A Weekend of Food and Music

Now in its 13th year, band camp remains our most loved retreats, with over 50 people joining us every year for workshops, jams, and our evening party lit by fire down in the woods.

The menu is lush and the bar is bottomless — and, it’s all included in the price.

Open and close times

Open Friday 12pm

Close Sunday at 5pm

Where is it and how do I get there?

You’ll be in the Harrietsham area of Kent. Harrietsham train station is roughly a 40-minute walk away (a map will be provided), and if you’re driving, there’s a place to park your car.

Where will I sleep?

We have a number of options available, from high-end accommodation to a tent under a tree.

See the package options.

Who attends?

People who love music, with ages ranging from 19 to 70. It’s hard to pin down the average attendee — just music fans.

What’s the playing level like?

We’ve had people show up who have just bought a guitar, and for them we’ve provided a beginner’s provision. We’ve also had hard-hitting jazz nerds amongst the meadows. If you have a guitar and you want to play it, you are welcome.

Tell me about the workshops

We have a rota of workshops with more being added all the time. These are central to the weekend, but, for many, the joy of this retreat is to be found in the bits between the workshops. The people you'll meet, the collaborations you'll get involved and the live music from attendees every night.

Workshops for band camp 2026

Friday

Entry: 12pm

Lunch: 1pm

Site tour: 2pm

Jam: 3pm

Workshop 1: English Folk from Suffolk and Kent, 3–4pm

Workshop 2: DADGAD Tuning, 4–5pm

Workshop 3: Country Blues, 5–6pm

Dinner: 7pm

Open Mic in the Woods: 8pm–late

Saturday

Breakfast: 9am

Workshop 4: Songwriting Ideas (Lyrics Only), 10–10.45am

Workshop 5: Songwriting Ideas (Guitar Based), 10.50–11.45am

Lunch: 2pm

Workshop 6: Big Easy Songs, 3–4pm

Workshop 7: Entry-Level Guitar Solos, 4–5pm

Workshop 8: Guitar Improv for Everyone, 5–6pm

Dinner: 7pm

Open Mic in the Woods: 8pm–late

Sunday

Breakfast: 9am

Workshop 9: Joy of the Jam – Fun Songs

Sunday plans TBC

What will we eat and how?

We use a different menu every year and love to get creative on this front. The meals are colourful and varied.

Everyone who attends gets one cooking shift. You’ll be given a role, a recipe card, and a box of ingredients. Many people say this is a lot of fun — so if you don’t typically cook, don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it.

What does a day look like?

Breakfast at about 9.30am

Jams from 12pm

Lunch at 2pm

Afternoon workshops and jams until 5pm

Dinner at 6pm

Then you follow the candle-lit path deep into the woods for the evening’s party. Lit and warmed by multiple fire pits, expect music into the early hours, with plenty of opportunities to perform the songs you’ve been working on.