Deva Fest hits a Majestic Milestone in Ticket Sales. The Deva Fest Story

This week, Deva Fest reached a majestic milestone of a million pounds in ticket sales, as part of its eight-year journey (minus 2yrs off for Covid) from start up to what is starting to feel like a mid-scale festival success story.

Honestly, it feels incredible to even write that.

Because when you look at that figure, it is not just about money. It is about growth, belief, resilience, community, and the thousands of people who have chosen to be part of the Deva Fest journey over the years. It is about every act booked, every challenge overcome, every tent pitched, every gate opened, every family memory made, and every guest who has come back again and again.

And when you think about where it all started, it makes this moment even more special, and specifically that whilst this milestone doesn’t take us into being profitable yet, it gives us strong belief that 2026 is the first year, such a solid milestone can be achieved, given we are still 5 months from the festival.

The story began with Phil Marston, who first founded the event as “Polo Fest” in 2018.

Though small, it had energy, potential, and the beginnings of what would later become one of Cheshire’s most loved summer events. Then in 2019, that spark evolved into Deva Fest, named after our gorgeous city, Chester, with “Deva” giving a nod to the city’s rich Roman history.

That year, Deva Fest was born at Chester Lakes, welcoming around 1,200 people.

Back then, nobody could have imagined quite what it would grow into.

Then came 2020.

Tickets were already on sale. Excitement was building. Big names, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, were part of the line-up. It felt like Deva Fest was really stepping forward.

And then Covid hit.

Like so many live events, everything stopped. The uncertainty was brutal. Plans were paused, hopes were put on hold, and the festival had to be postponed. Then came 2021, and with it, more waiting, more uncertainty, and another postponement.

For any festival, that kind of disruption could have been enough to end the story before it had properly begun.

But not Deva Fest.

In 2022, Deva Fest came back, and it came back in unforgettable style.

It was the year of the 35-degree heatwave, the year the energy felt massive, and the year camping sold out for the first time. Around 3,000 people per day came through the gates, and with two stages, the atmosphere was electric.

It felt like people were ready for it. Ready to be together again. Ready for live music, summer weekends, family fun, and that special feeling festivals bring.

Deva Fest had survived the hardest years imaginable and came back stronger.

Then came 2023, my first Deva Fest.

And honestly, it was the year that amazed me. I went with my family as a guest, the girls were obsessed with FIVE and they loved their performance. Then to see some of the guys from the band walking round the festival with their family just showed how fun and laid back the event was. I enjoyed the community vibe if it, seeing my favorite restaurants at the event in a food truck. It was brilliant and I wanted to get involved instantly.

It was the festival’s first year at Cholmondeley, which was a huge moment in itself.

The site gave Deva Fest room to grow, dream bigger, and feel even more like the major summer event it was becoming. That year, the festival expanded to three stages, including the introduction of the dance stage, and welcomed around 3,500 people per day.

For me personally, I really saw the magic of it all. The scale, the atmosphere, the planning behind it, the excitement in the crowd, it all hit me. Deva Fest was not just another event. It was something people genuinely loved, that was also in a phase of opportunity to grow and grow.

2024, my first year actually being involved in Deva Fest, after my initial investment and that made me see things on a whole different level.

When you are part of it, you realise just how much work, energy, pressure, and passion goes into making a festival happen. So much happens behind the scenes that people never see, but that is what makes the guest experience what it is.

That year, we added Club Deva and expanded to five stages, pushing the festival on even further. We welcomed huge acts including The Human League, and it felt like Devafest was stepping into a whole new era.

It was getting bigger, bolder, and more confident in what it was.

Then came last year, and wow, what a year!

Grammy Award winner, Gloria Gaynor, our first overseas act, which felt like a real landmark moment for the festival. To have an international icon on the Deva Fest stage showed just how far the festival had come.

And as if that was not enough, we were also honoured to win Best Event/Festival at the Marketing Cheshire Awards. It felt like Deva Fest was no longer just growing quietly, it was being recognised as one of Cheshire’s best summer events.

And rightly so.

Now as we approach 2026, and our 6^th Year, to this week hit our first £1 million in ticket sales, is emotional.

That is a sentence we will never take for granted.

Because figures like that do not happen by accident. They happen because people believe in what you are building. They happen because guests come, enjoy it, tell their friends, bring their families back, and make Deva Fest part of their summer. They happen because a festival creates more than a line-up, it creates loyalty, memories, and a feeling people want to return to.

We are so grateful for every single person who has supported Deva Fest so far.

To the guests who buy tickets year after year. To the families who make a weekend of it. To the campers. To the Traders. To the performers. To the sponsors. To the staff. To every single person working behind the scenes.And to everyone who has backed the vision from the very beginning.

Thank you!

What feels most exciting is that this milestone does not feel like the finish line, and trust me it’s not, we still have a long way to go, before that word “profit” can be mentioned, which again in this given environment can’t be a dirty word, as we forget the amount of wider employment opportunities and of course the feel good factor all of this gives people, let alone that this event is a seven figure cost base to get off the ground in the first place.

It feels like proof that Deva Fest is only getting better and better.

From Polo Fest in 2018, to Deva Fest at Chester Lakes, through the heartbreak of Covid, the massive comeback, the move to Cholmondeley, the stage expansions, the award wins, the huge headline acts, and now this million-pound milestone, the journey has been incredible.

And the best part is, there is still so much more to come.

Deva Fest has always had something special about it. It is ambitious, yes. It is growing, yes. But at its heart, it is still about giving people an amazing summer experience in Cheshire, one they remember, one they talk about, and one they want to come back to.

That is what makes this milestone matter so much.

This is not just about ticket sales.

It is about how far Deva Fest has come. And where it is still going.

If the past few years have shown us anything, it is this:

Deva Fest is here, it is growing, and it is becoming something truly special.

Here’s to the next chapter.