The best music festivals in London for 2026

After a successful first edition last autumn new festival Jazz on Wick is back for round two this September. Created by the minds behind award-winning small festival Brainchild, Hackney Wick nightclub Colour Factory, nu-jazz collective Orii Community and Voices Radio, it’s doing a full-venue takeover of Hackney Bridge for a day-to-night celebration of jazz and adjacent astral sounds, featuring 9 stages and more than 50 artists. And tickets start at £25, making it far cheaper than most London festivals.  

Line-up includes: D Double E feat. Zeñel, Natural Jazz, Shae Univers,Jas Kayser, 30 Years of Barely Breaking Even, Movimientios DJs.

Hackney Bridge, E15 2SJ. Sep 5. 

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. This year’s expanded 36-hour event will take place at Docklands superclub The Cause, across seven stages including open-air spaces, intimate rooms, late-night dancefloors and chill out zones. 

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 

Interested in dance music and club culture? AVA London, the mammoth electronic music and arts conference, is back in town for another jam-packed long weekend of masterclasses, talks, interviews, and workshops. The 2026 edition features 70+ speakers across more than 30 sessions, including huge acts like Fabio & Grooverider, Moby, Oklou and The Avalanches, industry insiders like Nadine Noor and Jamz Supernova, and club nights co-curated with Resident Advisor and Aussie label Stay on Sight. 

Line-up includes: Conference: Fabio & Grooverider, Moby, Oklou, The Avalanches, Jamz Supernova, Nightlife: Optimo, Holly Lester, Blawan, Mala, Skin on Skin, Evian Christ.

Various London venues. Sep 24-26.

Bringing together a wide spectrum of voices from various disciplines of alternative East and South-East Asian creativity, Margins United is back for its third one-dayer this autumn. Created by Eastern Margins, a platform for alternative Asian culture in the UK, the day-to-night festival will feature a full takeover of the Club360 in Tottenham, with a line-up featuring K-pop and J-pop acts, plus a bunch of international DJs and producers. Tickets available for the day part, the night part or the whole thirteen-hour marathon if you can hack it.

Line-up includes: Yves, F5ve, The Deep, Heroic Dragon, Amanda Sze, DJ Love (Sherwin Tuna), Tamanaramen.

Club360, N15 4QN. Sep 26.

Pitchfork Music Festival is gearing up for another edition, with a jam-packed schedule of eclectic live music encompassing everything from avant-rock and post-punk to UK rap and deconstructed dance music on an ultra-eclectic line-up of 80 artists, including  a whole bunch of emerging talents you’ve likely never heard of but will no doubt feature on your Spotify Wrapped come December 2027. Gigs take place across a plethora of London’s best venues, including Colour Factory, Union Chapel, Village Underground, Earth Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and 93 Feet East.

Line-up includes: Actress, The Avalanches, Noname, Horse Jumper of Love, Panda Bear, Elijah Wolf, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Working Men’s Club, Bloodsports, Kiwi jr. 

Various London venues. Nov 2-8.

Every year, the EFG London Jazz Festival brings together the best and brightest of the genre in venues across the city, from the capital’s major arts venues like Southbank Centre and Barbican, to atmospheric gig spots like Village Underground, EartH Theatre and Union Chapel. The line-up promises a bounty of bops, whether you’re looking to discover some emerging talents or witness legends in action. And it’s not just jazz on offer either; there’s fado, electro-swing, trip-hop, drum and bass, and loads more. 

Line-up includes: Church of Sound, Dave Okumu & Friends, Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet, Emma-Jean Thackray, Morcheeba, Yasuaku Shimizu, Goldie, Kyoto Jazz Massive.

Various London venues. Nov 13-22.