Audio Junk Food presents
Crosstown Traffic 2026
Cheltenham
#SHIREGROWN and Showing Off
From Thursday 26th February at 7:00pm to Sunday 1st March at 8:00pm
Crosstown Traffic 2026 throws open the doors to five venues, eleven stages and a tidal wave of homegrown noise. With wristbands priced between £5 and £13 (+ booking fees), this is less a polite nod to the local scene and more a four-day declaration that Cheltenham’s alternative underground is not only alive, it’s grafting.
Presented by Audio Junk Food, Crosstown Traffic feels like a love letter to the town’s DIY backbone. The live circuit here has been quietly swelling — more rooms, better PAs, braver bookings — and this weekend is its victory lap. Fifty-one artists. One wristband to rule them all. No excuses.
The beauty of Crosstown Traffic is in the roam. You’re not stuck in a muddy field praying the rain holds off; you’re ducking between venues, pint in hand, chasing that next band everyone’s whispering about.
- Smokey Joe’s (27–28 Feb) – Under 18s allowed
- The Steam & Whistle (27 Feb & 1 Mar) – 18+ on the 27th, under 18s welcome on the 1st
- The Frog and Fiddle (27–28 Feb) – 18+ only
- The 2 Pigs (27–28 Feb) – 18+ for afterparties; under 18s allowed on the 28th stage
- The Bottle of Sauce (28 Feb) – 18+ only
The #SHIREGROWN mantra isn’t lip service. This is a cross-section of what Cheltenham and its creative orbit are actually producing in 2026.
You’ve got indie bite from the likes of Adam Mustoe and Alex Meyer; poetic flair courtesy of The Ambushed Poets; grit and growl from Broken Jaw and The Desperados; shimmering alt-pop from Chloe Mogg and Sophie Latimer; and genre-blurring left-turns from Fracture, Nostalgia Bias and Run Yoshi Run, to name but a few…
Award-winning gothic Americana duo, Saint Senara, are bringing their Nashville-inspired songwriters round to Crosstown Traffic Festival for the second year in a row. Designed to shine a spotlight on the very best local songwriters, with a lineup handpicked by the band, the Songs & Stories Stage at Smokey Joe’s American bar & diner in Cheltenham kicks off this growing grassroots festival on Thursday 26 February 2026 – with doors opening at 7pm.
The evening features intimate, stripped-back sets from rising country star, Amy Moore (Stroud); blues-rock powerhouse, Chloe Mogg (Stourport); Jake Chown and Kay John from Forest of Dean rockers, Mirages; and the unmistakeable voice of funky, blues-rock band Death Is A Girl, Joe Green (Cheltenham).
Festival wristbands cost £13 and grant access to all venues across the festival weekend, with over 50 grassroots artists to see across five venues. Wristbands are available to book from Fatsoma now: https://www.fatsoma.com/e/k8mipi0s/crosstown-traffic-2026
Saint Senara are also performing a full set on the Out of Key Stage at the Frog & Fiddle in Cheltenham on Saturday 28 February 2026 as part of the festival, too.
Elsewhere, expect the cinematic sweep of Saint Senara, the punch of Oxblood Moon, the restless energy of Red Swan, and the kind of late-night chaos that only afterparties at The 2 Pigs can properly deliver. From stripped-back acoustics to full-throttle distortion, this is a weekend built on contrast.
It might be your first time seeing some of these artists. It might be your fiftieth. That’s the point.
In a climate where gig prices are spiralling, Crosstown Traffic keeps it grounded. Earlybirds were snapped up at £10 (+ £1 booking fee). NUS tickets sit at £8, general admission at £13, with reduced rates for 14–17s (£7) and under 13s (£5) at specified venues. It’s accessible without feeling cheap — a deliberate move to keep the scene porous and welcoming.
Age restrictions vary by venue and date, so check before you head out. This is a multi-generational bill, and the flexibility reflects that.
Cheltenham doesn’t always shout about its alternative credentials. It should. Weekends like this prove the infrastructure is there: the promoters putting in the hours, the venues taking chances, the artists honing their craft in tight rooms where every lyric lands and every missed note is felt.
Crosstown Traffic isn’t about parachuting in a headline act from London to validate the town. It’s about spotlighting what’s already here — the graft, the growth, the graft again.