to interactive sessions including Mini Me Mindfulness, Silly Science Workshops and Medical Mavericks, giving kids the chance to learn whilst also having fun. There was also an opportunity for a kick about with a real-life Olympian as Sir Mo Farah joined in on a Penalty Shootout over at KidsFest with Chery.
Another Olympian also graced the track and CarFest as Sir Chris Hoy hosted a Cycle Dash with Bikeability to encourage younger visitors to embrace two wheels. A group of lucky children got the chance to ride alongside the cycling legend across the Hamilton Straight.
As is CarFest tradition, thousands also took part in The Festival Dash fuelled by Subway® early on the Sunday morning. This year’s event saw 2,000 runners (and walkers) take the circuit dressed in a variety of costumes cover the 3k track.
SpaFest offered a change of pace for those seeking comfort and relaxation. Over at The SpaFest Stage, CarFesters learnt more about mental resilience, wellness and how to live a happier and healthier life with insightful talks from Kirsty Gallagher, Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Carol Vorderman. In The Studio, there were practical sessions in Yoga Nidra, Beginner Line Dancing and even an uplifting, feel-good fitness session with Mr Motivator, delivering fitness in a joyful way.
Throughout the different festival areas, CarFest was in bloom with beautiful flower displays provided by Prestige Flowers at every turn.
The move to Silverstone this year marks the beginning of a major new chapter for CarFest, bringing the festival’s automotive heritage to one of the world’s most famous circuits while retaining the mix of music, food, stars, wellbeing and family fun that has made it one of the UK’s best-loved family festivals.
Founded by Chris Evans in 2012, CarFest has raised more than £28 million for UK children’s charities, with this year’s festival continuing to put fundraising at the heart of the weekend. The charities that have benefitted from CarFest over the years include BBC Children in Need, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Epilepsy. This year, CarFest also raised money for five charities local to Silverstone - The Pace Centre, Helen & Douglas House, The Smallpeice Trust, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and Northamptonshire Community Foundation.
Chris Evans, CarFest Founder, said: “We’ve been dreaming about bringing CarFest to Silverstone for a long time, so to be here and see it all come together was incredibly special. To be able to raise even more money for charities close to Silverstone as well as further afield was amazing, and that is down to everyone who attended. Being at Silverstone gave us the chance to do everything we love about CarFest on a whole new scale. We look forward to welcoming you back next year!”
CarFest will return in 2027. For more information, visit https://carfest.org/.