The best music festivals in London for 2026

Last year’s inaugural London offshoot of Texan multidisciplinary festival SXSW’s was a pretty big deal, and its sophomore edition is looking just as massive, with all manner of talks and panels delving into the most pressing issues across business and tech, major keynote speakers, film premieres and over 200 musical artists on the bill. There are a handful of internationally renowned headline acts playing, but really SXSW is known for being the place to discover the next big thing, with dozens of in-the-know music mags, promoters and artist platforms involved in curating the line-up.

Line-up includes: Earl Sweatshirt, Tiwa Savage, Sega Bodega, Circa Waves, Shame, Rachel Chinouriri, Pete Tong, DJ AG. 

Various Shoreditch venues, E1. Jun 1-6.

The Southbank Centre’s summer music festival has been a major fixture in London’s social calendar, and the iconic London arts venue has really pulled out all the stops for this year’s edition, which takes place during the institution’s 75th anniversary celebrations. In 2026, Harry Styles will be adding his name to the long list of cultural luminaries who have previously taken on the role of curator for the festival, and has devised a line-up that traverses pop, soul, rock and electronica, and featuring plenty of young British talent. He’ll also be playing an intimate one-off gig himself; expect competition for tickets to be intense!

Line-up includes: Harry Styles, Warpaint, Nilüfer Yanya, Erika de Casier, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, bar italia, Devonté Hynes Ensemble, Jon Hopkins, James Murphy.

After making a spectacular debut last summer with headliners Charli XCX, Jamie XX and Massive Attack, Lido festival 2026 was looking to be another magnificent party. The second edition of the fest was set to take place in mid-June with performances from CMAT, Bombay Bicycle Club and Maribou State, but the majority of the festival will no longer take place owing to ground conditions in the Tower Hamlets park.

CMAT and Bombay Bicyle Club’s shows on June 12 and 14 have been totally cancelled but Maribou State’s show has been rescheduled. The electronica duo will now headline Victoria Park on August with support from Kelis, Folamour and Theo Parrish b2b Moodymann and more to be announced.

RECOMMENDED: More great London festivals this summer

BST will be back again next summer, bringing some of the world’s biggest pop stars to Hyde Park for its 13th edition. Among the headliners for 2026 are Lewis Capaldi, Pitbull and Mumford & Sons. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area. 

Line-up includes: Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Pitbull, Kesha, Lewis Capaldi, Mumford & Sons, Maroon 5 and One Republic. 

Hyde Park, W2 2UH. Jun 27 - Jul 12. 

Up at the top of Ally Pally this summer, you’ll find a multifaceted web of genres. Where else can you while away the day with renowned DJs like Roni Size, MJ Cole and Groove Armada alongside crowd-pleasing live performances from acts including Rudimental, the Amy Winehouse Band and Black Grape. There’s also comedy on the books from Russell Kane, alongside disco yoga, hip hop karaoke and Bez’s Acid House Experience. Coming with kids? There’s plenty of family-friendly fun too, with circus acts, the world’s tallest bubbleologist, acrobatics and more. This is one festival that truly lives up to its name. 

Line-up includes: Rudimental, Groove Armada, Roni Size, MJ Cole. 

Alexandra Park, N22 7AY. Jul 11. 

Somerset House’s glorioys Summer Series is back for another year. Held in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain court, in the enclave of the iconic Neoclassical building, this open-air series of gigs has long held space for both exciting up-and-comers and well-known trailblazers from the UK and beyond. 2026 is no different. Taking place across 11 nights, this year’s stacked bill includes breakthrough pop sensation Naïka (Thursday 16 July), veteran indie band The Cribs (Monday 20 July) and ascendent art-rock outfit Black Country, New Road (Wednesday 22 July). 

Line up includes: Naïka, The Cribs, Black County, New Road, The Flaming Lips, Palace, Thee Secret Souls, Lightning Seeds, Agnes Obel, Venna, Raf-Saperra and Benjamin Clementine.

Somerset House, WC2R 1LA

Electronic music will be returning to the Old Royal Naval College (a UNESCO World Heritage Site!) again this summer. Labyrinth On The Thames – masterminded by promoter Labryinth – will see different artists from around the world take over the historic digs for six days of unmissable performances. The headliners for 2026 have all been confirmed, with DJ sets from heavyweights like Peggy Gou, Overmono and Adriatique lined up, as well an anthemic live show from The Kooks in celebration of 20 years of Inside In/Inside Out, joined by indie quartet Circa Waves. 

Line-up inlcudes: The Kooks, Circa Waves, Peggy Gou, Dom Dolla, Overmono, Anjunadeep, Moby, Micheal Bibi. 

Old Royal Naval College, SE10 9NN. July 31-Aug 16. 

Once again, London’s most ravey festival will take over Boston Manor Park with some of the biggest names in techno and house. Celebrating 10 years in 2026, Junction 2 will span a mega two weekends with an absolutley stacked line-up featuring the godmothers and godfathers of electronic music alongside exciting contemporary talent.

