Festivals
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The last festivals of summer 2023
Rounding up the final festivals to see out the summer season
We don’t know about you, but it’s been quite the summer of festivals. Download celebrated its 20th anniversary with four full days of heatwave-fulled metal madness. Boomtown added another blockbuster worthy chapter to its ongoing saga. Wireless continued to keep London a vital spot on the global hip-hop map. All sorts of madness went down at Reading & Leeds.
But if you’re getting the back-to-school blues, don’t worry. Here we’ve rounded up the last few remaining festivals of summer 2023.
Soultown
If you’re itching to don your dancing shoes one last time while the sun is still around, this one might be for you. Beckenham’s Soultown festival has been steadily growing and this year’s edition boasts its finest lineup yet. Saturday will see Sister Sledge get lost in music alongside fellow disco pioneers Boney M and Lighthouse Family’s smooth operator Tunde Baiyewu. Sunday sees Native New Yorkers Odyssey take to the stage with an eclectic mix of Peter Andre and UK reggae greats UB40. If you want to board the train to Soul Town, you better get your ticket now.
Beckenham, 2โ3 September | Get tickets here
Sundown
Norfolk’s Sundown festival emerged in the early 2010s to give East Anglia its own big summer blowout. It’s always had a pop, electronic and R&B focus, and this year sees the likes of Example, Raye, Nia Archives and Piri share the bill with headliners Chase and Status and London rapper Tion Wayne. There’s also some impressive techno offerings if that’s your thing.
Norwich, 1โ3 September | Get tickets here
Manchester Psych Fest
The clue’s in the name with this one; if you like letting your hair down to psychedelic rock, then you’ll be flocking to Manchester to find the likes of Allah Las, The Bryan Jonestown Massacre, L’Eclair and Flamingods getting freaky all across town. In recent years, though, the festival has opened its doors (and minds) to a broader indie-rock spectrum, so you can also catch the likes of Ezra Furman, Bodega, Snail Mail and many more. See you on the other side.
Manchester, 2 September | Get tickets here
KPOP LUX
On paper, KPOP LUX promises to celebrate 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and the United Kingdom. In real life, this two day fest will be a vibrant K-Pop bonanza, featuring the likes of ITZY, TXT and THE BOYZ. As you’ll notice, everything is here is capitalised, so GET EXCITED!
London, 22-23 September | Get tickets here
K-Music Festival
The K-Pop fun doesn’t stop there. Kicking off in October, the tenth edition of K-Music continues to showcase the best of Korean music and culture. Head to the Barbican to witness Jung Jaeil and the London Symphony Orchestra perform songs from the Parasite and Squid Game soundtracks, or Sun-Mi Hong put together a super group of improvisers.
London, 1 Oct โ 12 Nov | Get tickets here
Find your next 2023 and 2024 festival in our exclusive Festival Guide
Photo credit: Mat Napo / Unsplash
