MusicRadar summer festival guide 2011
MusicRadar summer festival guide 2011
Welcome to MusicRadar's guide to to all of 2011's summer festival action. Looking for events to spend your hard earned cash on over the next few months? Want to work out where and when you can catch your favourite bands and DJs? Well you've come to the right place!
Whether you're after a cosy folk festival, a dance-fuelled rave-up, an inner-city event or a bunch of metal bands in a field, we've rounded-up our pick of some of the UK's best festivals, plus a few of our favourites from Europe. Check out each individual festival's page for information on line-ups, tickets, locations and even (in some cases) how you or your band can get a chance to play.
Use the calender below to jump to info on any festival, or scroll though to browse them all. And don't forget to keep checking back as we add more events, extra information and the latest coverage from the festivals themselves.
May
Camden Crawl (London)
The Great Escape (Brighton)
All Tomorrow’s Parties (Minehead)
Primavera Sound (Barcelona)
Dot-To-Dot (Bristol, Nottingham & Manchester)
June
Download (Donington)
Isle Of Wight (Isle Of Wight - obviously!)
Meltdown (London)
Sonar (Barcelona)
Glastonbury (Somerset)
July
Roskilde (Denmark)
Hop Farm Festival (Kent)
Wireless (London)
Sonisphere (Knebworth)
T In The Park (Scotland)
Benicassim (Spain)
Latitude (Suffolk)
Melt! (Berlin)
Lovebox (London)
Live Fest (London)
High Voltage (London)
Camp Bestival (Dorset)
Global Gathering (Stratford-Upon-Avon)
August
The Big Chill (Herefordshire)
Green Man (Wales)
V Festival (Chelmsford and nr Birmingham)
Reading & Leeds (Reading and Leeds, naturally)
Creamfields (Cheshire)
September
Camden Crawl
A two day, inner-city event offering the chance to catch a wealth of up-and-coming and under the radar bands across an assortment of venues focused around Camden, London.
Headliners: OFWGKTA, Saint Etienne, The King Blues, British Sea Power, Razorlight
Dates: 30 April - 1 May
Location: Various venues, Camden, London
Tickets: Individual day tickets £39.50, Two-day tickets £63.50
Other line-up highlights:
Miles Kane, Toddla T, Villagers, Dananananaykroyd, Dry The River, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Gallops, Rainbow Arabia, Random Impulse, The Russian Futurists, Sarabeth Tucek, Sbtrkt, Teeth, Those Dancing Days, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Veronica Falls, Wild Palms, Hadouken!, The Lemonheads, Guillemots, Simian Mobile Disco (Live), Cocknbullkid, Giggs, Hudson Mohawke, Johnny Foreigner, Jonquil, Lethal Bizzle, P Money, Pvt, Slow Club, Wolf Gang, Yasmin, Becoming Real, Cate Le Bon, Cerebral Ballzy, The Phantom Band, S.C.U.M, Spectrals, Team Ghost, Visions Of Trees (full line-up here)
The Great Escape
Another inner-city festival, The Great Escape take place across 30-odd venues focused around Brighton seafront with a largely indie-friendly bill.
Headliners: DJ Shadow, Friendly Fires, Sufjan Stevens
Dates: 12 - 14 May
Location: Various venues, Brighton
Tickets: From £45 with extra charges for headliners' shows, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
2:54, Actress, Alexander Tucker, Alice Gold , Anna Calvi, Art Brut, Becoming Real, Braids, Buck65, CREEP, D/R/U/G/S, Dan Parsons, Dent May, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Dutch Uncles, Factory Floor, Fionn Regan, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Gang Gang Dance, Guillemots, Josh T. Pearson, Katy B, Okkervil River, Olöf Arnalds, Pvt, Team Ghost, The Joy Formidable, The Naked And Famous, The Vaccines, The View, The Wave Pictures, Twin Shadow, Warpaint, Wolf Gang, Yuck (full line-up here)
All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties is fairly unique for two reasons - for one thing it takes place in a Butlins holiday park in Minehead, providing festival goers with accomodation in chalets. Also though, ATP builds line-ups by inviting one band or artist to play and curate the rest of the bill (including an in-chalet TV channel).
