The best UK festivals

The temporary town pops back up for another carnival weekend

This annual shindig is a pop-­up cathedral short of being a full­-blown city. Every year the Matterley Bowl estate becomes a magical town full of hypnotic basslines and mind­bending installations. Music ranges from the underground to outer space, and the roster of activities (which has matured in recent years) includes banqueting, craft and healing areas as well as Boomtown’s traditional mutated ‘art vehicles’. By day it’s fairly family­-friendly, but after dark the caners come out to soak up enough beats, dub, ska and reggae to see them through until daybreak.

Line­-up includes: Cypress Hill, MIA, Sugar Hill Gang, Dawn Penn, The Specials, Loyle Carner, Soweto Kinch, Toddla T, Booka Shade, Amy Becker, AJ Tracey.

August 10-13. £202 (weekend), £177 (discounted for coach travellers).

A hedonistic wooded wonderland in the Cambridgeshire countryside Nestled in plush green surroundings, Secret Garden Party is the undisputed home of hippy hedonism on the UK festival scene. ‘Spectacular’ comes as standard: bands, DJs and artists are tucked into every playable space around the site including treehouses, floating islands and yurts. SGP is known for being a woodland fairytale, but this year’s theme – a tongue-in-cheek celebration of all things celebrity – should see SGP's always up-for-it dressers take things to new heights of tacky and LOL.

Line­-up includes: Metronomy, Toots & The Maytals, Honne, Jagwar Ma, Akala, Rejjie Snow, Ray BLK, Let's Eat Grandma.

Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire. July 20-23. £102-£197.

Big names make a habit of leading the charge of Rob da Bank’s band of misfits

The big news for this year is that the annual trips on the Isle of Wight ferry are no more – say goodbye to the island, say hello to Dorset! Bestival is moving to the mainland this year (to the very beautiful site of Camp Bestival, in fact). Tacked onto the tail end of the festival season, Bestival will still offer four days of live music and premier­ league DJs, plus lots of fancy dress thanks to their yearly changing theme. Punters can also enjoy some anarchic fun at the carnival of small stages, or visit the inflatable church for a quickie festival marriage (not legally binding, gladly).

Line­-up includes: The xx, A Tribe Called Quest, Dizzee Rascal, Pet Shop Boys, Jamie T, DJ Shadow, Rag'n'Bone Man, Soul II Soul, Annie Mac, Ray BLK, Toddla T, Nadia Rose, Andy C.  

Lulworth Cove, Dorset. September 7-10.

Musical legends, mud, and more mud at the UK’s biggest music festival 

For the final time before its fallow year, the big daddy of the UK festival scene is back. The legendary site at Worthy Farm will boast a population bigger than Reykjavik, with all eyes pointed at the Pyramid Stage. As ever Emily Eavis (head honcho and daughter of the festival’s founder Michael) remains tight­lipped about who will be leading proceedings, but after Kanye’s ‘meh’ ­inducing performance, we’re hoping for better. But face it, if you haven’t already bagged yourself a ticket for this year (complete with mugshot) then it’s not likely you’re getting in this time around. Put your wellies down and get your game plan together for next time.

Line­-up TBA

Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 21-25. Sold Out.

Blissfields started life as a one­off party in 2001, and has snowballed into a pretty comprehensive three-day fest. Acts run from pop and rap to indie and D&B, and tickets hovver just under the very reasonable £100 mark: bonkers. FYI, this year's theme is 'the bizarre'. New for 2017 is the very real luxury of actual toilets across the entire site.

Line­-up includes: Metronomy, Lady Leshurr, Sundara Karma, The Japanese House, S4U. 

Vicarage Farm, Winchester. July 6-8.

A very civilised weekend of jazz and more

Love Supreme specialises in jazz, funk, blues and soul, with a bit of extra pop power when it comes to the headliners. The lush and laid-back setting in the grounds of an Elizabethan manor house sets the tone at this genteel weekender, but if you’re after a late-evening pick-me-up then look out for the electronic artists that also pepper the line-up.

Line-up includes: The Jacksons – A Celebration of 50 Years, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Gregory Porter, Laura Mvula, Badbadnotgood, Nao, Robert Glasper Experiment, Yussef Kamaal.

Glynde Place, East Sussex. June 30-July 2. £145.

A cultured party in the eccentric village of Portmeirion

Now in its fourth year, Festival No 6 invites weekend warriors to get absorbed in the surreal Mediterranean-style seaside resort of Portmeirion, made famous by the TV show ‘The Prisoner’. The festival lives up to its unusual setting with an equal focus on music, arts, poetry, spoken word, and other cultural tidbits. It’s decidedly family-friendly, and flower garlands and dress-up fun are strongly encouraged.

Line-up includes: Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Bloc Party, Rag’n’Bone Man, The Cinematic Orchestra, Wild Beasts, Laura Mvula.

Portmeirion, Wales. September 7-10.

Engage your brain and your funny bone at this laid­back music and arts festival

Latitude is back for its twelfth instalment of adventurous pop and alt rock in an idyllic setting. We’ve come to expect a stellar line­up including world­class comedians, poets and theatre as well as thought­provoking debates. Latitude is family ­friendly and full of brain food, but there’s more to it than just indie and chin­ scratching. DJs are hidden in the woods after hours, colourful sheep roam through the fields, dance troupes parade around the site and ale lovers won’t be short of fuel.

Line-­up TBA

Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk. July 13-16. £197 (weekend).