Location

Scarborough is a resort town on England's North Sea coast, which, along with Whitby, is one of the county's most famous seaside resorts. Scarborough has 2 bays with sandy beaches, which are split by a headland bearing the 12th-century Scarborough Castle.

https://www.scarboroughspa.co.uk/

Travel to and from Scarborough can be done at relative ease. Trains and buses run regularly from York to Scarborough. There is a 2-hour direct train from London to York. 

Address: Scarborough Spa, South Bay, Scarborough YO11 2H

Ticket Exchange & Wristband / Merch Collection

We will be offering attendees time to exchange their tickets, collect their wristbands & merch preorders at the venue on Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm. If you are here on Friday, we would suggest you do this early to avoid a mad rush on Saturday morning.

You will be able to exchange your tickets and collect your wristbands on Saturday from 11:00am.

The Sun Court - where the music market and main stage band merch will be held - will be open from 11:00am where there will be an early bar open. Farrer's Bar & Restaurant will also be open from 11:00am for those already with their wristbands. Please be aware that the Grand Hall Main Stage opens at 11:45am and the first band begins at 12:00pm.

Attendees from outside of the U.K

Attendees from outside of the UK are to collect their physical tickets & wristbands on entry. Just bring I.D and ticket booking reference number.

Accessibility

There are a number of ramps and elevators giving wheelchair access to all parts of the venue. Disabled toilets are situated in the Grand Hall, main foyer, the music market & the Ocean room.

A lift in the main foyer gives access to the balcony & Theatre, however please note that there are a small number of steps down to the seating.

There will be a raised viewing platform in the Grand Hall & Ocean Room. This has limited space and we ask all persons using this to remain seated whilst bands are performing.

Pre-show / Afterparty

Over the Fortress weekend we will be working with The Cask & Keg Scarborough for an official pre-show on Friday and an afterparty for Saturday and Sunday.

We will host three bands in the club downstairs on Friday evening. Opening times are 19:00-23:00 for the pre-show. Capacity is limited at 150 and the pub upstairs has a further capacity of 150 and there is ample seating outside. We'll have Fortress suitable music throughout. It's a great space just leading out of the town centre and across Valley Bridge (roughly 15 minute walk from the Scarborough Spa venue)

We will have the club downstairs open Saturday and Sunday 23:00 - 03:00. Maybe later if there's plenty of you wanting to stick about until the early hours.

This is all FREE ENTRY. No conditions for entry - including the gig on Friday.

Three Stages

Fortress Festival has three stages for 2026. Due to the limited capacity of the Ocean Room and Theatre stages, we suggest you get there early to avoid disappointment.

Please be aware that the Ocean Room and Theatre stages are lower capacity than the Grand Hall. If there is a band that you want to see in either, we suggest that you arrive at that stage well in time. Once the stages are full to capacity, we will operate an in/out system for attendees. The live Fortress Forum talks / Dungeon Synth artists are scheduled for when there is an Ocean Room performance.

Tickets

Physical tickets are sent out to all purchasers via Royal Mail. If you can no longer attend, you are more than welcome to sell your physical ticket on to someone else.

No refunds are offered, as per the norm for a festival event, unless the event is cancelled.

Age Restrictions

Fortress Festival is a 14+ event. People aged between 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Photos/Filming

No professional photo or filming equipment can be brought into Fortress Festival without permission from the festival.

Media Pass

Please contact dom@3-nation.com for any media inquiries at Fortress Festival

Bag Policy

Small rucksacks and bags are allowed to be brought into the festival, but these may be subject to a bag search for everyone's safety.

Readmission

Both days allow readmission to the festival and venue.

Cliff Lift

The cliff lift will be in operation on both days between 10am and 11:15pm. Fares are currently £1.50 single and £2.60 return.

Cloakroom

The venue does not operate a cloakroom. There will be coat rails situated adjacent to where the wristband exchange is. You can leave jackets and bags etc here at your own risk.

Cash & Card

All the bars accept both cash & card, as does our merch stall. In the past, most traders / band merch stalls have accepted both cash & card, though please keep in mind that some may not.

There are no cash points at the venue - the closest ones being in the Olympia complex on the seafront, or in the town centre.

Guestlist Policy

Fortress Festival offers a zero guestlist policy at the event.