Reuben have had a campsite at 2000trees for nearly 20 years without ever playing the festival. In 2027, that's finally going to change.
The band's long awaited reunion is part of the first 65 acts announced for 2000trees 2027, with New Found Glory, Creeper, Mannequin Pussy and The Menzingers also confirmed.
The festival returns to Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham, from 7th–10th July, marking 20 years since the very first 2000trees. And the organisers have clearly been digging into the festival's history for this anniversary.
Reuben finally get to play the festival they missed
Reuben were supposed to headline the second 2000trees back in 2008, but they split up before the event happened.
Their fans had already bought tickets, so they went anyway. They set up Camp Reuben, complete with a flag and a singalong, and the campsite has survived ever since.
Now, 19 years later, Reuben are getting back together and will finally make their 2000trees debut on Saturday 10th July.
It's quite a story for a band that hasn't played together since 2008. Frontman Jamie Lenman has become a regular at the festival as a solo artist, but this time he'll be bringing Reuben with him. He's also booked for a separate solo set.
If you’ve spent time at Camp Reuben over the years, you've had a particularly long wait for this one.
New Found Glory are playing twice
New Found Glory are the first Main Stage headliner announced for 2027, and they're marking their 30th anniversary with two different sets.
As well as closing the Main Stage, they'll play an exclusive deep-cuts set in the Forest on Friday 9th July.
That second performance is a very good reason to see them twice. Instead of another run through the regular setlist, they'll be digging into material that doesn't usually get played live.
The anniversary celebrations will also be an opportunity to remember founding guitarist Chad Gilbert, who died in September aged 45, following a long battle with cancer.
Gilbert had been involved in planning the band's 30th anniversary shows before his death.
"Chad was a part of all these plans and will be there in spirit with us," the band said in their announcement.
It's going to be an emotional anniversary for New Found Glory and their fans, with 2000trees among the first festivals confirmed for those celebrations.
The Menzingers, Lonely The Brave and more anniversary performances
There's quite a bit more happening here than bands turning up to play their usual festival sets.
The Menzingers are celebrating ten years of After The Party with a special anniversary performance, while INME are returning to the festival they headlined in 2007, this time with a set dedicated to that year.
Lonely The Brave are reuniting with original vocalist Dave Jakes for the first time in a decade, and Cheltenham's Crooks are playing their first gig since 2016.
Creeper and Mannequin Pussy are back too. Creeper first played the festival on the Cave Stage in 2015, while Mannequin Pussy appeared on the second stage in 2022.
The rest of the first announcement includes Fever 333, Hot Water Music, Bayside, Electric Six, Baby Lasagna, unpeople, Chalk, Vower, The Meffs, Taylor Acorn and Native James.
Further down the poster you'll find Sincere Engineer, The Chisel, Bones Ate Arfa, Silly Goose, SHLUG and The Spook School, among plenty of others.
It's quite a sizeable first announcement, and there are still more headliners to come.
Friday's Forest takeover brings something different
Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music is bringing The Revival Tour to the Forest on Friday, with Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem, Dave Hause, Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio, Tim Barry, Emily Barker and Jenny Owen Youngs.
The Revival Tour isn't just an ordinary series of solo sets. It's built around acoustic performances, with the musicians joining each other on stage and collaborating throughout.
For people more familiar with hearing these artists fronting full bands, this is a chance to see them perform in a very different setting.
Add New Found Glory's deep-cuts show to Friday's Forest programme, and there's already plenty happening on that stage alone.
We'll have to see how it all fits together when the running order is announced.
Four-day tickets and campervan pitches are already gone
If this announcement has got you thinking about tickets, there are a few things to be aware of.
The four-day tickets, which include Wednesday entry, have already sold out. So have all the campervan pitches, including those with electric hook-ups.
Three-day weekend tickets are currently available for £220, covering Thursday to Saturday, with camping included. NHS workers and students can get discounted tickets for £198, while VIP weekend tickets are £315.
Individual day tickets are £95, but they don't include camping. Parking costs another £30 for the weekend or £15 for a day.
There's also an eight-month instalment plan at £30 per month. That's £240 altogether, so you'll pay £20 more than the current standard weekend ticket price.
These are early-bird prices, and the organisers say they won't be around indefinitely. According to 2000trees, more than 85% of tickets were already snapped up during July's sales.
Ozzfest might complicate your plans
There's another festival announcement this week that could make choosing where to go next summer a little more difficult.
Ozzfest is returning to the UK on Saturday 10th July 2027, at The National Bowl in Milton Keynes.
That's the final day of 2000trees, which means anyone hoping to attend both festivals has a problem.
With Reuben already confirmed for the Saturday at Trees, and Ozzfest yet to reveal a single band, there's a potential clash that could become even more awkward once both line-ups are complete.
We've covered Ozzfest's return to Milton Keynes in our separate report.
2000trees still has more bands and headliners to announce, so there's plenty we don't know about the full weekend yet.
For the complete first-wave lineup and the latest ticket information, head to 2000trees.co.uk.