Valhalla Viking Festival Review / Guide 2026 - Dummer Down Farm Basingstoke
- Canis Lewis
- 3 hours ago
- 13 min read
Valhalla Viking Festival has become one of my top 3 favourite events every year, having first attended back in 2023. It has become a home to my Pagan heart and helped strengthen my spiritual connection each year.
You can see my full 2023 review HERE
I must also give my hugest and heartfelt thanks to Andreea (And Steve) for having me back as press again this year, to the High Priestess for her help and welcome at the weekend, and to all of the staff, and Vikings MC security at Valhalla! (This article on Valhalla 2026 is based on me having attended the majority of Friday and Saturday, not Sunday)
Intro
So what exactly is Valhalla festival?
I believe their own description below does it a lot of credit and yet from an outsider's perspective I think it's important before I jump in to the main review to make a few things reassuringly clear. Firstly and primarily, it is a festival for those who follow the Norse Gods regardless of how strongly or casually that may be, and it is run and staffed by Pagans/Heathens/Asatru, or simply - Mythology enthusiasts who care deeply about the culture and wish to provide a home in the UK for that culture to flourish.
Secondly it is a living history festival, everywhere you look there are re-enactors, not just fighting mock battles in the arena, or walking around looking 'cool' in period armour - the re-enactors camp all around the festival in the way that Vikings or Norse folk would have done. Whether they are sitting around their period accurate fire cooking, or crafting by hand everything from jewellery, to shoes, to clothing, and to preparing from scratch ingredients for baking; You will find those who truly live the life style when they can; Whether that comes form spiritual belief or simply love for the history period itself, there is so much 'living history' as Heilung would call it.
Thirdly, it is a safe place to have fun for everyone. Before I first attended in 2023 my first thought about events like these was always.. 'What if it's full of right wing unpleasant people?' In the entrance queue on Saturday we spoke to a couple dressed in period accurate attire all the way from Germany, and they too gave voice to this concern, as some similar events there have sadly fallen in to infamy for attracting those type of people. I was proud and happy to tell them that this was my fourth Valhalla and I had not once caught even the slightest hint of right wing behaviour or conversations from any of the attendees.
Though I failed to take a picture of it, I loved the sign behind the 'Stagger inn' bar that expressly stated along the lines of no racism, misogyny, anti-LGBT, religious bigotry, or abusive behaviour is tolerated etc.
I think it's really important to have an event that stresses this because Valhalla is a place for EVERYONE to feel welcome and safe.
With that being said, it is of course also just a wonderful day / weekend out for anyone wanting something to do even if you're travelling solo.
If you're thinking about bringing pets and/or Kids then they are also welcome too, there are so many Dogs and kids around the festival and all seem to be having a great time.
(Especially as a lot of the kids are seen having play battles amongst themselves non-stop!)
A foot note for my usual Gothic and electronic readers wondering why I am covering this festival..
Think how many fellow Goths you know who also love bands like Heilung and Wardrunna, or how many love the tribal rhythm of techno? Well.. folk music and paganism to me, is the other side of the coin that makes many of us who we are. They are one and the same ultimately. So that's why I love to cover the 'old' and the 'new'.
Just below this is the official description and link to Valhalla, and below that you will find my full review and guide, as well as an interview video I did last year at Valhalla with Chakka, the red painted drummer of Heilung.
Let's begin!
A Viking festival built by the community, for the community.
Valhalla Viking Festival is a not-for-profit event created because we felt something like this was sorely missing in the UK. Our first festival took place in 2021, and since then we have learned, grown, adapted and built something stronger every year.
What began as an idea for a great Viking gathering has become a 3-day festival of feasting, music, battles, storytelling, ceremonies, markets, camping, activities and community.
Because sometimes you just need to do Viking things with your Viking friends and family.
Valhalla Viking Festival is a 3-day camping festival focused around Viking culture, the Gods, live entertainment, hands-on activities and a great Viking Feast each night in the Mead Hall.
It is a place for Vikings, Heathens, Pagans, history lovers, fantasy fans, families, makers, musicians, reenactors, storytellers and curious newcomers to come together and experience something a little wild, a little ancient and very memorable.
It is not a polished corporate event. It is a growing community festival, built with heart, hard work, volunteers, traders, performers, supporters and guests who want to help create something special.
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Review / Guide
Valhalla Viking Festival is held at Dummer Down Farm Basingstoke. There are hotels dotted all around, with some of the cheapest within short driving distance being Days Inn, Travelodge, and a glamping company.
However Valhalla itself does have a camp site! It has a general campsite with a large communal fire, camper parking, and quiet campsite with the option to hire canvas tents all set up and ready for you if you so wish! Glamping availabe! The site has a main car park directly outside the main entrance (About a 1 minute walk!) However I STRONGLY suggest you get there early on a Saturday or you will have to park at the overflow carpark further away. (And make sure you have your proof of parking ready on your phone as you drive in!)
