After what has felt like a very long winter, spring is here and we can almost smell the cider on the wind. In 2024, we plan to cram in as many festivals as our wallets can afford and our bodies can stand. So to help you work out where to spend your hard-earned cash, here’s The Forty-Five’s guide to the best music festivals happening in the UK this summer. See you in the fields.
Glastonbury: the one for literally everyone
When? 26-30 June 2024
Why go? Less ‘why’ and more ‘try’, if you’ve managed to nab a Glasto ticket in the annual scrum then raise a toast to the finest weekend of the year, full of music legends, maximum adventure, and enough good vibes to see you through ‘til winter.
Who’s headlining? Dua Lipa, SZA, and Coldplay (again)
Who else is playing? Shania Twain, Little Simz, LCD Soundsystem, Seventeen and literally hundreds more.
How much? £355, with “very limited” resale tickets available later this month. Find out more about this year’s Glastonbury festival.
Reading and Leeds: the one for your teenage festival debut
When? 21-25 August 2024
Why go? Though the genre remit of Reading and Leeds has changed over the years from a rock festival to something far wider reaching, it’s still the go-to post-exam results weekender for teenage kicks.
Who’s headlining? Lana Del Rey, Fred Again.., Liam Gallagher, Blink 182 and more
Who else is playing? Raye, Nia Archives, Fontaines DC, Beabadoobee and more.
How much? £325 for the weekend. Get tickets
All Points East: the one for alternative A Listers (and a tube ride home)
When? 16-25 August 2024
Why go? Of all the London day festivals (of which there are many), All Points East has staked its claim as the frontrunner in teaming alt cred with big names and, often, exclusive one-offs. Plus, it’s in Victoria Park with easy access to a bunch of underground lines.
Who’s headlining? Mitski, LCD Soundsystem, Loyle Carner, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, Kaytranada
Who else is playing? Victoria Monet, Beabadoobee, Pixies, Jai Paul and loads more.
How much? £79.75 per day. Get tickets.
Download: the one for rock and metal heads
When? 14-16 June
Why go? Donnington Park in June has long been the mecca for fans of all things heavy, however although Download 2024 still rocks hard, it’s also got a surprisingly indie-ish slant this year. Controversial!
Who’s headlining? Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, Avenged Sevenfold
Who else is playing? Scene Queen (pictured), Limp Bizkit, The Offspring and more
How much? From £300 for the weekend. Get tickets.
Parklife: the one for party fiends across the genres
When? 8-9 June 2024
Why go? Pulling together massive names from hip hop, pop, dance and more, the two-day Heaton Park knees up is united in its dedication to having a big one. Healing tents and yoga workshops, this is not.
Who’s headlining? Doja Cat, Disclosure, J Hus
Who else is playing? Becky Hill, Kaytranada, Peggy Gou, Four Tet and loads more
How much? £135 for the weekend. Get Parklife tickets.
Truck: the one for indie diehards with their ear to the ground
When? 26-28 July
Why go? Cut into Oxfordshire’s Truck Festival and it bleeds guitar bangers – it knows what it is and it does it well. Which also means championing the next wave of axe heroes as well as spotlighting its established bill-toppers. Riffs ahoy!
Who’s headlining? Wet Leg, Jamie T, The Streets
Who else is playing? IDLES, SOFT PLAY, Katy B, Holly Humberstone and more
How much? From £300 for the weekend. Get tickets to Truck.
Latitude: the one for big names in a gentle setting
When? 25-27 July
Why go? Having wholly embraced its middle class sensibilities (sheep roam the fields, while previous years have featured a Waitrose food tent), this Suffolk weekender prioritises big headliners, family-friendly favourites and less off-your-face messiness than most.
Who’s headlining? London Grammar, Kasabian and Duran Duran
Who else is playing? CMAT, Caity Baser, Khruangbin, Nile Rodgers & Chic and more.
How much? £308 for the weekend. Get Latitude tickets.
Wide Awake: the one for trendy Londoners and music nerds
When? 25 May 2024
Why go? Only a few years into its tenure and now located in Brockwell Park, Wide Awake has already carved out a specific niche that essentially takes the edgy spirit of Brixton’s scene-starting Windmill and scales it up into the capital’s coolest day festival.
Who’s headlining? King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Who else is playing? Dry Cleaning, Young Fathers, Slowdive and more
How much? From £59.50. Get Wide Awake tickets.
British Summer Time: the one for global stars in the centre of London
When? 29 June – 5 July
Why go? There’s nothing edgy about Hyde Park’s BST series; if you’re looking for the next big thing, these mega gigs aren’t for you. If you want to see massive stars past and present on an equally massive central London stage, however, roll on up.
Who’s headlining? Kylie, Stevie Nicks, SZA, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain and more
Who else is playing? Most day line-ups are yet to be announced.
How much? From £111.85 per day. Get BST tickets.
TRNSMT: the one for lairy scenes
When? 12-14 July 2024
Why go? Glasgow’s TRNSMT always chooses the musical path that we’ll label ‘pints pints pints’. Add to that the well-established Big Vibes of a Scottish crowd, and you’ve got the most crucifying Monday hangover of the season.
