The first Brampton Live festival took place in 1995.  Since then it has grown each year, and is now the biggest folk/roots music festival in the north of England.  The festival aims to promote artists of the highest quality, drawing on a broad spectrum of contemporary roots music from across the world - headliners and major artists in previous years have included Richard Thompson, Altan, Ali Bain & Phil Cunningham, Loudon Wainwright III, Suzanne Vega, Oliver Mutukudze, Rebecca Malope, The Waterboys, Sharon Shannon, Baka Beyond, Kathryn Tickell (whose Stories for The Debatable Lands was commissioned by the festival in 1998, available on the CD Debatable Lands, PRK CD50), Tommy Emmanuel, Eddi Reader, La Bottine Souriante, Dervish, Ifang Bondi, Ralph McTell, Tom Paxton, Oysterband, Tarika, Hank Wangford, the late Lonnie Donegan and many more.

The festival is organised jointly by Emerging Music (Ken & Sue Bradburn's music agency, booking tours for artists like Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Kristina Olsen, Clive Gregson, Boo Hewerdine and Rock, Salt & Nails, to name but a few) and Carlisle City Council's Arts Unit at Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery.  The successful management of the event is also dependent on the full co-operation of William Howard School, and on the contributions of the many volunteers who work as stewards, backstage crew, and general gophers!