As it gets colder and darker, making plans for summer is the best way to get through the winter - so here’s a list of UK festivals for you to consider attending next year.
The UK festival scene boasts a diverse range of festivals suited to a wide variety of music tastes and preferences, meaning there's something for everyone.
While not all festivals have released their line-ups for next summer, now is the perfect time to start thinking about what festivals you might want to attend, writes Music News Blitz’s Annika Winzer.
Glastonbury
Starting with arguably the UK’s most famous festival, Glastonbury sees over 210,000 visitors a year.
Past headliners include Oasis, The Cure and Radiohead.
Glastonbury did not take place this year, as 2026 was a fallow year.
A fallow year is part of Glastonbury’s focus on sustainability, giving the land, which is usually a working farm, time to recover.
Festival tickets are always in extremely high demand.
Glastonbury has not yet released its lineup for next year, but tickets for summer 2027 have already sold out.
The festival is set to take place from 23- 27 June.
However, there is another chance to snag tickets in spring, when returned tickets go on resale.
Creamfields
Creamfields is a popular electronic music festival taking place in Cheshire during the August bank holiday weekend.
Several artists have been announced already, including The Prodigy, Franky Rizardo, and Kettama.
The festival attracts around 70,000 visitors a day, making it one of the UK’s largest festivals.
Boomtown
Taking place on the Matterly Estate near Winchester, Boomtown Festival is a popular five-day festival known for its diverse music offerings and unique immersive storyline.
The storyline takes place across several ‘districts’, each with a particular theme, featuring interactive aspects and live actors.
In 2026, the festival expanded back to its previous size after a few years of being largely condensed due to COVID.
The festival announced Bicep and Noisia as closing acts for the festival via social media on the 28th October.
Alongside this, the social media post also announced updates to some of the stages and a ‘Transportal’ designed to ferry attendees up the largest hill within the festival.
Reading and Leeds Festival
These two festivals are held simultaneously on the August bank holiday weekend, in Richfield Avenue and Braham Park, respectively.
While they are two separate events, the two festivals feature the same headliners across the weekend.
Headliners for 2026 included Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, and Charli XCX.
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Download
Download is a rock and metal music festival held in Donnington Park from 9 to 13 June 2027.
It is the largest rock festival in the UK, with around 80,000 visitors in the past few years.
The 2026 headliners include Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses, and Linkin Park.
Smaller UK festivals
There are plenty of smaller festivals in the UK, for those who don't enjoy large crowds or just prefer a more laid-back festival experience.
GemFest is an independent grassroots festival that has been running since 2024.
While it started as a 21st birthday party, it has now grown to be a yearly event that spans 4 days.
In 2026, the capacity of the festival was approximately 10,000, and it received praise on social media for its community feel, often being dubbed a ‘mini-Boomtown’.
Other smaller festivals include Lost Village, a music and arts festival in Lincolnshire forest, Shambala, a community and sustainability-focused festival with a secret location, and Beatherder, a festival in Lancashire that is host to a range of genres.
Forbidden Forest, held at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, is a mid-sized woodland festival whose lineups feature popular electronic music DJs.
In 2026, acts included Chris Stassy, Shy FX and Silva Bumpa.
Day festivals
If camping isn't for you, there are also plenty of day festivals across the UK.
All Points East, held in Victoria Park in London, has announced Phoebe Bridgers as its first headliner.
Other day festivals include Parklife, held in Manchester’s Heaton Park, Love Saves the Day in Bristol, and Tramlines in Sheffield.
Even without the majority of lineups being announced, the UK’s diverse festival scene promises an exciting summer, with music ranging from rock to techno.
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