Headliners/curators: Animal Collective
Dates: 13 - 15 May
Location: Butlins, Minehead, Somerset
Tickets: Weekend tickets £170/£180, must be booked as part of a chalet. 2, 4 and 6 berths still available.
Other line-up highlights:
Big Boi, Lee ' Scratch' Perry, Gang Gang Dance, Beach House, Terry Riley, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Meat Puppets, Black Dice, Atlas Sound, Zomby, Actress, Omar-S, Group Doueh (full line-up here)
Primavera Sound (Spain)
Set just outside Barcelona, Primavera thrives on a strong line-up of leftfield rock acts by day and forward-thinking dance music by night. There's no camping so you'd need to sort somewhere to stay in the city.
Headliners: Pulp, Flaming Lips, Belle & Sebastian
Dates: 26 - 28 May
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Tickets: Weekend tickets 180 Euros, day tickets 80 Euros, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Animal Collective, Avi Buffalo, Battles, Belle & Sebastian, Big Boi, Darkstar, DJ Shadow, Echo & The Bunnymen performing Heaven Up Here & Crocodiles,Emeralds, Explosions In the Sky, Factory Floor, Fleet Foxes, Gang Gang Dance, Girl Talk, Glasser, Gold Panda Gonjasufi, Grinderman, Interpol, Islet , James Blake, Jamie XX, Kode9 And The Space Ape, Kode9 Burial Set, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Lindstrom, Low, M. Ward, Matthew Dear (Live Band), Mercury Rev perform Deserter's Songs, Mogwai, Odd Future (OFWGKTA), Of Montreal, Oneohtrix Point Never, P.I.L. (Public Image Limited), Perfume Genius, Phosphorescent, Pissed Jeans, PJ Harvey, Prince-Rama,Pulp, Salem, Shellac, Simian Mobile Disco, Sufjan Stevens, Swans, The Fiery Furnaces, The Flaming Lips, The Fresh & Onlys, The National, The Tallest Man On Earth, The Walkmen, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Shadow, Warpaint, Wolf People, Woody Alien, Yuck (full line-up here)
Dot-To-Dot
Dot-To-Dot is a single-day inner-city festival that runs across various venues in three different locations - Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester - across three consecutive days.
Headliners: Hurts, We Are Scientists
Dates: 28 May (Bristol), 29 May (Nottingham), 30 May (Manchester)
Location: Various venues across Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester
Tickets: £33, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Guillemots, The Joy Formidable, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Ed Sheeran, The Phoenix Foundation, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, SBTRKT (Live), Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Cults, Ben Howard, Wolf Gang, Alpines, Blawan, Braids, Dom, Royal Republic, Hyetal (Live) (line-up varies slightly for each city, full line-up for each here)
Download
The UK's biggest metal festival, held ever year on the hallowed hard-rock ground of Donington.
Check out our preview of this year's Download line-up.
Headliners: Def Leppard, System Of A Down, Linkin Park
Dates: 10 - 12 June
Location: Donington Park
Tickets: Weekend tickets from £155 (from £180 inc camping)
Other line-up highlights:
Alice Cooper, All That Remains, Alter Bridge, Asking Alexandria, Avenged Sevenfold, Black Stone Cherry, Black Veil Brides, Bowling For Soup, Bring Me The Horizon, Buckcherry, Bullet For My Valentine, Cheap Trick, Clutch, Danzig, Def Leppard, Devil Wears Prada, Disturbed, Down, Duff Mckagan's Loaded, Escape The Fate, Evile, Fm, Framing Hanley, Frank Turner, Funeral For A Friend, Gaslight Anthem, Ghost, Gwar, Hollywood Undead, Hyro Da Hero, Jameson Raid, Korn, Kvelertak, Linkin Park, Madina Lake, Masters Of Reality, Mr Big, Pendulum, Plain White T’s, Puddle Of Mudd, Rise To Remain, Rob Zombie, Sacred Mother Tongue, Skunk Anansie, Straight Line Stitch, Suicide Silence, System Of A Down, The Cult, The Damned Things, The Darkness, The King Blues, The Pretty Reckless, Thin Lizzy, Times Of Grace, Trash Talk, Turisas, Twisted Sister, Versaemerge, Your Demise (full line-up here)
Isle Of Wight
The Isle Of Wight festival takes place on the site of the legendary festivals of the late '60s (although the two aren't actually connected). These days the festival brings a line-up of big name rock and pop acts to the island.
