Music

Another year, another stellar lineup of UK music festivals. Sure, Glastonbury – the UK’s tentpole music event, no pun intended – is taking a fallow year, but other lineups are more than making up for Worthy Farm’s absence. Established musical feasts (Reading and Leeds, Latitude) will return amid tantalising new blockbuster additions (Roundhay Festival), alongside the usual more specialised genre and scene events (Supersonic, AVA, FOCUS). While it might seem a little early (and a tad chilly) for planning a sun-glazed weekend of outdoors live music, these days the UK festival season lasts beyond the summer months. The festival calendar is pretty much a year-round affair, with events taking place not just in fields or parks but in venues across cities, from early spring all the way through to late November. Already confirmed for 2026 are several lineups that’ll have the heads drooling at the mouth. Reading and Leeds has Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + the Machine, Fontaines D.C and Raye. Download has Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Guns N Roses. London’s Victoria Park, across All Points East and LIDO, will host Tyler, the Creator, Deftones, Lorde, CMAT and Maribou State. Looking beyond the major fests, the lineups get even better. The 15th anniversary of Outbreak in Manchester has Alexisonfire and Basement topping the bill; Mighty Hoopla has scooped a headline performance from Lily Allen (performing West End Girl in full); FOCUS Wales will boast Fat Dog, Idlewild and Shame. And that’s just the events that have announced lineups – plenty are still to come. Still deciding which festivals are for you this year? Look no further than our guide. Time Out knows the UK’s festival scene inside-out – and these are the events we say are going to be the most essential in 2026 (in chronological order). 🎸 The 20 best major music tours and concerts coming to the UK in 2026.

Reminiscing on festival season 2025? Well, the good times ain’t over yet, and if you ask us, it’s never too early to start planning which festivals to book in next year. Loads of great music festivals have already announced their headliners, and some of them kick off as early as January.  It’s worth noting that, in 2026, one of the planet’s biggest and best music festivals is not happening. That’s right – after an electric 2025, good old Glastonbury is on a fallow year to allow the land a bit of TLC. Not to worry, mind. No matter your music taste, who you’re going with, your weather preference or your capacity for camping, the world will have a festival that’s right for you, from Europe to the USA, Canada to Japan and Australia to India.  The best festivals in the world at a glance: ☮️ Best for hedonists and hippies: Boomtown 🔈 Best for beat freaks: Outlook 💡 Best for discovering something new: Tremor 🎵 Best for R&B and afrobeats: Afro Nation 🗽 Best city festival: Governors Ball 🎸 Best rock festival: Fuji Rock 🤩 Best for big names: Primavera Sound 🌠 Best for escaping reality: Big Red Bash Overwhelmed? Don’t sweat – here’s our comprehensive roundup of the best festivals in the world taking place in 2026. RECOMMENDED:🌍 The 26 best new things to do in the world in 2026🌤️ The best festivals in Europe in 2026🎭 The world’s coolest neighbourhoods to explore🌃 The best cities in the world right now

Europe is incredible for festivals, make no mistake about it. And what could be better? Travelling to festivals abroad means getting to explore somewhere new and see a bunch of cracking artists, as well as maybe – just maybe – enjoy better weather and cheaper beer. Europe is certainly not in short supply of some really brilliant places to party, from tiny, lesser-known spots in the Azores to headliner-packed fests in France and the Netherlands. There’s just one festival you’ll see sadly missing from our list – everyone’s favourite festival Glastonbury is taking a fallow year in 2026.  What is the largest festival in Europe? Glastonbury is normally thought of as the biggest festival in Europe (if not the world). But though it’s certainly the most well known, in terms of numbers, it’s not even the the biggest in the UK! The biggest in Europe is actually Donauinselfest in Vienna, Austria, which sees upwards of two million visitors a year. After that, it’s probably joint between Glasto and Tomorrowland in Belgium. The more you know! RECOMMENDED: 🎪 The best UK music festivals🎤 The best music festivals in the world🌃 The most underrated destinations in Europe🌤️ The best European city breaks At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide may include affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

2026 means a full calendar year of incredible Aussie festivals. Every corner of our country is slated to come alive with a sparkly array of live music and phenomenal culture-packed moments, with something special happening no matter the season. In this list, Time Out's editors have rounded up the best festivals that we reckon you should check out Down Under in 2026. Starting with those that are on the earliest in the year and ending with those at the end, each of these festivals has been selected for its scale, its astonishing visuals and its commitment to seriously good times. From music to comedy to wild light displays in the Outback, rest assured that going to any of these incredible Aussie festivals will be a bloody good time indeed.  🎭 The best musicals in Australia🍔 The best food festivals in Australia

It may only be the start of the festive season, but we are already thinking about festival season 2026. And we can’t wait.  By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, CMAT, Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and Deftones set to take to the London stage next summer. Plus, the future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, however the south London park’s usual lineup of events – which includes Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Field Day – will all return in 2026.  Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

Music festivals in the U.S. are changing. Yes, there are still the major annual blowouts, from Coachella in California to Ultra in Miami. But just in the last year or so, we’ve bid farewell to four beloved festivals previously on this guide: Electric Zoo in New York, Wonderbus in Ohio, Hangout Fest in Alabama and Pitchfork in Chicago. Tastes shift, crowds evolve. But as the dust settles on those festivals, new ones have sprung up in their stead. New to our 2025 update is III Points, a Miami music festival showcasing left-field electronic acts. Rolling Loud, the world’s largest hop-hip music festival, has also joined the ranks. And it’s no longer just about the bands or DJs performing—we want more and better food and drink options, wellness activations, cultural experiences and spaces for kicking back socializing all woven into our festivals, too. Luckily, whether it's well-known festivals like Bonnaroo in Tennesse and the Governors Ball in New York or more niche festivals like Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, there’s likely an epic musical gathering that caters to you. From pop and country to EDM, rock and folk—if you're looking to dance your way through the year, we have you covered. Here are the best music festivals across America in 2025. 

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