Up-and-coming UK festivals to watch in Summer 2026: ‘Tramlines’, ‘Forwards’ and more

Soon enough, we won’t need to wear 4 layers to leave the house, and the main plans for the day will be getting a tan.

Indeed, summer is rapidly approaching, and with it comes the festival season!

And although there is no Glastonbury this year (not that I could get tickets anyway), there are still plenty of fabulous festivals with a stack of headliners.

Here, Megan Rogers-Jones, writer for Music News Blitz, will provide an overview of the most anticipated and up-and-coming UK festivals for Summer 2026, which you won't have to sell your organs to afford.

‘Tonnau’: 10th-12th of July

A smaller, but just as groovy festival that is perfect to kickstart your summer is the North Wales-based camping festival Tonnau.

The festival boasts a diverse lineup of bands and DJs from all over the world, performing on 7 stages over the course of 3 days.

A very unique festival, where stages include ‘Kitchen Disco’, decorated with kitchen wear, to ‘The Woods Stage’, hidden away in the trees.

Across the 3 days, there will be DJs, Reggae, drum and bass, and some roots music.

And if you need some time to cool off, the beach is just a 15-minute walk from the campsite.

A festival that supports smaller artists, Tonnau is an all-around experience.

‘Tramlines’: 24th-26th of July

I might be biased as someone living in the North, but I will say there is nothing that can beat a Northern festival.

Tramlines is a Sheffield-based metropolitan day festival that takes place over the course of 3 days at Hillsborough Park.

The award-winning festival features 5 stages, which include comedy performances, cabaret, and of course, a lot of music.

Some of the names gracing the stage of this year's festival include ‘Courteeners’, ‘Wet Leg’, ‘Kaiser Chiefs’, and many more.

But the biggest name on this year's line-up, and what has got us all just as excited as the ‘Derry Girls’ were, is no other than ‘Fatboy Slim’, who will be performing on the Friday.

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‘Greenman’: 20th-23rd of August

Greenman is an annual and independent 4 day camping festival in South Wales.

Inspired by the mythical figure of the Green Man and symbolising the cycle of growth, a special tradition of this festival is burning a 30-foot-tall sculpture at the end of the event.

The genres for this year's lineup include a little bit of everything, from indie and folk to electronic, with this year's lineup including ‘Wolf Alice’, ‘Four Tet’, and 'Mogwai'.

There are dedicated areas for children and families, including workshop areas to create arts and crafts, and also some literature and film across the 4 days, which includes author readings and film screenings if you do need a break.

This year's Greenman saw its highest demand ever as tickets sold out within the day, but don’t worry, they’ve set up a resale site, so if you’re quick and if you’re lucky, you could still make it to arguably the most anticipated festival of the year.

‘Forwards’: 28th-30th of August

Bristol-based family-friendly festival ‘Forwards’ is always held on the last weekend of August, the perfect way to finish the summer.

A mix of artists from different genres, while also aiming to include diverse and heritage music acts, alongside supporting emerging artists.

Forwards also prides itself on being a highly eco-conscious event, focusing on sustainability through no single-use plastic and waste reduction.

They aim to use independent and local vendors to reduce carbon footprints and host an ‘Information Stage’ during the day, which features talks on topics like climate change and activism.

So if you think about it, you’re doing your part to save the planet if you do go.

Despite not releasing all of their headliners yet, Forwards has seen big names taking their stage in past years, from ‘Erykah Badu’, to ‘Aphex Twin’, and last year they had the recent Brits and Grammy winner ‘Olivia Dean’.

Although the main Saturday and Sunday festival performers haven’t been released yet, there is a little twist this year, and for the first time, Forwards will also be held on Friday, with no other than ‘Lorde’ making her Bristol debut.

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