Festivals

Feature

Summer 2021 – Festivals are back!

As the countdown begins to the return of festival season, we run through the best fests coming up from July 2021 onwards

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Festival season is back. We’re going from a summer of six people in your back garden to one defined by the euphoria of thousands of people in a sun-kissed field. And not a moment too soon, judging by the rate at which tickets are being snapped up.

City-based excursions? Huge events with countless camping options? These are problems we’re only too happy to have to address again. So, if you’re gazing at your calendar and trying to think of the best ways to fill it up, here are a few suggestions for 2021 UK music festivals.

Blossoms at Reading Festival (Photo by Sara Emerson)

Camp Bestival

(29 July – 1 August 2021)

There are family friendly festivals and there’s Camp Bestival. Rob da Bank’s annual bash in Dorset mixes the headline acts that will pull in the grown-ups with a whole host of superstars in the world of kids’ entertainment. Nowhere else on earth will Fatboy Slim mingle with Mr Tumble or The Sherlocks share poster space with Andy & The Odd Socks.

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Andy and the Odd Socks - Who's in the Odd Socks? (Official Video)

Creamfields

(26 – 29 August 2021)

If your main M.O for 2021 is to fit in all the dancing you missed out on in 2020, then Creamfields is a must. The whole August bank holiday weekend is given over to the biggest acts in the electronic dance music sphere, including deadmau5, Carl Cox, Eric Prydz, Tiësto and many, many more. Tickets are sold out but keep your eyes peeled for the odd ticket popping up via our fan-to-fan Ticket Exchange.

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deadmau5 - Monophobia (feat. Rob Swire) [Official Video]

Dot To Dot Festival

(25 – 26 September 2021)

If you’re less into standing in a field and more into exploring a city and finding some great new bands in the process, Dot To Dot is the festival for you. Coming to Bristol and Nottingham in September, it promises some (deservedly) much-hyped acts such as Sports Team, Girl Band and the incredibly loud and fun Chubby & The Gang. Loads more names are still to be added to that over the coming months.

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Chubby and the Gang // All Along the Uxbridge Road (Official Video)

Latitude

(22 – 25 July 2021)

Latitude has long been one of those festivals where you come for the headliners but discover endless wonders further down the bill. Even the very first one in 2006 pulled you in with Mogwai, Patti Smith or The Lemonheads but left you buzzing from Rodrigo Y Gabriella’s guitar acrobatics or the unparalleled beauty of Richard Swift in the Uncut Arena.

This year should be no different. A few biggies have been announced (Snow Patrol, Lewis Capaldi, First Aid Kit and Bastille) but expect that list to be much, much bigger come July.

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First Aid Kit - Emmylou (Official Video)

Neighbourhood Weekender

(3 – 9 September 2021)

Moving to September for 2021, Neighbourhood Weekender takes over Warrington’s Victoria Park for a massive three days of top class live action with a decidedly indie bent. Gerry Cinnamon, James and Catfish & The Bottlemen headline the three-dayer and there are loads of must-see names further down the bill, from Irish buzz bands Inhaler and The Murder Capital to rising stars Pale Waves and The Big Moon and long-running heroes such as The Lightning Seeds and The Coral.

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Inhaler - When It Breaks (Official Video)

Reading & Leeds Festival

(27 – 29 August 2021)

The double-headed Reading and Leeds festival needs no introduction. Actually, for 2021, it’s something of a double-double-header with two main stages in both of its locations (Reading and Leeds, in case you didn’t get that first time around). The names are as big as they come, with Stormzy, Liam Gallagher, Post Malone, Charli XCX and more joined by the upwardly mobile likes of Sigrid, Beabadoobee, Doja Cat, Bad Boy Chiller Crew and Sports Team.

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Liam Gallagher - All You're Dreaming Of (Official Video)

Rewind Festival

(23 – 25 July 2021)

Return to an era when hand sanitiser was a pink bar of Cussons in the downstairs loo and a face mask was something you used to get rid of blackheads on a Friday night. Rewind does exactly what it claims to, rolling back the years with the help of Billy Ocean, Bananarama, Wet Wet Wet and Jimmy Sommerville. It’s the festival equivalent of a radio station where every song makes you want to roll down the windows and turn the volume up.

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Bananarama - Cruel Summer (Official Video)

For more information on 2021 UK festivals or to find your perfect festival destination, go to Ticketmaster’s Festival Finder guide.