Valhalla has a large skeletal archway representing the bones of Jormangunder as you walk in, which is great for photos, and has been there the four times I've been.
This year they added a boat to the decoration of the festival which was a wonderful touch. (NOT the boat that gets burnt on Saturday night!)
The ticket and wristband pick up tent is itself packed with goodies to browse, and the Saturday queue is kept entertained by a wonderful musician - singing some well known and loved songs from the likes of Wardruna, to Skyrim, to Viking songs everyone enjoys such as 'My mother told me'.
On the subject of shops.. There are PLENTY, from weaponry and armour, to clothes, drinking horns, jewellery, animal bones, crafts, art, crystals, snacks, toys, Altar pieces, Viking games, and so much more for you to browse all day long and still not quite
see everything. (And the vendors increase in number every year!)
One of the main attractions for people whether part of the culture or just attending out of curiosity, are the battles in the main arena. Each day has several battles with different groups.
The main picture see below is a group dressed in metal armour like the famous Jomsviking mercenaries, and below that you can see a more traditional battles between two larger groups where armour is far more sparce.
Clans like these are always open to taking on new members if this is something that appeals to you. One of the groups even lets children who want to battle form up against them with a shield in hand. The children charge at the adult warriors and of course, win!
(It is both adorable and slightly terrifying how in to it some of the kids get!)
By the way! ONLY approved reenactors are allowed to carry metal weapons around Valhalla. No matter how good your outfit or how blunt the blade, you cannot take a metal sword, axe, or bow etc in to Valhalla!
Feel free to wear as much armour as you like though, one vendor was selling a Leather Cuirass that I had to tear myself away from buying!
As I mentioned in the introduction, there are a lot of living history reenactors as well. They set up camp around the festival itself and put on a full display of how the Scandinavian people would have lived, cooked, and made things each day.
Some of them sell a lot of their crafted wears too so don't be afraid to go up and browse, you're not disturbing them.
In fact the main point in them being there is to educate anyone who is willing to listen, and even help teach anyone whop wants to learn, how to do do as they do.
It's not uncommon to see someone who casually walked passed one moment, to be sitting down and crafting something like shoes, or even cooking alongside them the next!
Photo credit: Angela Harper
There are two things that make Valhalla spiritual for me, that being some of the musicians we are blessed with on stage such as Solfyr, and primarily.. the woodland temple.
This is a beautiful and relatively small wooded space outside the feast hall that is dedicated to the Gods. Around the perimeter of the wood you will find statues to Odin, Freya, Frigg, Thor, and Tyr. This year we were even blessed with 3 smaller statues as well.
One in particular to Freyr stands out.
Offerings are often given to and placed on and around the statues by those of us praying to our Gods, so if you see things dotted about them, please do not take them or move them, each year the staff collect them and lay them out again the next year, by this point I would expect to see far more offerings around them after several years, so please be respectful of them, and teach wandering children to respect these too please.
Also this year a stone Cairn was laid out in honour of our ancestors and those that we have lost.
The temple is the site of the opening ceremony, of weddings, (yes, you can arrange a handfasting in advance here as long as you're happy to have a large audience!) of prayer, lessons, the closing ceremony, and three times a day, we are treated to a story from the Skald storytellers, giving talented voice to the sagas and exploits of the Gods.
I feel though I MUST stress this strongly dear readers..
At the opening ceremony on Friday the ritual team stressed multiple times that the woodland temple is.. an actual temple.. and should be treated as such, and not to litter and that this is where many of us worship our Gods (With the statues around the temple) and to respect that.
I know a lot of people weren't at that opening ceremony and many people who attended Saturday are just there for a fun day out, so a lot of people were there who don't hold the same religious beliefs as the pagans around them.. but if you attended or plan to attend..
Do not litter or treat the temple as a Cafe.
I and many others picked up the litter of others from the sacred site and although it warms my heart that people felt comfortable amongst the Gods, sleeping against or blocking access to the statues with your chairs is also something you really shouldn't do.. So everyone please be mindful and respect the woodland temple, those who would like to pray, and the God statues.
It is a place of worship, respect, unity, marriage, ritual, storytelling, guidance, love, and connection with the Earth as well as the Gods.
Above all it is a place to RESPECT nature, as that is at the heart of Norse religion, and is referred to as Animism.
Not quite feeling 'Viking' enough?
Didn't have time to pull off the look you wanted as you rushed out the house? Or enjoying Valhalla so much you want to get more engrossed in the atmosphere? Valhalla has a place for your hair, whether wanting a few braids or plats, or having extensions and colourful fake dreads installed, then have at it!