Headliners: Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters, Kasabian
Dates: 10 - 12 June
Location: Newport, Isle Of Wight
Tickets: Sold Out (some resale tickets may be available through viagogo)
Other line-up highlights:
The Courteeners, Band Of Horses, We Are Scientists, Pulp, Iggy And The Stooges, Seasick Steve, Mike & The Mechanics, Hurts, Stornoway, Lissie, Big Country, Beady Eye, The Script, Plan B, Pixie Lott, Two Door Cinema Club, James Walsh, Jeff Beck, Boy George, ABC, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Alexandra Burke, Eliza Doolittle, Imelda May, TBA, Wonderland, Edei, Laura Steel, The British Pink Floyd Show, Tom Jones, Tinie Tempah, Parade, The Cult, Wild Beasts, The Vaccines, Semi Precious Weapons, The Like, Manic Street Preachers, Public Image Limited, Cast, Hadouken!, Nick Lowe, Brother, Various Cruelties (full line-up here)
Meltdown
An annual series of concerts and events taking place at London's South Bank Centre under the watchful eye of a different curator each year. This year The Kinks' Ray Davies steps up to helm the festival, bringing varied mix of reformed old rockers, modern bands and classical performances to the capital.
Curator: Ray Davies
Dates: 10 - 19 June
Location: Southbank Centre, London
Tickets: Prices vary depending on event, check official site for details
Highlight events:
The Fugs, The Sonics & Wire, Nick Lowe, Yo La Tengo: Reinventing the Wheel, Dengue Fever, London Sinfonietta: Birtwistle & Maxwell Davies, The Great Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Current 93: Honeysuckle Sunset, Ron Sexsmith & Anna Calvi (full list of events)
Sónar (Spain)
Barcelona's now-legendary electronic and experimental music festival always packs in one of the best, and most forward-looking, line-ups Europe has to offer.
Headliners: Underworld, M.I.A, Aphex Twin
Dates: 16 - 18 June
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Tickets: 155 Euros, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Magnetic Man, Die Antwoord, The Human League, Dizzee Rascal, Cut Copy, James Murphy, Janelle Monáe, Paul Kalkbrenner, Chris Cunningham, Boys Noize, Four Tet, Katy B, Steve Reich + bcn216 + Synergy Vocals, Shackleton, James Holden, Nicolas Jaar, Trentemøller, A-Trak, Atmosphere, Annie Mac, Hype Williams, Yelawolf, Tyondai Braxton, Apparat Band, Actress, Yelle, Scuba, Benji B, Pearson Sound aka Ramadanman, Gilles Peterson, How To Dress Well, L-Vis 1990 b2b Bok Bok, Africa Hitech, Mary Anne Hobbs, Toddla T, oOoOO, Redlight feat. Ms. Dynamite & Dread MC, Egyptrixx, Toro Y Moi (full line-up here)
A chance to play?: Sort of. Right now Sonar are auctioning off the chance to play a 50 minute DJ set at this year's festival. Bidding starts at 1 Euro, but we imagine it'll end up going for a lot more... Full details here.
Sónar Pro: In 2010 the Sonar Pro event that runs alongside Sonar played host to gear demos and masterclasses from the likes of Pioneer, Steinberg, Yamaha, Ableton and Novation, among others. There's also an assortment of exclusive conferences and services for professionally accredited festival-goers. Check out our full preview for details.
Glastonbury
The UK's biggest and most famous festival, packing innumerable acts and an unrivalled atmosphere over three days in a Somerset field.
Check out our in pictures preview of this year's Glastonbury line-up.
