Food.
What will we eat?
Field stage
2027
28th & 29th July 2027 · Chew Valley Lake
The future ofFood, Farming & Land.
The South-West’s leading gathering for the people creating the future of food, farming, land & climate.
Two days · three stages · The Community Farm, Chew Valley Lake
FoodTechnologyEcologyEntrepreneurshipFarmingCulture
About
Growing from a founding day tothe South-West’s gathering
In 2026 Wake the Valley lit the fire with one founding day on the farm. Around 200 people joined Rob Hopkins, Patrick Holden and friends to set out what a regenerative future could look like.
In 2027 it grows into two days and three stages. It becomes the place where ag-tech founders, engineers, researchers and investors meet the farmers, growers and food businesses who will put their ideas to work. A serious technical conference with a festival heart.
2026 · Foundation2027 · Growth
FormatOne founding dayTwo full days
ProgrammeOne running orderThree stages in parallel
Crowd~200 people1,000–1,500 people
Founded 2026
Started on the farm
The founding day brought around 200 people together with some of the most respected voices in
regeneration, on Luke Hasell’s farm beside Chew Valley Lake. 2027 builds on that.
- Rob HopkinsFounder, Transition Towns
- Patrick HoldenFounding Director, Sustainable Food Trust
- Lynne FranksFounder, SEED Network
- Luke HasellFounder, Valley Fest
- Zoe DaviesWest of England Nature Partnership
- Jarvis SmithCo-founder, My Green Pod
With our friends
Sector focus
Who it’s for
Regenerative AgricultureAgroEcologySoilNature-Friendly FarmingFood-System ChangeAg-TechnologyEntrepreneurship
What it is
Five things at once
- 1Eco-agricultural symposiumBetween 1,000 and 1,500 people over two days on a working farm. That’s enough for a full programme, and few enough that you’ll see the same faces at lunch.
- 2Serious technical conferenceForty sessions on soil science, data, robotics, finance and policy, given by farmers, researchers and founders who work on this every day.
- 3Regen & tech-forward communityRegenerative growers and ag-tech founders speak on the same stages and eat at the same tables.
- 4Festival-esque & socialLunch is served at long tables. On the first evening there’s a harvest feast and live bands by Chew Valley Lake.
- 5Functional networkingYour lanyard colour shows whether you’re a grower, maker, builder or backer, so the people you came to meet are easy to spot. There are breakfast meet-ups and farm walks too.
Early bird
Early bird tickets go on sale in late 2026. Leave your email and we’ll tell you the moment they’re live.
We’ll only use this to tell you about Wake the Valley tickets.
Six core questions
What we’ll explore
Six questions run through the programme. Talks and debates explore them from different angles, and each
stage carries two of them, so you can follow the threads you care about.
Farm.
How will we grow it?
Field stage
Tech.
What can we build?
Barn stage
Business.
How do we make it happen?
Barn stage
Nature.
How do we restore?
Harvest stage
Culture.
Why should people care?
Harvest stage
Three stages
Field. Barn. Harvest.
Two core questions per stage and about seven sessions on each stage every day: 40 talks, debates and demos
over the two days. Follow one stage all day or roam between all three.
The
Field
FarmFood
How will we grow it? What will we eat?
The ground truth. Soil, crops, livestock and the food that comes from them, told by the farmers, growers and producers doing the work.
Keynotes · Farmer panels · Debates · Producer stories
The
Barn
TechBusiness
What can we build? How do we make it happen?
The workshop. Ag-tech, data, robotics, finance and new ventures, with innovators, founders and funders in the same room.
Founder pitches · Tool demos · Funding panels · Innovator showcase
The
Harvest
NatureCulture
How do we restore? Why should people care?
The big picture. Restoring nature and the culture that makes people care, with ecologists, artists and storytellers. In the evening it becomes the music stage.
Keynotes · Nature debates · Conversations · Evening live music
2027 on the ground
The shape of it
1,000–1,500people
2days28th & 29th July
3stagesField · Barn · Harvest
40talks, debates & demos
6core questions
1working farmChew Valley Lake
The Community Farm, Chew Valley Lake · 28th & 29th July 2027
Early bird
Early bird tickets go on sale in late 2026. Leave your email and we’ll tell you the moment they’re live.
