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UK Festival Guide 2026
- BOOT
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 17
The time has come to start planning your festival schedule for 2026! Here's some of our favourites where you can discover your new favourite artist...
Sound City - Liverpool (2nd-3rd May)
Liverpool's city festival always provides one of the best venue hopping experiences and always guarantees new music discovery. The 2026 line up features some of the most talked about newcomers from the world of Indie and Post-Punk including Keo, Westside Cowboy and The Molotovs as well as exciting soulful songwriters Brooke Combe and Jalen Ngonda.
Wales’s pioneering showcase festival and conference unveils 76 acts from 18 nations, offering a breathtaking spectrum of sound that celebrates bold experimentation and deepens connections across global music communities. Following a landmark 15th anniversary that welcomed 25,000 music fans the 2026 lineup showcases the festival’s enduring commitment to sonic diversity, Welsh musical heritage, and the celebration of minority languages, while this year’s UK Festival Awards nomination in the same category re-affirms its continued dedication to championing new voices. Scottish luminaries Idlewild lead the line up alongside South London’s Shame and Dance Punk outfit FatDog.
The Great Escape - Brighton (13th-16th May)
The Great Escape, taking place from 13-16 May 2026 in Brighton, has unveiled its full festival schedule for this year’s edition. The line up already includes major acts such as Keo, Angine De Poitrine, The Lottery Winners, Working Men’s Club & The Kooks alongside a selection of the most exciting emerging acts from the UK and beyond. Known as the UK's premier festival and conference for new music, The Great Escape is the best place to discover your nw favourite band while meeting like minded creatives and chatting to people from all across the UK music industry.
Sheffield's Tramlines has become one of our favourites over the years thanks to its family friendly atmosphere, its integration with the city and the mix of emerging artists and Indie heavyhitters. For 2026 they have confirmed the first wave of artists set to perform at Hillsborough Park this summer. Headliners Fatboy Slim (Friday), Courteeners (Saturday) and Wolf Alice (Sunday) are joined by Kaiser Chiefs (Friday) Blossoms (Saturday) and Wet Leg (Sunday), with additional performances from Gabrielle, Lottery Winners, Rick Astley, Reverend and the Makers, The K’s, The Vaccines, Vanessa Carlton, The Lightning Seeds, The Enemy, The Everly Pregnant Brothers and a disco hosted by Day Fever.
Kendal Calling has already sold out its 2026 festival with 40,000 festival goers descending on Lowther Deer Park. To celebrate this huge achievement, Kendal Calling have revealed a massive line-up led by headliners including Scottish alt-rock icons Biffy Clyro, one of Britain’s most exciting new arena bands Wolf Alice and bonafide indie legends Two Door Cinema Club & The Kooks. With over 120 acts announced already, the 2026 edition of Kendal Calling is boasting one next summer’s most essential line-ups, from pop icons Scissors Sisters, Gabrielle and Groove Armada to indie heroes The Vaccines, Jamie Webster, The Lathums and The Snuts with appearances from some genuine legends as well including The Libertines, Doves and some special guests still to be announced.
Beyond The Music - Manchester (7th-9th October)
Following the details of its upcoming third edition and new venue at MediaCity, Salford, Beyond The Music has revealed the first 22 artists to perform across its festival programme spanning 7th, 8th and 9th October 2026. Accompanying its acclaimed 3-day global forum for the music and creative content industries, Beyond The Music’s new music festival will take over spaces across the MediaCity campus and Salford; from outdoor stages and dock10 studios to disused shops and iconic local music venues. Carefully curated by Oli Wilson, co-founder and lead music programmer of Beyond The Music, the festival’s pledge to find, book and nurture talents both new and established has quickly seen it defined as one of the UK’s most diverse and immersive showcases.
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