John Summit’s Experts Only lands in the UK for a two‑day open‑air debut at Tofte Manor—now locked for Saturday, July 11, 2026 and Sunday, July 12, 2026. After overwhelming demand pushed the promoter to add a second date. Both shows sold out in record time during pre‑sale, and fans are currently funneled to official waiting lists only. This extended run marks Summit’s first‑ever UK open‑air headline appearance and the formal UK debut of Experts Only, the event and label platform he built to champion creative freedom and boundary‑pushing house music experiences. It follows a breakout year that saw Summit sell out London’s O2 Arena (Sept 13, 2025) after an instant‑sell Brixton Academy show (Jan 24, 2025) clear signs the brand can scale without losing its identity
What Makes Experts Only Different
Born from Summit’s desire to operate “without limits,” Experts Only has evolved into a curatorial platform and global live series known for off‑location shows and maximalist production. The brand staged a milestone in New York City in 2025 with a two‑day festival on Randall’s Island widely tipped as NYC’s largest dance‑music gathering of the year and drew an estimated ~50,000 attendees across the weekend. That blueprint high‑energy house, tier‑one sound and visuals, A‑list pairings, and community‑first production is the DNA coming to Tofte Manor.
For its first UK appearance, the promoter promises a “full‑scale audio‑visual spectacle” with immersive visuals, cutting‑edge lighting, and state‑of‑the‑art sound, stretched across two expertly curated stages and a day‑into‑night arc that’s become the brand’s signature.
Why Tofte Manor Is the Perfect Canvas
Set in Bedfordshire’s woodlands, Tofte Manor is one of the UK’s most striking boutique venues: a 17th‑century estate where “hedonism meets spirituality,” complete with two walkable sacred labyrinths the Star and Earth designs that guests can experience before the music peaks. The site merges historic architecture with open‑air freedom and a reflective, ritual‑adjacent dimension you simply don’t get at city arenas.
Tofte’s backstory runs deep: first recorded in the Domesday Book (1086), with ties to the Knights Templar, and a later brush with James McNeill Whistler the estate’s lore is unusually rich for a music site. Its Chartres‑inspired labyrinth even channels water through copper piping beneath the path, a design flourish that underscores the venue’s spiritual bent.
It’s also a place built for defining performances: recent seasons have welcomed the worldwide debut of Fred again.., Fatboy Slim Loves, Jungle Curates, and Innervisions’ Lost In A Moment, establishing Tofte as a low‑capacity, high‑impact stop on the international circuit.
Two Dates, One Statement: July 11and 12, 2026
The original Saturday, July 11 Experts Only show moved so quickly that Labyrinth Events added Sunday, July 12 and that date also hit immediate sell‑out, with waitlists now the only official pathway. This two‑day footprint not only doubles fan access but also elevates Summit’s UK arrival into a weekend narrative, the kind of extended presence usually reserved for established festival brands. Entry is strictly 18+, with daytime doors and a last entry cut‑off to preserve flow and safety on site.
Operational details 13:00–23:00 show hours and last entry near 18:00 mirror Labyrinth’s standard Tofte rhythm, tuned for golden‑hour crescendos and early‑night finales beneath the trees.
The John Summit Arc: From Arenas to Labyrinths
Summit’s two‑day UK open‑air bow arrives after a string of headline milestones in O2 Arena (2025) and O2 Academy Brixton (2025) and a global touring streak that includes Madison Square Garden and The Kia Forum. The narrative is simple: Experts Only is a stadium‑ready proposition that can shrink to boutique scale without losing impact. That’s precisely what makes Tofte Manor compelling: big‑room energy, small‑format intimacy.
Editorials describe Summit’s sets as peak‑time forward tight percussion, chunky low end, euphoric builds a grammar that syncs perfectly with Tofte’s golden‑hour dynamics and nightfall finales.
Inside the Experience: Sound, Stages, Wellness, Food
Expect two Experts Only‑curated stages, bespoke production design, and wellness activations during the early programme plus hand‑picked local food and beverage that reflects the venue’s pastoral context. The creative direction is to escape deep into the historic countryside, then gear-shift into peak‑time energy as evening falls.
Capacity is intentionally intimate: Resident Advisor lists the venue at ≈3,500, while production recaps reference “up to ~5,000 per show” across different formats either way, the ethos is space to dance and decompress rather than shoulder‑to‑shoulder survival mode.
Where It Lands in the 2026 Tofte Manor Series
Experts Only is the final anchor in Labyrinth’s 2026 run a week of cross‑genre statements culminating in Summit’s two‑day takeover:
- Fri, July 3 – The Kooks, Inside In/Inside Out 20th Anniversary
- Sat, July 4 – Sasha & John Digweed, six‑hour set (longest together in decades)
- Sun, July 5 – Sugababes at the Manor
- Sat–Sun, July 11-12 – John Summit presents Experts Only (UK exclusive, both dates sold out)
Tofte’s own listings explicitly warn fans: do not contact the Manor for tickets or accommodation use Labyrinth channels only. That’s your hint this is a fully off‑site‑managed festival build rather than a typical venue hire.
Practical Guide: Getting In and Getting There
Tickets & Waitlist
Both July 11 and 12 are sold out; join the official waitlist via Labyrinth or their approved ticketing partners. 18+ entry; valid photo ID required.
Transport
Labyrinth runs a direct return coach from London King’s Cross and a Bedford Station shuttle (Bedford is ~15 minutes from the site). Pre‑book parking if you’re driving; egress traffic on country lanes is a thing, so plan your exit window. Taxi drop‑off is signposted by postcode zones.
Accommodation
There’s no on‑site lodging Labyrinth links out to recommended B&Bs and reminds visitors to book early. The address is Souldrop Rd, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1HH.
Accessibility
Labyrinth provides accessible parking, viewing areas, and facilities. For PA/companion tickets, follow the DICE/Email verification process outlined on the event page.
Experts Only at Tofte Manor was always going to be one of 2026’s most talked‑about UK day parties. The decision to add July 12 turns a single marquee moment into a weekend residency, fusing Summit’s stadium‑scale showcraft with Tofte’s sacred‑labyrinth mystique. If you missed pre‑sale, join the waitlist and start plotting logistics now because in 2026, the UK debut of Experts Only is both a scene checkpoint and a genuine escape.
