Where all
good things
come together

Independent since '99

> Why We Exist

We exist to support the unsupported

In 1999, Richard Howard and Si Chai sat down with a cuppa and believed the music industry could be a fairer place. 27 years later, we still do.

  • A platform where non-commercial music is not a compromise — it's the entire point.

  • First stages for voices that deserve to be heard.

  • Fair pay for artists isn't a radical idea. Just the right one.

  • Festivals that feel alive again — made for you, not sold to you.

  • So the music sounds, as the artists intended.

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0Years of Stages
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Where It All Began line-up

We're the people behind it.

Not "Chai Wallahs presents." Same people, same standards, new scale — a whole new festival, brought to you by the people behind Chai Wallahs.

Find out more

Apply to play Chai Wallahs 2027

The Chai Wallahs family are welcoming submissions for new artists to join us for the 2027 season and our new festival, Where It All Began. Show us where you are now as performers.

Join The Movement

27 years of stages, at —