Exeter Respect Festival 2027

Exeter Respect returns to Belmont Park on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June 2027, marking its 30th anniversary. It's the city's annual celebration of diversity, and this year's theme is 'Celebrating Unity', a nod to the different cultures, histories and experiences that make Exeter and the wider region what they are.

Across the weekend, the park fills with three stages of live music and dance, storytelling and talks, international food stalls, children's and family activities, and a range of community organisations. It's a broad mix, so you can spend a whole day there without ever running out of things to see.

There's a bit of history to it, too. The first festival was in 1997, and it's run almost every year since. From 2003 to 2008, the main event was at Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre, but it's called Belmont Park home since 2009, drawing around 20,000 people each year. It's billed as the South West's longest-running festival dedicated to diversity, equality and human rights, and it frames itself as a movement rather than just an event. The ethos comes from the old Commission for Racial Equality slogan 'ALL DIFFERENT, ALL EQUAL!', and the idea behind it is that fear and ignorance breed racism, and we overcome them by getting to know one another. It's run by Managing Director Dr Suaad Genem, and it's an alcohol-free weekend.

On Saturday, gates open at 11:30am and the festival starts at 12:00pm; Sunday starts at 11:00am and runs into the early evening. Entry is a symbolic fee of £2, with under-16s free of charge.