Line-up includes: Nina Kraviz, Adam Beyer, Franky Wah, Jeff Mills, Francesco del Garda, Gabrielle Kwarteng b2b Peach, I Hate Models, Miss Monique and Nicolas Lutz

Boston Manor Park, TW8 9JU. Jul 25-Aug 2.  

No longer the newbie on the block, London’s Jazz Cafe returns for its third edition in early August. It’s leaving behind its former home of Burgess Park and moving to a secret location. Headlining the 15,000-capacity festival in 2026 is R&B star Ari Lennox, known for her hits ‘Pressure’ and ‘Shea Butter Baby’, making it the singer’s only UK date in 2026. The rest of the line-up has been meticulously curated by the Jazz Cafe gang, spanning jazz (of course), R&B, hip hop and electronic sounds with the likes of Greentea Peng, Smino and Durand Bernarr topping the bill. 

Line-up includes: Ari Lennox, Greentea Peng, Smino, Durand Bernarr, Jaz Karis, Mansur Brown, Gabriel Jacoby, Amaria and Momoko Gill. 

Burgess Park, SE5 0AL. Aug 2. 

Maiden Voyage is back in Burgess Park for its 2026 edition. And, as ever, it has booked some of the finest names and clubnights from across London’s rave scene. Pxssy Palace, HOWL, Live From Earth and UNFOLD will each take over one of the festival’s four stages with their curation of some of the biggest names in contemporary electronic music. Confidence Man will be there, as will HAAi, DJ Heartstring, Taylah Elaine, Tokischa and SHERELLE. 

Line-up includes: Confidence Man, Tokisha, SHERELLE, Helena Hauff, HAAi, TYGAPAW, DJ Heartstring, Taylah Elaine. 

Burgess Park, SE5 0AL. Aug 8. 

All Points East returns to Vicky Park for its eighth edition in 2026. Since debuting in 2018, the festival has garnered a reputation for building some of the most exciting line-ups in the UK. Tyler, The Creator has been anounced for not one, but two, headline shows, while other days will be headlined by Jorja Smith, Tems, Lorde, Twenty One Pilots, and Deftones. 

Line-up includes: Tyler, The Creator, Lorde, Deftones, Twenty One Pilots, Djo, Rex Orange County, Turnstile, Amyl & The Sniffers, PinkPantheress, Oklou, Zara Larsson, JPEGMAFIA, Jorja Smith and Tems

Victoria Park, E9 7DD. Aug 28-29. 

Seasoned London festival-goers have been singing the praises of this 10,000-capacity Southwark Park festival since it debuted in 2023, thanks to its boutique size, community vibe and collaborative line-ups created with help from some of the city’s best culture venues. And for the fourth edition, the line-up is curated by Blood Orange, who will will bring his signature blend of synth funk, experimental beats and emotional depth to Southwark Park. Dev Hynes will headline, and has selected the likes of techno producer Daniel Avery, ethereal electronic artist james k and the legendary Optimo (Espacio) to appear alongside him on the day.

Line-up includes: Blood Orange, Daniel Avery, james k, Optimo (Espacio), Smerz, Jump Source, GENA, Parris.

Southwark Park, SE16 2TX. Aug 29. 

Having outgrown its first home in Hackney Wick, London’s queer nightlife festival Body Movements levelled up in 2024 making a dazzling debut in Southwark Park with five stages showcasing the great and good of the LGBTQ+ party scene in the capital and beyond. We’re thrilled that the great and good of the London queer scene will once again come together in the same location for its 2026 edition, on the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. This year, the five stages of Body Movements (Mother, The Strap, Snatch, Hot Mess, and Glory Hole) will be helmed by DJs including Babymorocco, Blasha & Allatt, FAFF, Roza Terenzi, Marie Malarie and GIDEÖN as well as collectives like Dalston Superstore, Daytimers, Fèmmme Fraîche and Queer House Party. More names are still to be announced. 

Line-up includes: Babymorocco, Blasha & Allatt, FAFF, Roza Terenzi, Marie Malarie, GIDEÖN, Amaliah, Byron Yeates and Hannah Holland  

Southwark Park, SE16 2PA. Aug 30. 

Organised by the people behind Percolate and Love International festival in Croatia, mid-September’s electronic music one-dayer Waterworks is a final chance to squeeze every last drop of festival fun out of the summer. And for the first time since it began, it’ll span two whole days. Across five stages in west London’s Gunnersbury Park, there’ll be a total of 83 sets from dance music heavyweights covering every genre.

Line-up includes: Alex Kassian, babyschön, djrum, Midland and Sofia Kourtesis, and B2Bs from Bradley Zero and Erol Alkan, Christian AB and Craig Richards, and Raresh and Sonja Moonea.

Gunnersbury Park, Pope's Lane, W3 8LQ