Headliners: U2, Coldplay, Beyoncé
Dates: 22 - 26 June
Location: Pilton, Glastonbury, UK
Tickets: Sold Out
Other line-up highlights:
Anna Calvi, BB King, Big Boi, The Chemical Brothers, Crystal Castles, Elbow, Everything Everything, Friendly Fires, Fleet Foxes, Gruff Rhys, Janelle Monae, Mumford & Sons, Primal Scream, Warpaint (full line-up here)
Chance to play?: Glastonbury's annual Emerging Talent Competition offers band the chance to get a slot at the festival, although the deadline has now passed to enter this year, it's worth keeping in mind for future events. Some of the festival's smaller stages accept artist submissions, while BBC Introducing also invite a selection of up-and-coming and unsigned acts to the festival each year.
Roskilde (Denmark)
One of mainland Europe's biggest and most famous festivals, boasting not only an impressively stacked line-up of big name bands, but also the traditional, annual naked race.
Headliners: Arctic Monkeys, Iron Maiden, Kings Of Leon, The Strokes
Dates: 30 June - 3 July
Location: Roskilde, Denmark
Tickets: 8-day camping tickets from around £200 (depending on exchange rate)
Other line-up highlights:
Mastodon, M.I.A., PJ Harvey, Autopsy, Bad Religion, Battles, Big Boi, Bright Eyes, Chris Cunningham, Deadmau5, Foals, Killing Joke, Femi Kuti & Positive Force, Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80, Lykke Li, Magnetic Man with special guests Katy B and SBTRKT DJ set, The Raveonettes, Rob Zombie, Swans, TV On The Radio (full line-up here)
Hop Farm Festival
Hop Farm aims to make a 'back-to-basics' festival that is all about the punters and the music. Plus they've got Prince headlining... have we mentioned we love Prince?
Headliners: The Eagles, Morrissey, Prince
Dates: 1 - 3 July
Location: Hop Farm, Kent
Tickets: Day tickets £70, weekend tickets £170, 2-day tickets £130, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Lou Reed, Iggy And The Stooges, Patti Smith, Newton Faulkner, Imelda May, Tinie Tempah, Brother, Bryan Ferry, Chrissie Hynde & JP Jones, Damien Dempsey, Brandon Flowers, Death Cab For Cutie, 10cc, The Human League, Ocean Colour Scene, Noisettes, Gang Of Four (full line-up here)
Wireless
Three single day events bringing big name pop, dance and rock acts to London, including a set from the recently reformed Pulp.
Headliners: Black Eyed Peas, Chemical Brothers, Pulp
Dates: 1 - 3 July
Location: Hyde Park, London
Tickets: Weekend tickets £142 (no camping), day tickets £55.25, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Bruno Mars, Example, Chipmunk, Alexis Jordan, Wretch 32, Chase & Status, The Streets, Aphex Twin, Chromeo, Katy B, Janelle Monae, Battles, Devlin, Digitalism, J.Cole, Jay Electronica, The Whip, Grace Jones, TV On The Radio, Foals, The Horrors, Metronomy, The Pretty Reckless, The Naked & Famous (full line-up here)
Sonisphere (UK leg)
Sonisphere is a metal festival that takes place at various locations across Europe. The UK leg boast possibly the biggest heavy metal event of the summer: the big four of thrash playing together on these shores for the first time ever.
Headliners: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeath, Anthrax, Biffy Clyro, Slipknot
Dates: 8 - 10 July
Location: Knebworth (also various locations across Europe, check official site for details)
Tickets: From £155 (£180 inc camping)
Other line-up highlights:
Mars Volta, Diamond Head, Limp Bizkit, Weezer, Motörhead, The Sisters of Mercy, Mastodon, In Flames, Parkway Drive, Architects, Airbourne, GOJIRA, Protest the Hero, Gallows, INME, Kids in Glass Houses, Volbeat, One Minute Silence, You me at six, House of Pain, Arch Enemy, Periphery (full line-up here)
T In The Park
Scotland's biggest music festival rounds-up a line-up of mainstream-rock and pop heavyweights.
