Shambala festival – which has served only vegetarian and vegan food for years – has announced that it is opening a public vote on whether to introduce wild venison at its 2026 edition.

Shambala is renowned as a pioneer in sustainable festivals. Ten years ago, it removed meat and fish from its menus for the first time, to spark a conversation about the impact the food we eat has on climate, ecosystems and communities around the globe. And it worked. The debate flourished, habits shifted and the festival cut food-related emissions to just six per cent of its total carbon footprint, compared to an average of 21 per cent at UK music festivals. Now, nearly a decade on, the festival is revisiting the conversation in light of record-high deer populations in the UK and growing ecological concerns around overgrazing and biodiversity loss.

Across the UK, conservationists, land managers and ecologists have warned that, in the absence of natural predators, deer numbers have risen to levels that many habitats cannot sustain. Heavy browsing of young trees and vegetation is linked to stalled woodland regeneration, damage to crops, and declining biodiversity. As a result, controlled culling is widely used as a land management tool, with advocates arguing that consuming wild venison from these programmes ensures the animal is used as food rather than wasted, and can form part of a more localised, low-input food system.

Last week the UK Government unveiled a strategy aimed at making deer management easier in order to reduce numbers and protect crops and habitats.

At the same time, Shambala is encouraging the ecological debate – and asking its community to consider whether responsibly sourced wild venison could have a place at the festival as an environmentally restorative food choice.

If approved by festivalgoers, Shambala would introduce a single trader serving only wild British venison, with a percentage of profits donated to biodiversity initiatives. Talks and workshops exploring the UK’s deer overpopulation and wider food system ethics would also form part of the programme.

Chris Johnson, MD and co-founder of Shambala, said: “In 2016 we shocked the festival world, and some of our audience, by taking meat and fish off the menu. We did this to reduce environmental impacts, and also to spark debate. It feels time to reinvigorate these important conversations, and also to highlight that we urgently need to eat wild deer to rescue and protect what little is left of our natural habitats.”

Around a third of Shambala’s audience identifies as vegetarian or vegan, and organisers stress that they respect the ethical convictions underpinning those choices. The final decision will be determined by an audience vote.

The debate is now open and the results will be shared in early March.

Image: Shambala Festival/Ania Shrimpton