Who’s headlining? Liam Gallagher, Calvin Harris, Gerry Cinnamon
Who else is playing? The Last Dinner Party, Garbage, Chase and Status and more
How much? From £105 per day. Get TRNSMT tickets.
Mighty Hoopla: the one for queer celebration and oodles of nostalgia
When? 1-2 June 2024
Why go? The sparkliest, campest event in the festival calendar, Mighty Hoopla – started by the folk behind iconic drag group Sink The Pink – is a joyful celebration of inclusivity with a music policy that throws back to the ‘90s and ‘00s whilst also celebrating queer icons of today.
Who’s headlining? Nelly Furtado, Jessie Ware.
Who else is playing? Kim Petras, Alison Goldfrapp, En Vogue and more.
How much? Saturday is sold out; Sunday tickets start from £59.50. Get Mighty Hoopla tickets.
End of the Road: the one for BBC 6 Music fans
When? 29 August to 1 September 2024
Why go? Not only does End of the Road boast a credible line up worthy of any crate-digging music nut’s time, it’s also one of the prettiest festivals in the UK circuit. Where else can you spot peacocks wandering about the grounds?
Who’s headlining? IDLES, Slowdive, Fever Ray
Who else is playing? Sleater-Kinney, Jockstrap, Bonnie Prince Billy and more
How much? £255 for the weekend. Get EOTR tickets.
Green Man: the one for lovers of indie, folk, and the Welsh valleys
When? 15-18 August 2024
Why go? You’ll definitely want to pack your wellies for this one, but frequently rainy weather aside, Green Man is a (Brecon) beacon of art, music and good vibes – the sort of place that brings loyal punters back year on year.
Who’s headlining? Big Thief, Sampha, Jon Hopkins, Sleaford Mods
Who else is playing? Arlo Parks, Black Country, New Road, The Jesus and Mary Chain and more
How much? They’re all sold out! Sorry!
The Great Escape: the one for new music hunters
When? 15-18 May 2024
Why go? One of the first festivals of the year, this mid-May Brighton multi-venue weekender puts its focus fully on breaking artists and ones to watch. You saw it there first etc
Who’s headlining? Faye Webster is playing a special Spotlight Show
Who else is playing? Hundreds of new hopefuls, including Kenya Grace, Gglum and Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES’ new solo project
How much? £119.50 for a three day pass. Get Great Escape tickets
Boomtown: the one for liberal adventurers
When? 7-11 August 2024
Why go? Split into eight utopian ‘city districts’, the ethos of Boomtown is as much about its immersive community energy as it is about the music – as underlined by the fact that they don’t announce the line-up until just before gates open.
Who’s headlining? Who knows! But last year, The Prodigy and Cypress Hill topped the bill.
Who else is playing? Your guess is as good as ours.
How much? From £300 for the weekend. Get Boomtown tickets.
Live at Leeds In The Park: the one for Northern indie kids
When? 25 May 2024
Why go? The green fields edition of the established inner-city winter festival, In The Park is a mash-up of indie sleaze-era throwbacks and their modern counterparts (with some added Mel C).
Who’s headlining? The Kooks
Who else is playing? Declan McKenna, The Cribs, Baby Queen, The Mysterines and more
How much? £71.50. Get Live At Leeds tickets.
Wireless: the one for hip hop heavy-hitters
When? 12-14 July 2024
Why go? Across three massive days at Finsbury Park, expect a huge bill of global rap and hip hop superstars, and a firmly youth-leaning crowd.
Who’s headlining? Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, Doja Cat
Who else is playing? Ice Spice, J Hus, Rema and more.
How much? From £94.60 per day. Get Wireless tickets.
Isle of Wight: the one for established artists and older crowds
When? 20-23 June 2024
Why go? Catch the ferry to one of the country’s most historic festivals, and you’ll find a family-friendly event that unashamedly caters to the more mainstream side of the 30+ audience.
Who’s headlining? Green Day, The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys
Who else is playing? The Streets, Suede, Zara Larsson and more.
How much? £269.95 for the weekend. Get IOW festival tickets.
Wilderness: the one for bougie glampers
When? 1-4 August 2024
Why go? Don’t feel like slumming it with the great unwashed? Oxfordshire’s Wilderness is about as fancy as festivals come, with wellbeing workshops, celeb chefs and more on offer alongside live music, DJs and comedy.
Who’s headlining? Jessie Ware, Michael Kiwanuka, Bicep and Faithless
Who else is playing? Ibibio Sound Machine, Alison Goldfrapp, Bill Bailey and more.
How much? £278 for the weekend. Get Wilderness tickets.
FORWARDS BRISTOL: the one for on-the-pulse city dwellers
When? 31 August – 1 September 2024
Why go? Only in its third year, Bristol’s FORWARDS is punching high in terms of its curation. Think of it like a South Western answer to All Points East.
Who’s headlining? LCD Soundsystem, Loyle Carner
Who else is playing? Jessie Ware, Yard Act, Four Tet and more
How much? From £69.14 per day. Get Forwards tickets.
