Our Story
How two festivals became one.
Bottled Up is the culmination of two festivals born from the same spirit — community, music, and letting loose.
Level Up Festival
Level Up Festival, once referred to as Whoughton (Whyte Houghton), started in 2019 when a storm shut down Houghton Festival and left people stranded with nowhere to go. One call later, we had rented a small generator, put fairy lights in the trees and turned our field into a weekend of dancing and stormy chaos.
A year later, we were buzzin' and bigger with 350 tickets sold out. Then tragically, COVID hit.
The next two years were spent fighting to make it happen properly, cutting through legal setbacks, to build something that could last. These years saw a range of artists and various genres, with two stages including a converted dj snowbus. The energy was palpable.
Bottlefest
Bottlefest was born in the Dunsfold countryside, where we spent our teenage years listening to vinyl from around the world — records collected from the Caribbean, Africa, and beyond by a well-travelled friend. As festival lovers, we always dreamed of curating our own event with a fantastic eclectic mix of world music, and in 2018 a GoFundMe page turned that dream into reality.
What started as a humble woodland party grew year on year. By 2021, we had three hundred guests and plenty of donations to bring two stages to life in our colourfully illuminated woodland, all funded by our sincerely devoted community of music lovers — the 'Bottlejobs.' Eventually, we outgrew our Dunsfold home.
In a post-COVID world, finding suitable land proved difficult — weddings are far more lucrative for landowners, and councils can make it tricky for grass-roots events to get off the ground. Setbacks across 2023 and 2024 led us to launch a London series of club nights, art shows, intimate vinyl evenings, and day parties, keeping the Bottlefest spirit alive while we searched for a new home.
Bottled Up
Two festivals, one spirit. Level Up and Bottlefest were born from the same love of music, community, and creating something special from nothing. When we finally crossed paths, it just made sense — same energy, same values, same dream.
Bottled Up is about people, connection and letting loose. Community always comes first as we shine a light on our talented friends, from bands and solo DJs to entrepreneurs and everything in between. We create a place where all are welcome to bring any funky ideas to the party and are guaranteed to see old friends, meet new friends and potentially leave with a new beau.
Our first Bottled Up was a two-stage, two-night celebration in the Suffolk countryside — and it was only the beginning. Roll on September 2026!