We’ll only use this to tell you about Wake the Valley tickets.
Getting here
Two hours from the lake
The Community Farm sits beside Chew Valley Lake, about 25 minutes from Bristol. Bath, Cardiff and South Wales, the Cotswolds, Somerset, Dorset and Devon are all within a two-hour drive.
You’ll be in good company. Agri-tech incubators, robotics labs, research farms and agricultural universities all sit inside the circle, and Bristol, Bath and Cardiff have thriving tech and start-up scenes.
- University of Bristol Veterinary School Langford, next door
- Bristol Robotics Laboratory Bristol
- Bridgwater & Taunton College agricultural campus Cannington
- Hartpury University & Agri-Tech Centre Gloucestershire
- Royal Agricultural University & Farm491 agri-tech incubator Cirencester
- Rothamsted Research North Wyke Farm Platform Devon
1 hr
2 hr
Chew Valley Lake
Bristol
Bath
Weston
Newport
Taunton
Cardiff
Swindon
Salisbury
Exeter
Cheltenham
Dorchester
Hereford
Oxford
Bournemouth
Plymouth
1
2
3
4
5
6
Programme
Intelligent. Optimistic. Practical.
Talks from 09:30 on both days. Day one runs on into a long summer evening of food and small live bands,
and day two keeps the same rhythm and wraps up mid-afternoon.
Day One · Wed 28 July
Into the field
A full day of talks, then the farm turns into a long summer evening.
- 09:00Gates open, coffee on the farm
- 09:30Opening, then talks start on all three stages
- 12:30Long-table lunch & guided farm walks
- 14:00Afternoon talks & debates, founder pitches in the Barn
- 17:30Harvest feast as the talks wind down
- 19:00Intimate live sets on the Harvest stage: small bands, indie vibes
- 21:00Close
Day Two · Thu 29 July
Build what’s next
Same rhythm, sharper focus: what we build, who backs it and how it gets done.
- 09:00Gates open, breakfast meet-ups by delegate type
- 09:30Talks start on all three stages
- 12:30Long-table lunch, farm walks & exhibitor showcase
- 14:00Afternoon talks & debates, innovator showcase in the Barn
- 15:45Closing plenary: from conversation to commitment
- 16:30Close
Networking that works
Everyone picks a delegate type when they book and that sets the colour of their lanyard. A farmer looking for a funder or a founder looking for growers to trial with can spot them across the field. Breakfast meet-ups by delegate type, farm walks and the Barn innovator showcase do the rest.
GrowerFarmers, growers & land managers
MakerChefs, food & drink businesses & artists
BuilderFounders, engineers & researchers
BackerInvestors, funders, buyers & policymakers
In the room
Who you’ll meet
- ✳ Ag-tech & food-tech founders
- ✳ Engineers, researchers & innovators
- ✳ Investors, funders & grant-makers
- ✳ Regenerative & transitioning farmers
- ✳ Growers, land managers & estates
- ✳ Chefs, food businesses & buyers
- ✳ Policymakers & local authorities
- ✳ New entrants & students
The road to July
Key dates
- NowCall for speakers open. Register your interest below.
- Late 2026Early bird tickets go on sale.
- Early 2027First speakers announced.
- Spring 2027Full programme live across all three stages.
- 28–29 JulyTwo days on the farm.
Call for speakers
Bring something worth hearing
We want the farmers doing it, the founders building it, the scientists measuring it and the chefs
cooking it. Tell us what you’d bring to the main stages and we’ll be in touch as the programme takes
shape.
28th & 29th July 2027 · Chew Valley Lake
Be part of the future of food, farming & land.
Tickets on sale soon. The call for speakers is open now.
Early bird
Early bird tickets go on sale in late 2026. Leave your email and we’ll tell you the moment they’re live.
We’ll only use this to tell you about Wake the Valley tickets.