Headliners: Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Foo fighters
Dates: 8 - 10 July
Location: Balado, Scotland
Tickets: Sold Out
Other line-up highlights:
Pulp, Beady Eye, Chase & Status, Jessie J, The View, The Saturdays, The Script, My Chemical Romance, Plan B, Deadmau5, Pendulum, Brandon Flowers, Beady Eye, Weezer, Tinie Tempah, Manic Street Preachers, Jimmy Eat World, Tom Jones, All Time Low, White Lies, KT Tunstall, Blondie, Ke$ha, Cast, Friendly Fires, You Me At Six, Crystal Castles, Ocean Colour Scene, Eels, Hurts, Bright Eyes, The Streets, The Vaccines, Noah and the Whale, House of Pain, Imelda May, Josh Wink, Miles Kane, Vitalic, Eliza Doolittle, Diplo, Stornoway (full line-up here)
Chance to play?: Tennent's Tbreak gives unsigned Scottish artists a chance to play the festival. The deadline for demos for 2011 has now passed but you can sign up for information for future events. BBC Introducing also hosts a stage of new bands at the festival.
Benicassim (Spain)
Four days of music in a rather-lovely Spanish beach resort, what's not to like? Plus 2011 see one of the festival's strongest line-ups of the past few years.
Headliners: The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Portishead, The Streets
Dates: 14 - 17 July
Location: Benicàssim, Spain
Tickets: Four day tickets from £165 (includes 8 days of camping)
Other line-up highlights:
Mumford & Sons, Atom, Rhumba, Beirut, Brandon Flowers, Big Audio Dynamite, CatPeopleCongotronics Vs Rockers Feat. Konono No.1, Deerhoof, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Skeletons, Crystal Fighters, Dorian, Elbow, Friendly Fires, The Go! Team, Noah & The Whale, Paolo Nutini, Pendulum, Primal Scream present Screamadelica, The Stranglers, The Streets, Tinie Tempah, Anika, Anna Calvi, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Morning Benders, Professor Green, Smile, Spectrals, Tame Impala, Veronica Falls (full line-up here)
Latitude
Latitude is one of the UK's more sedate festivals. Set in pretty countryside in Suffolk it sees a large line-up of bands and comedians perform side-by-side with tapings of Radio 4 shows and various literature events.
Headliners: The National, Paulo Nutini, Suede
Dates: 14 - 17 July
Location: Henham Park, Suffolk
Tickets: Weekend tickets £170 (day tickets also available)
Other line-up highlights:
Anna Calvi, Avi Buffalo, The Bees, Bellowhead, Bright Eyes, British Sea Power, Caitlin Rose, Caribou, Chapel Club, Crocodiles, Crystal Fighters, C.W. Stoneking, Deerhunter, The Duke And The King, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Edwyn Collins, Esben and the Witch, Everything Everything, Fight Like Apes, Foals, Foster The People, Glasser, Gold Panda, Graffiti 6, Hurts, I Am Kloot, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Jenny and Johnny, Kele, KT Tunstall, The Leisure Society, Lloyd Cole, Marques Toliver, My Morning Jacket, The Naked and Famous, The National, OMD, Paloma Faith, Phildel, Rumer, Thea Gilmore, Tripwires, Trophy Wife, The Vaccines, Villagers, Violens, Wanda Jackson, The Waterboys, Yann Tiersen (full line-up here)
Melt (Germany)
Melt! takes place in Ferropolis, a sort-of industrial museum littered with huge bits of old mining gear, which is pretty cool really.
Headliners: Pulp, Robyn, The Streets, Beady Eye
Dates: 15 - 17 July
Location: Ferropolis (nr Berlin), Germany
Tickets: Weekend tickets 104 Euros, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Addison Groove, Atari Teenage Riot, Beady Eye, Boys Noize, Calvin Harris, Chase & Status, Cold War Kids, Crystal Castles, Cut Copy, Dananananaykroyd, Digitalism (live), Errors, Everything Everything, Gold Panda, Iron and Wine, Jamie Woon, José González, Katy B, Les Savy Fav, Modeselektor pres. Melt!Selektor, Nicolas Jaar (live), Noah & The Whale, Patrick Wolf, Plan B, Pulp, Richie Hawtin, Robyn, Rusko, SBTRKT (live), Swans, The Drums, Naked And Famous, The Streets, These New Puritans, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. We Have Band, White Lies (full line-up here)
Lovebox
Three single-day events in London's Victoria Park with a 'boutique vibe'. The obvious highlight (in our opinion) has to be the chance to see Snoop perform his classic album DoggyStyle in full.
