16 UK Music Festivals to check out in 2026

Even though the biggest and most famous of the UK festivals is taking a year off, there's plenty of alternatives on the docket for 2026. We've pulled together a bumper list of one-dayers, weekends, and a few things a bit further afield – if you want our rundown of Scotland's best music festivals in 2026, click here.

UK City Festivals

Starting in London, Piano People (24 May) comes to Barking Park for one of the most significant Amapiano events ever staged in the UK, while on the same day in Brockwell Park you’ll find Little Simz, Joy Crookes, Obongjayar, corto.alto and Brooke Combe playing Cross the Tracks. From 12 to 14 June, LIDO returns to Victoria Park’s Lido Field with headliners CMAT, Maribou State and Bombay Bicycle Club, and at the peak of summer, brand new festival HUSH (29 Jul-2 Aug) arrives in East Ham Central Park. An all-seated music festival, with community, comfort and presence at the heart of its ethos, their inaugural lineup includes Cate Le Bon, This Is the Kit, SOHN, Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah doing a special piano and voice performance. Back in Victoria Park, round out your summer with two weekends from All Points East (21-23 Aug & 28-30 Aug) with names like Jorja Smith, Lorde and Tyler, the Creator topping the bill, while the Outbreak Fest (23 Aug) takeover sees Deftones, IDLES, Amyl and the Sniffers, Interpol and more set to play.

On the first May bank holiday weekend, Sound City is back with a particularly strong Scottish backbone as a SAMA showcase brings Acolyte, Mercy Girl and Martha May and the Mondays to Liverpool, with more Scots like Cowboy Hunters and James Emmanuel also on the bill alongside outspoken queen Kate Nash. A few days later, Wrexham welcomes back Focus Wales (7-9 May) for its 16th edition, with a packed conference programme alongside an international showcase of over 250 artists. This year Fat Dog, Idlewild and Shame topline the festival that also includes Deerhoof, Gwenno, Becky Sikasa, Bill Ryder-Jones and GANS. For the other May bank holiday weekend, head to North Shields for A Stone’s Throw (23 May), with Luvcat, Working Men’s Club, Chalk, Panic Shack and more playing the all-dayer.

UK Camping Festivals

If you’d rather spend that bank holiday weekend camping, then get yourself to Derbyshire for Bearded Theory (Catton Park, 20-24 May). There’s a cool but vintage feel to the big names playing this one (Pixies, Garbage and Skunk Anansie), but CMAT, Fat Dog, Kae Tempest, Getdown Services, Idlewild, The Twilight Sad, Swim School, Lambrini Girls, Lynks and jasmine.4.t are also set to play this massive weekend. In East Sussex, Europe’s largest outdoor jazz festival, Love Supreme (Glynde Place, 3-5 Jul) returns with Loyle Carner, Ezra Collective, Gabrielle, De La Soul and Anderson .Paak’s funk/R’n’B outfit Free Nationals all set to play, while later in the month head to Oxfordshire for Truck Festival (Hill Farm, 23-26 Jul) where you’ll find Maccabees, CMAT, English Teacher, Getdown Services, Adult DVD, Brooke Combe, Divorce and Westside Cowboy alongside a run of names that read like a list of insults: Dirty Blonde, Slag, Twat Union, we’re looking at you. There’s also a stacked comedy lineup featuring some of our faves like Sam Nicoresti, Dan Tiernan and John Kearns.

If you’re after something more alternative, Bristol’s Arctangent (19-22 Aug) never misses. This year the award-winning festival welcomes Chelsea Wolfe, Primus, Napalm Death, Maruja, Chat Pile, Scaler and Witch Fever amongst others across the weekend. If you’d like Gilles Peterson to curate your weekend for you, head to Wimborne St Giles in Dorset for We Out Here (20-23 Aug), where Peterson has pulled together an impeccable programme: Stereolab, Digable Planets, Joy Crookes, Sampa the Great, corto.alto, John Glacier, Femi Koleoso, Josey Rebelle, Guedra Guedra, the list goes on.

A few days later in Northamptonshire, Shambala (Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens, 27-30 Aug) returns. The festival has been entirely vegetarian for the past decade; this year's stunning lineup of live music includes Bob Vylan, GOAT, Orchestra Baobab, Los Bitchos, Nubiyan Twist, Joshua Idehen, Malin Lewis, An Dannsa Dub and Home Counties. Finally, round out your summer with a trip to Salisbury for End of the Road (Larmer Tree Gardens, 3-6 Sep). A truly indie happening, the lineup is all killer no filler with Pulp, CMAT, Mac DeMarco, Earl Sweatshirt, Angine de Poitrine, Factory Floor, Ela Minus, Brighde Chaimbeul, Pigeon and Cowboy Hunters a tiny fraction of what to expect.

If you fancy a trip abroad for your summer festival fix, here are seven picks from across Europe

Rock For People
Park 360, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, 10-14 Jun
Lineup: Halsey, Babymetal, Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, Wolf Alice, Genesis Owusu, Ecca Vandal, Water From Your Eyes

We Love Green
Plaine de la Belle Etoile, Paris, France, 5-7 Jun
Lineup: Gorillaz, The xx, Addison Rae, Oklou, Little Simz, Hayley Williams, Soulwax, Sébastian Tellier

B-Sides Festival
Sonnenberg Kriens, Luzern, Switzerland 18-20 Jun
Lineup: Nation of Language, PVA, M(h)aol, RIP Magic, comfort, Baby Berserk, MAQUINA.

North Sea Jazz Festival
Ahoy Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 10-12 Jul
Lineup: Burna Boy, SHABAKA, Thundercat, Joy Crookes, John Legend, Questlove, Cassandra Wilson, DJ Pee .Wee

Bilbao BBK Live
Park Kobetamendi, Bilbao, Spain, 9-11 Jul
Lineup: Calvin Harris, Robbie Williams, David Byrne, Lily Allen, IDLES, CMAT, Interpol, Belle and Sebastian, Soulwax

Viljandi Folk Music Festival
Viljandi, Estonia, 23-26 Jul
Lineup: Amy Laurenson, The Zawose Queens, Gangar, Duo Ruut, Trifoor

All Together Now
Curraghmore Estate, Co. Waterford, Ireland, 30 Jul-2 Aug
Lineup: Pulp, Kneecap, Underworld, The Mary Wallopers, Self Esteem, Mogwai, Kae Tempest, The Avalanches, Gilla Band, Brògeal, The Dare (DJ)