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Festival season is on the horizon. And while Glasto is taking a break this year, there are more than enough stellar music events going on to make up for it. In fact, we’re spoiled for choice – according to the Association of Independent Festivals, the UK hosted more than 592 music festivals last year, and there’s likely to be a similar number in 2026.
With so many hundreds of to choose from, Time Out is here to separate the good from the great. We’ve sifted through the UK’s packed festival calendar and whittled it down to a list of 50 of the absolute best. Whether you’re after a crowd-pleasing multi-genre event or a hardcore cult favourite, there’ll be a music festival on this list for you.
The first of the UK’s best festivals this year are both happening in Edinburgh in two months’ time. There’s Terminal V at the Royal Highland Centre on April 18-19, Now one of Europe’s top electronic music festivals, it’s got a line-up of more than 100 artists across six stages, including big names like Adrián Mills, Eternalism and Biianco. On the same weekend, there’s the new Cowgate Block Party happening across three of Scottish capital’s top small-capacity indie venues – Sneaky Pete’s, Legends and Bongo Club.
May is when the UK’s festival season really kicks into gear, though. Some of the best fests happening that month include London’s GALA, which offers a programme of electronic tunes, soul, jazz and afrobeats; Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland, which will undoubtedly have a lineup of huge names; FOCUS Wales in Wrexham with appearances from Fat Dog, Idlewild, Shame and Gwenno; and AVA Festival in Belfast, which will feature the likes of Kneecap, Kettama, Annie Mac and Honey Dijon.
As for the rest of the year, we’ve included well-established heavyweights of festival season like Download in Leicestershire which this year headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park; Boomtown in Hampshire led by Scissor Sisters, Kneecap, Madness and Skrillex, and of course Reading and Leeds, which will host headline performances from Charli XCX, Dave, Florence and the Machine and Fontaines D.C. in August.
But there’s a bunch of newer, smaller festivals worth booking, too. LIDO debuted in London’s Victoria Park last summer and will be back in June with confirmed headliners CMAT, Maribou State and Bombay Bicycle Club. 2000 Trees, one of the UK festival scene’s best kept secrets, is returning to Gloucestershire in July and underrated multi-venue festival No Bounds will sprawl across Sheffield and Rotherham in October.
Check out Time Out’s full guide to the UK’s 50 greatest music festivals in 2026 here.
And read more about the best music festivals going on in London here.
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