Headliners: The Wombats, Snoop Dog (performing DoggyStyle), Scissor Sisters
Dates: 15 - 17 July
Location: Victoria Park, London
Tickets: Day tickets £31.35, 3-day tickets £108.50 (no camping)
Other line-up highlights:
Beardyman, Busy P, Carte Blanche (DJ Mehdi & Riton), Cassius, Ed Sheeran, Example, Flying Lotus, Jamie George, Kode 9, Metronomy, Ms Dynamite, P Money, Plastician, Roll Deep DJ and MC Set, Roska, Skream, Uffie, Zinc & Tippa, Ame, Appleblim, David Rodigan, Daz Dillinger, Dry the River, Fenech Soler, Floating Points, Groove Armada Present Red Light, High Contrast, Jess Mills, Joe Cool, Katy B, Kurupt, Lady Rage, Logistics (ft Natalie Williams), London Elektricty (ft Elsa Esmerelda), Lykke Li, Seth Troxler, shy fx, Sigma, Stamina, Starkey, The Drums, Warren G, 2ManyDJs, Azari & III, Black Devil Disco Club, Blondie, Feral AKA MC Kinky, Hard Ton, James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Jodie Harsh's Circus, Jonny Woo, Kelis, Robyn (full line-up here)
Live Fest
One of the UK’s biggest indoor music festivals, with a line-up featuring a number of mainstream-urban and indie heavyweights. Live Fest also acts as the grand final of this year’s Live And Unsigned competition.
Headliners: N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder, Roll Deep
Dates: 23 July
Location: O2 London
Tickets: £25, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
The Guillemots, Funeral For A Friend, Missing Andy, Saturday Night Gym Club (full line-up here)
Official site
A chance to play?: The Live and Unsigned Competition gives unsigned artists across the UK a chance to play the festival. The deadline for entries for 2011 has now passed but keep an eye on their website for information on future events.
High Voltage
Our good friends at Classic Rock and Metal Hammer magazines bring a huge line-up of classic rock and prog legends to the capital.
Headliners: Dream Theater, Judas Priest
Dates: 23 - 24 July
Location: Hyde Park, London
Tickets: Weekend tickets £99, day tickets £56.50, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Slash, Jethro Tull, Spocks Beard, Country Communion, Thunder, Micheal Schenker Group, Saint Jude, Neurosis, Black Spiders, Gentlemens Pistols, Furyon, Electric Wizard, Ravens Creed, Primitai, Attica Rage, Anathema, Thin Lizzy, Queensryche, Rival Sons, Skin (full line-up here)
Camp Bestival
Bestival's little-sibling festival - in more ways than one. Camp Bestival boasts a similar vibe to its September namesake but in a more family-orientated, child-friendly environment.
Headliners: Blondie, Mark Ronson, Laura Marling, House Of Pain
Dates: 28 - 31 July
Location: Lulworth Castle, Dorset
Tickets: £170 (student/child discounts and payment plan available)
Other line-up highlights:
Claire Maguire, Katy B, Eliza Doolittle, The Cuban Brothers, Beardyman, The Wonder Stuff, MS Dynamite, Breakage, The Selector, Fenech Soler, Frankie and the Heartstrings, Lucky Elephant, The Crayonettes, Smerins, Smerin's Anti Social Club, Two Wounded Birds, Caitlin Rose, Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, Kawa Circus, The Bad Shepherds, Marcus Foster, Kathryn Williams, Rob da Bank, Groove Armada, Norman Jay, DJ Yoda, David Rodigan, London Elektricity, The Nextmen, Dub Pistols, Soundsystem, Krafty Kuts, A.Skillz, DJ Derek, Reggae Roast, Mr Tumble, Zingzillas, The sooty show, The gruffalo, Hugh's river cottage cafe, The English National Band, Yaaks, Yasmin, Gentleman's Dub Club, Labrinth, Modestep, Primal Scream, Newton Faulkner, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Clint Westwood, Nero (DJ set) (full line-up here)
Global Gathering
One of the UK's biggest dance music festivals, Global Gathering has one multiple 'best festival' awards from various DJ magazines. This year's event rounds-up big names from the worlds of house, techno and dubstep, among other things.