Photo: KD Visuals - Photography
Maybe you want to mark your body up? Then tattooing is also available, be it permanent tattoos, or a Henna tattoo, there are places to make you look the part.
One of the best things about Valhalla is a giant feast tent, with the Stagger Inn bar on one end, and the performace stage for musicians at the other. You are free to bring food from the outside vendors in here and escape the sun! Just outside of the Stagger Inn there is a smaller Mead tent with genuinley DAMN GOOD mead, and I do not say that lightly. We bought a bottle of the Cherry mead this year and it was GONE in about half an hour. Delicious!
Through my partner's staff here you can see the food and drink stalls of Valhalla. There are options for everyone from coffee to milkshakes, to doughnuts, burgers, pizza, and Vegan food. (One stand was entirely plant based Indian food which was exactly what my group needed!)
The Feast!
The feast held everyday is insanely good. I have eaten at the feast in 2025 and in 2023, and was so happy that they cater to everyone, not just meat eaters. Veggie, Vegan, Gluten Free, you name it, you can pre-book it with your feast ticket.
The portions are HUGE.
A tray of starter food is brought out first with sliced meats, cheeses, bread, fruits, vegetables, and then the main course is brought out a short while later which is a BIG selection of meats or meat alternatives.
The atmosphere is electric with bands playing the whole time - it is no wonder that hundreds of voices join together in the songs they know, bang on tables with the music, and of course, you can't go five minutes wihtout someone shouting SKOL! - Of course, the entire tent yells in return! One of the best things about the feast is the bottomless drink. Staff attend up and down the aisles with Mead, Larger, and Cider; and are happy to pour it directly in to your cup or drinking horns. (Of course water too)
Bands and musicians play pretty much throughout the festival during the day and night.
There are a lot to choose from. Each year the MAIN highlight for me at Valhalla is listening to the ethereal Solfyr who uses her voice to channel the Gods and spirits, and each time it is incredible!
I get the same spiritual sensations listening to Solfyr that I do from Heilung and Wardruna.
Bands from poetic history singing, to Ren fair like ridiculousness, to throat singing, and tribal chanting and drumming, there is something for everyone! The night-time party in the tent gets wonderfully energetic and busy.
(Middle) photo credit: KD Visuals - Photography
There are plenty of things to do at Valhalla, you can book yourself in to learn Blacksmithing, Leather work, Calligraphy, how to play Hnefatafl, Archery, Bead making, and much more besides.
Most of which are available to pre-book when you buy your tickets online.
Photo credit: KD Visuals - Photography
As well as hands on crafting and learning there are some alternative bits too.
Each year there had been a stand for you to hold different birds (Just under a dozen to choose from) from tiny Owls to a giant Vulture.
The arena has not just battles to enjoy but Falconry, 'viking sports' you can join in with, and Strong man / magic shows.
Self growth wise you can pay to have a go at Archery, Axe throwing, and pre-book confidence building courses with fire walking, arrow snapping (with your neck) and ice baths.
Most impressively of all the things you could do this year and last, is you could book in to join the ARPI drum circle healing session with Chakka (The red Drummer of Heilung) Chakka also performed with a band this year that also had a native American Indian as a member and WOW can that man can make some wonderful vocals! Chakka also took part in the boat burning ritual on Saturday.
Here is an interview I had with him at Valhalla last year!
Kids are of course spoilt for choice at Valhalla, taking part in battles, learning about LARP, and given lessons with foam weapons; There's even a regular puppet show for them.
The boat burning!
Another of the main highlights of the festival is the burning of a mock up ship on Saturday night to honour the ancestors.
Photo credit: Angela Harper
Fire dancers and warriors provide entertainment in the build up to the event as the light recedes. As the performances come to an end, a procession is made to the boat with many torches in hand.
Photo credit: KD Visuals - Photography
As the boat is lit, drumming rings out through the night..
(Any photos above not credited were taken by myself)
Conclusion
Valhalla Viking Festival is a genuinely wonderful place to visit. It is one of the few events I will ALWAYS attend each year and is a great home to so many who follow the old ways. It provides a warm welcome to all, from the most spiritual, to the most casual of curious attendees.
It is a relatively small festival in the grand scale of things but that brings such an intimate sense of connection and magic that very few places can manifest.
Each year Valhalla grows, and there's even talk of it being given even more space to spread out into next year.
It is my hope that as Valhalla brings more 'everyday' people to its fields, that people grow in their respect and love for nature, and the old ways mankind once enjoyed before the rat race of capitalism took hold.
I once again thank all the staff for making it one of my favourite places in all of Midgard.
Valhalla is by far, one of the best festivals this country has, and I will die on that hill. Til Valhöl
Thank you!
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