American football fanatics from all over the world converged in Cheltenham in August as Newlands Park hosted another successful Flagapalooza, one of Europe’s leading flag football festivals.
The event built on its successful debut last year, delivering another action-packed weekend of fast-paced, no-contact football alongside street food stalls, live music, well-stocked bars, and on-site camping.
A celebration of all things flag football, the event is open to men’s, women’s, and mixed teams of five, whether established or newly-formed. In 2025, teams traveled from as far as Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and even the USA, all competing for top cash prizes, trophies, and glitzy championship rings.
Played at Cheltenham Tigers RFC, group games took place throughout the day on Saturday 9th August, with the finals and winners’ ceremony held on the Sunday. Before the action, on Friday 8th August, a welcome party was held for all teams and fans at DEYA brewery, including free pizza from local favourite Pigs Pizza.
Following on from 2024 wins for Cheltenham Wayfinders women’s team and a mixed ‘Only Flags’ team crammed with players from the Cardiff Hurricanes, this year saw new champions crowned as Bold City College reigned in the mixed bracket while The Furies took the women’s title.
With an afterparty held at the Frog and Fiddle and plenty taking up the option to camp overnight on the site, the event proved another roaring success and the return date for 2026 is already set, for August 21-23.
For more information or to register a team for 2026, follow @Flagapalooza for all the latest news, photos, and videos.