Headliners: Tinie Tempah, Pendulum
Dates: 29 - 30 July
Location: Long Marston Airfield, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Tickets: Weekend tickets from £99, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Andy C, Carl Cox, Chase & Status, Eric Prydz, Erol Alkan, John Digweed, Nero, Netsky, Plastician, Professor Green, Richie Hawtin, Sub Focus (live), Underworld (live) (full line-up here)
The Big Chill
A festival that intends to live up to its name, boasting a relaxed atmosphere and picturesque surroundings. That said, Kanye is likely to be fairly lively...
Headliners: Kanye West, Chemical Brothers, Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Dates: 4 - 7 August
Location: Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Herefordshire
Tickets: Weekend tickets £172, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Wild Beasts, Electrelane, Jessie J, Metronomy, Janelle Monae, Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, Warpaint, Chipmunk, Plastician, Calvin Harris, Example, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Quantic and his Combo Barbaro, Flying Lotus (live), xxxy, Scuba, Buraka Son Sistema, Lil Silva, Four Tet, Jamie xx (full line-up here)
Green Man
Set in a country estate in the Welsh hills north of Cardiff, Green Man has a mostly alt-folk and indie orientated line-up with a good number of Welsh acts invited to play too.
Headliners: Fleet Foxes, Explosions In The Sky
Dates: 19 - 21 August
Location: Glanusk Park, Wales
Tickets: From £135 (extended ‘holiday tickets also available)
Other line-up highlights:
The Low Anthem, Bellowhead, Holy Fuck, The Burns Unit, Villagers, Polar Bear, Robyn Hitchcock, Wild Nothing, Sic Alps, Dry The River, Tweak Bird, The Leisure Society, Lia Ices, 2:54, Our Broken Garden, Ellen and the Escapades, Admiral Fallow, The Travelling Band, Hannah Peel, Driver Drive Faster, The Gentle Good, Duotone, Oh Ruin, Bleeding Heart Narrative, Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo, The Ramshackle Union Band, Ute, Treecreeper, Mancub Babywoman (full line-up here)
Chance to play? Green Man's annual, user-voted 'Green Poll' competition offers unsigned bands and artists a chance to nab a slot on the festival's main stage. Keep an eye on their site for details of this year's competition.
V Festival
One of the UK's bigger, more mainstream-friendly festivals, V takes place across two locations over the same weekend.
Headliners: Eminem, Arctic Monkeys
Dates: 20 - 21 August
Location: Weston Park near Birmingham & Hylands Park, Chelmsford
Tickets: Sold Out
Other line-up highlights:
Rihanna, Plan B, The Script, Dizzee Rascal, Pendulum, Kaiser Chiefs, Duran Duran, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, Razorlight, Chase and Status, Tinie Tempah, The Courteeners, Scouting for Girls, Ellie Goulding, Bruno Mars, Jessie J, The Wombats, Mark Ronson, N-Dubz, Big Audio Dynamite, Glasvegas, Hurts, Katy B, Katy Tunstall, Squeeze, The Saturdays, Example, Wiz Khalfila, Olly Murs, Cast, Kele, Ocean Colour Scene, You Me At Six, Eliza Doolittle, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Imelda May, Bellowhead, Clare Maguire (full line-up here)
Reading & Leeds
One (or two, depending on how you look at it) of the UK's biggest festivals, these days slightly less metal-orientated than it once was, but still a hugely popular choice for festival goers.
