Making the journey down to Upcote Farm on a stiflingly hot July day for my first time at Gloucestershire’s 2000trees, it very quickly became apparent that people love this festival.

In my time there I met countless people who attend every year regardless of the line-up. For those that do care, for 2026 they would find Don Bronco, Funeral for a Friend, Neck Deep and much more across the weekend.

I see families introducing their children to Irish emo band Greywind at the Forest Stage as genre-bending sisters Alt Blk Era turn area into a sea of crowd surfers later in the evening. I even got caught up on the festival’s lore, whether it’s through trading trinkets with other festival-goers or the weird world of the Carrot Cult. It’s clear to see why 2000trees has won the Medium Festival award at the UK Festival Awards four times.

Community is a massive part of what makes 2000trees work, and aiding in this sense of experience is a partnership between 2000trees and the iconic speaker brand Marshall. Marshall has expanded its artist lounge and backstage area and hosted a stage under its name, but there’s much more than that going on.

“It’s bigger than every single activation we’ve ever done all stuck together over 20 years, from a complicatedness point. We could never have done it at the start, it wouldn’t have been right,” says Rob Scarlett, 2000trees creative director. Rob is in charge of the real estate of the site. It’s his job to know where everything goes and what space there are for potential sponsors, whether that’s the Arbor Ales tent or the Westons cider bar.

The partnership between the Marshall and 2000trees began in the mid-2000s. Back then, Marshall took over a portacabin, put in some instruments and gave artists a chance to test out their equipment. “They were always fighting with the press about how noisy the portacabin was,” Rob laughs. “All the press are trying to do interviews, and there’s just drummers just smashing it out in there.”

After COVID Rob felt that they could do more, and so approached Marshall about expanding the space backstage to be somewhere bands could warm up. The first pitch was more of a “trade show kind of setup,” says Rob, a place to involve other companies and enhance the artist experience. However, Marshall wanted this space to be theirs.

With a lot of things in business and life, timing is key. For Marshall, 2024 was the right time to expand its presence at 2000trees. After the brand had been licensed to headphone manufacturer Zound in 2010 the two companies merged in 2023. About six months later, Rob went to Marshall with an expanded proposal.

“Marshall said not only do we have some marketing spend to do interesting things, we already know you,” explains Rob. “They know there’s a DIY authenticity to 2000trees and what we can do.”

From that, the artist area grew, and for 2026 it became the centre of the festival. The former NEU Stage is now the Marshall Stage, but we’ll get on to that later. But alongside this Marshall presented its customer activation in the form of the Marshall shop, featuring speakers, headphones and artist signings. A lounge gives brands such as Gordon Smith Guitars and ACS Customs a place to be face-to-face with artists. Performers can have their guitar restrung and can be fitted for in-ears. Combined with amps to test out and Natal drums to jam on, it creates a full set-up for artists to get everything they need before and after a show.

A space was also given to charity Metal for Good, who fund music-led projects that improve mental health and support underrepresented voices.

With Marshall amps still manufactured in Milton Keynes, Nick Street, chief marketing officer at Marshall, wanted to highlight other British companies in the artist space. “There is so much great manufacturing and craftsmanship that’s happening in the UK, and Gordon Smith is a really good example of a British brand who we could give the opportunity to be seen,” he commented. “ACS similarly is also out of the UK. For us, it’s a question of how do we support the local side on the business side?”

There’s an open-door policy for the artist lounge, with a sign above the door proclaiming anyone is welcome. This is by design. For a brand with a storied history that’s over 60 years old, it can be difficult for people to know how to access this side of the industry. “We hear so often that people don’t know who we are behind the brand or how to get support,” explains Nick. “Chances are we can either support you and help you out, or, if we can’t, we know someone who can.”

Elsewhere, outside the lounge is a space for artists and media to relax in between shows and interviews, with a bar on hand to provide the necessary hydration. This all feeds into the idea of festivals being social environments, even behind the scenes.

“If the bands are happy and chilled, their manager is going to be happy and chilled, and so will their sound engineer,” says Rob. “We try really hard not to treat musicians and their teams like commodities, but human beings.”

Coming out of the Marshall area on your way down to the main arena comes probably the biggest new addition for 2026, the very first Marshall Stage. It’s a place to catch the next big thing and, as with every other stage this year, has a backline provided by Marshall. For this stage, the famous wall of sound erected with their amps is proudly on show.

“We have a record label but we’re also here to support new music. The stage is a great manifestation of that,” says Nick, and this support for the grassroots goes further. The brand recently announced the Keep Live Music Alive campaign, where, through a free Amplify membership, Marshall fans can buy records and merch with 1% of all purchases going to grassroots causes. This money covers backlines, gear, mentorship programmes and gives venues what they need to thrive.

“Without grassroots there is no Marshall, without new musicians coming in there is no Marshall” as Nick simply puts it..

In a wider call, Nick explains, “if you’re in the industry, you can make a difference, and sometimes you need to give back a bit to get something back. You can’t just take out of it, you have to feed the system as well. I just wish that more people would think about that.“

“If anyone wants to come in on the one percent for grassroots music that we’re doing, then please reach out,” Nick adds. “This is not about us, this is about keeping something alive that is so integral.”

These activations seen at festivals such as 2000trees are a way to give back to the community. As Rob says “we can do what we want and create the atmosphere we want. Marshall investing in it helps because we probably wouldn’t have got there otherwise.”

And for Nick, what is it that makes this collaboration work?

“The people who come to the festival are the best,” he says. “There’s an ethos here with values. The people who come here come because they love music. For us, it’s a perfect fit. I can’t think of many other festivals who are so entrenched in the UK scene that really give artists a chance and support.”

The post ‘The Marshall brand knows there’s a DIY authenticity to us and what we can do’: how 2000trees Festival delivered its biggest activation yet appeared first on Festival Insights.