There are festivals, and then there’s Houghton. Craig Richards’ 24-hour celebration of music and art has become an essential event in the electronic-music calendar, tucked within the dense trees and lakeside paths of Houghton Hall.
It’s one of the most magical festival settings I’ve been to, made all the more immersive by the total lack of phone signal. The only drawback is the comical volume of dust you’re coated in by the end of each night, with dirt so deep under your fingernails, it looks like you’d turned down your tent in favour of a subterranean burrow.
Still, after a day or two, even that becomes part of Houghton’s charm. Richards brought Houghton to life in 2017 from a desire to do things differently. “No cutting corners”, he said, envisioning a festival where “music, art, and environment are given equal importance.” He’s often spoken about his frustration with conventional festivals’ “shortness of time… you have to tell the joke very quickly, which is not really my thing.” Houghton’s long-form sets and fluid programming respond to that by allowing real depth to emerge.
And over the years, the festival has expanded to include large-scale sculptures and immersive lighting woven throughout the site. This year felt busier than ever, with a noticeably more international crowd – a testament to Houghton’s growing global reputation. Here are a few highlights from the long weekend:
Thursday
One of Houghton’s pleasures is stumbling upon its smaller stages hidden in canvas nooks or under low-lit canopies, offering lighter, more playful sounds. These are the perfect pit stops before plunging into the harder techno pulse of the bigger arenas. Itchy Rich booted off night one at the Old Gramophone with a playful mix of nostalgia, mixing tracks such as ‘Your Body (feat. Michael Marshall)’ – Tom Novy and Pet Shop Boys ‘West End Girls – Chris Did remix’.
The beauty of long-form sets is the freedom they allow: clashes feel less like compromises when there’s time to drift between stages and catch it all. Craig Richards opened his weekend of performances at the Pavilion stage, weaving together his signature mix of techno and cosmic sounds. Meanwhile, Carista provided unbridled energy with tech-house selections such as Sidney Charles’ ‘Raw Line 98’ over at Earthling. The perfect finale for the first night, fueling excitement for the days ahead.
Friday
Friday saw Hamish & Toby bring a sun-drenched, percussion-driven set to Earthling. I then headed to the Pavilion Stage for Dr Banana & Lukas Wigflex. Those two just know how to have a good time, serving playful, lyric-infused grooves to a huge, grinning crowd. ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ – Tom Tom Club, was a particular favourite.
Stepping out of the woods and into the shipping container-clad Tantrum stage was the perfect decision as the sun set. Voigtmann delivered one of the weekend’s most memorable performances. Every track had faces scrunching – the one that says, without words, “this absolutely bangs.” Voigtmann polished off his set by mixing ‘Rain in the South – (Francesco Farfa & Hamsa Remix)’ which was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Back in the woods at Outburst, Dave Harvey steered the crowd into a shadowy orbit. Eerie, off-world synths and pulsating rhythms blended perfectly with the dark woodland and light design – a late night atmosphere that kept the crowd bouncing into the early hours.
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Saturday
Bobby brought in the afternoon crowd at Derren Smart with a mix of hip swinging grooves, punctuated by off-kilter percussive beats that had everyone light on their feet. When he dropped Controversy by Prince, the energy spiked – what began as a modest gathering, swelled steadily until some 300 people were moving in unison by the close of his set.
With such a plethora of high BPM music, it’s easy to forget about Houghton’s art and performances that welcome the ability to slow down and recharge. On a wander around the lake, I stumbled across just that: Ricardo Romaneiro’s ‘Resonant Earth’ in the Warehouse. A hypnotic live orchestra like a siren song, performed in front of mesmerising visuals of earth from above.
After a moment of calm, it was time to get back in the mix. At the Earthling Stage, Christian AB dropped relentless bass with ‘Accelerator (feat. ACL)’ by Quasistereo [Chicks on Speed Mix]. This was followed by a short disco break at Giant Steps. Once you’ve acclimatised to the body heat, this tent is a small dome of pure joy. Luka Una seamlessly mixed glittering grooves, including the ever iconic David Bowie – ‘Let’s Dance’.
As night fell at the Earthling stage, Craig Richards returned to the decks, this time with deeper house textures such as ‘Go Techno’ – Tony Humphries Dub mix. Over at The Pavillion, DJ Masda rounded off the timetable with moody, cinematic and acid sounds such as ‘Acidité’ – The Populists, ‘Escapism’ – DC Salas and ‘Transmission’ – Skatman.
Sunday
Sunday marked the festival’s final day. At Tantrum, Peach & Gene on Earth kicked things off with high energy tracks, followed by Dr Banana and Saoirse, who delivered hours of crowd-pleasing bangers from an edit of ‘Perfect (Exceeder)’ – Mason to ‘SexyBack (feat. Timberland)’ – Justin Timblake. Meanwhile, Francesco Del Garda rounded off his set at The Pavillion with a remix of one of my favorites: Radiohead’s ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ – it’s hard to put into words how this track scratches your brain in all the right places.
As the night settled in, Freakenstein took to The Warehouse with fast electronic pulses and relentless beats, accompanied by a backdrop of glitching visuals. It was finally time for our last sets of the weekend, and they did not disappoint. Palms Trax lit up Earthling with rhythms that kept the energy rolling into the early hours. The crowd absolutely lost it at one of his closing tracks: Riordan – ‘Bring Me Down’. Despite most being on their last legs, it was one of the liveliest moments of the festival. Finally, Ricardo Villalobos wrapped up at the Pavilion with a masterclass in long-form techno, fusing intricate percussion with deep, textural beats.
For the serious ravers
There is of course one stage I can’t leave out: Terminus. This is Houghton’s own “wormhole”, a 24-hour stage situated beyond the main festival site like a faraway, and somewhat unattainable, land. I have to admit, I didn’t make it there myself – the rumoured three-hour queues were enough to put me off – but a few friends with more minerals did. The arena welcomed familiar faces from the main lineup, including DJ Masda, Saoirse and Peach. I heard The Ghost’s set was a particular standout, treating the far-travelled crowd to an epic ‘Clint Eastwood’ – Gorillaz remix, and Jane Fitz B2B Melina Serser went full downtempo with some progressive and pulsating rhythms.
Houghton 2025 felt intentionally paced. While artists appeared across multiple stages, the weekend never felt repetitive – each set carried its own mood, tone, and energy. It remains rare in UK festival programming: richly curated, visually ambitious, and rooted in long-form, immersive listening. There’s a reason many attendees have been returning since the very first edition, and each year sees an increasing number of people making it tradition. I’m seeing Houghton blow up on social media more than ever – it’s getting the recognition it deserves but can it continue to grow without diluting its magic?
Featured image credit: Jake Davis
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- electronic music
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- Palms Trax
- Ricardo Villalobos
- Saoirse
- Techno
- UK Festivals