Headliners: My Chemical Romance, The Strokes, Pulp, Muse
Dates: 26 - 28 August
Location: Reading and Leeds, UK
Tickets: Weekend tickets from £192 (day tickets also available)
Other line-up highlights:
My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Offspring, Deftones, Rise Against, Bring Me The Horizon, New Found Glory, The Blackout, Architects, Beady Eye, White Lies, Noah & The Whale, The Vaccines, Metronomy, Patrick Wolf, The Naked & Famous, The Strokes, Pulp, The National, Jimmy Eat World, Madness, Two Door Cinema Club, Seasick Steve, Pigeon Detectives, Joy Formidable, Jane's Addiction, Crystal Castles, Bombay Bicycle Club, Everything Everything, The Kills, Odd Future, Muse, Elbow, Interpol, Friendly Fires, Enter Shikari, The View, Frank Turner, Taking Back Sunday, We Are The Ocean, 2ManyDJs, The Streets, Death From Above 1979, Panic! At The Disco, Warpaint, Chapel Club, Cage The Elephant
Creamfields
One of the largest and longest-running dance music festivals, started as on offshoot of the legendary Liverpool clubnight.
Headliners: Chemical Brothers, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Tiësto
Dates: 27th - 28th August
Location: Daresbury, Cheshire
Tickets: Weekend tickets from £115, on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Magnetic Man, Katy B, Calvin Harris (DJ Set), Diplo, Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Eddie Halliwell, Judge Jules, Eric Prydz, Sasha, Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, Andy C, Joker, Caspa, Shy FX, Breakage, Armin van Buuren, Example. Chicane, A-Trak, Above & Beyond, Gareth Emery (full line-up here)
End Of The Road
A relatively intimate festival specialising in alt-folk, Americana and indie music boasting a relaxed atmosphere and interesting array of wildlife...
Headliners: Beirut, Mogwai, Joanna Newsome, Laura Marling
Dates: 2nd - 4th September
Location: Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Tickets: £145 on sale now
Other line-up highlights:
Midlake, The Walkmen, Wild Beasts, The Fall, Tinariwen, Gruff Rhys, John Grant, White Denim, Joan As Policewoman, Willy Mason, Wooden Shjips, Jolie Holland, Josh T Pearson, Micah P Hinson, James Yorkston, Gordon Gano & the Ryans, Caitlin Rose, The Leisure Society, The Black Angels, Bob Log III, Bo Ningen, Dan Mangan, The Deadly Syndrome, Dry The River, Darren Hanlon, The Fresh & Onlys, HEALTH, La Sera, Lanterns on the Lake, Lia Ices, Lightning Dust, Daniel Martin Moore, Megafaun, Cass McCombs, Doug Paisley, Perfume Genius, The Secret Sisters, The Staves, Timber Timbre, Treefight for Sunlight, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Shadow, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Wild Nothing, Woods, Young Man (full line-up here)
Bestival
Bestival has grown to expand on its boutique origins over the past few years to become one of the UK's hottest tickets. Even though it's bigger in size these days the boutique vibe remains, including annual themed fancy dress.
Headliners: The Cure, Brian Wilson, Primal Scream (performing Screamadelica)
Dates: 8 - 11 September
Location: Robin Hill Park, Isle Of White
Tickets: £170 (student/child discounts and payment plan available)
Other line-up highlights:
Brian Wilson, Magnetic Man, Robyn, Crystal Castles, DJ Shadow, Katy B, LFO, Omar Souleyman,Boys Noize, Diplo, A Track, Grandmaster Flash, 65DAYSOFSTATIC, David Rodigan, 2 Bears, Carte Blanche, Pantha Du Prince, Pendulum, PJ Harvey, The Maccabees, Public Enemy, Big Audio Dynamite, Mogwai, James Blake, Kelis, Noah & The Whale, Chromeo, Paloma Faith, The Drums, Village People, Patrick Wolf, Graham Coxon, Jungle Brothers, Cut Copy, Metronomy, Zola Jesus, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Ed Sheeran, Modeselektor, Fake Blood, Caravan Palace, Asian Dub Foundation, Beardyman, Health, John Grant, Ms Dynamite, Breakage ft Jess Mills, Wretch 32, Venetian Snares, Fenech-Soler, Sbtrkt, The Unthanks, Willy Mason, The Selecter, L-Vis, 1990 & The Neon Dreams, Emeralds, Esben & The Witch, Los Campesinos!, Oneohtrix, Point Never, Rustie, Tanlines, Islet, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Rainbow Arabia (full line-up here)
