Music
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2023 UK festivals: the ultimate guide
The line-ups, dates and details for every big summer stage in 2023
The UK does a lot of things better than anyone else (queuing, wildlife documentaries, public health care, sarcasm…), but the best has to be music festivals. Whether you’re into riverside ballet at a boutique glamping site or a muddy moshpit near the long drops, summer 23 has a wristband with your name on it. And with so many UK festivals taking place this year, you could pretty much spend every weekend at a main stage between now and the August bank holiday.
With most major line-ups now announced, and with tickets selling fast, it’s time to start planning your summer of live music.
Sound City Liverpool
When is it?
Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 April
Where is it?
Mountford Hall, Liverpool
Who’s playing?
The Reytons, Maisie Peters, Olivia Dean, Dylan John Thomas, Hannah Grae, Swim Deep, Finn Foxell, Kneeo, Eevah, Delights, The Goa Express, Izzy And The Blacktrees and many more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: So much great new music you want to head down to the South East coast a couple of weeks later…
Find tickets to Sound City Liverpool here
The Great Escape
When is it?
Wednesday 10 – Saturday 13 May
Where is it?
Various venues, Brighton
Who’s playing?
This year’s spotlight shows are on Arlo Parks and Maisie Peters, with Pretenders also making an appearance. But this festival is all about new music discovery from all across the world; don’t miss the likes of Amy Root, Big Wett, Georgia Harmer, L’Eclair, Petite Noir to name just a few.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Your next favourite band. Also a lot of seagulls the size of dinosaurs (watch those chips!)
Find tickets for The Great Escape Festival here
Bearded Theory
When is it?
Thursday 25 – Sunday 28 May
Where is it?
Catton Hall & Park, Leicester
Who’s playing?
Topping this year’s lineup are Interpol, Primal Scream, Gogol Bordello, Pretenders Flogging Molly, Gary Numan and Echo And The Bunnymen. But don’t miss the likes of Billy Bragg, Anna Calvi, Viagra Boys, Warmduscher, Yard Act, The Beths, Elvana and Pigs X7.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Parents hurriedly checking their children in to ‘Festival School’ before rushing to Gogol Bordello for a skank.
Find tickets for Bearded Theory here
Wide Awake
When is it?
Saturday 27 May
Where is it?
Brockwell Park, London
Who’s playing?
Caroline Polachek, Alex G, Black Country New Road, Daniel Avery [live], Oneohtrix Point Never, Osees, Shygirl, Viagra Boys, Warmduscher and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: People trying to hit those high notes during Caroline Polachek’s set.
Find tickets for Wide Awake here
Neighbourhood Weekender
When is it?
Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 May
Where is it?
Victoria Park, Warrington
Who’s playing?
Pulp, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, The Kooks, Self Esteem, Anne-Marie, The Wombats, Ocean Colour Scene, Jamie Webster and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Jarvis hanging out at The Neighbourhood Inn Pub (and Paul Heaton buying the rounds).
Find tickets for Neighbourhood Weekender here
Creamfields South
When is it?
Friday 26 – Sunday 28 May
Where is it?
Hylands Park, Chelmsford
Who’s playing?
The Phase 1 line-up already seems to big to have a Phase 2. Becky Hill, Calvin Harris, Camelphat, Chase & Status, Example, Fat Boy Slim, Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto… the list goes on. Literally.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Everyone spending Monday morning desperately trying to get tickets for Creamfields North so they can do it all again.
Find tickets for Creamfields South here
Funk & Soul Weekender
When is it?
Friday 2 – Sunday 4 June
Where is it?
Dreamland, Margate
Who’s playing?
Kool & The Gang, Hot 8 Brass Band, Craig Charles, David Rodigan and all the thickest baselines of the summer.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Several thousand people all dancing to ‘Celebration’ (and all doing the weird grunt noises in ‘Jungle Boogie’).
Find tickets for Funk & Soul Weekender here
Download
When is it?
Thursday 8 – Sunday 11 June
Where is it?
Donnington Park, Leicestershire
Who’s playing?
Bring Me The Horizon, Slipknot, Metallica and even more Metallica – with the biggest, loudest rock and metal festival around booking the titans of thrash for two nights to mark their 20th anniversary. Plus, don’t miss the likes of Architects, Evanescence, Parkway Drive, Placebo, Alter Bridge and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Someone wearing a gas mask, a Viking helmet and a really sensible tote bag for their water bottle and hand sanitiser.
Find tickets for Download 2023 here
KITE Festival
When is it?
Friday 9 – Sunday 11 June
Where is it?
Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire
Who’s playing?
Hot Chip, Suede, Candi Staton, Baxter Dury, Pretenders, Django Django, Ezra Collective and more on the main stage, plus podcasts, ideas and comedy from the likes of Marina Hyde, Sir John Major, Adam Kay, Alistair Green and Kiri Pritchard-Mclean.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Some real kites being flown, probably somewhere over the on-site coffee shop and bookstore.
Find tickets for KITE festival here
Parklife
When is it?
Saturday 10 June – Sunday 11 June
Where is it?
Heaton Park, Manchester
Who’s playing?
Fred Again.., The 1975, Aitch, The Prodigy, Wu Tang Clan & NAS (a UK festival exclusive), Little Simz, Skrillex, NxWorries, Self Esteem, Slowthai, Peggy Gou, Jamie Jones, Nia Archives, Groove Armada, Becky Hill, Confidence Man and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: A lot of bucket hats.
Find tickets for Parklife 2023 here
Isle of Wight Festival
When is it?
Thursday 15 June – Sunday 18 June
Where is it?
Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight
Who’s playing?
Pulp, George Ezra, The Chemical Brothers, Robbie Williams, Courteeners, N-Dubz, Blondie, The Human League, Example, The Manic Street Preachers and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Everyone still belting out ‘Angels’ on the ferry home on Monday morning.
Find tickets to Isle Of Wight Festival here
BST Hyde Park
When is it?
Various single dates between Saturday 24 June and Saturday 8 July
Where is it?
Hyde Park, London
Who’s playing?
Bruce Springsteen. Guns N’ Roses. Blackpink. Take That. P!nk. Gwen Stefani. Billy Joel. And that’s just the headliners.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Bruce taking on BST’s usually strict curfew, and winning.
Find tickets for BST Hyde Park here
Lytham Festival
When is it?
Wednesday 28 June – Sunday 2 July
Where is it?
Lytham Green, Lancashire
Who’s playing?
Jamiroquai, George Ezra, Sting, Lionel Ritchie and a double header of classic rock’s most infamously hard to type heroes: Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. Plus, there’ll be supports from the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Gabrielle, Blondie, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Cat Burns and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Anyone booking for all five days wearing the best, weirdest, collection of band t-shirts around.
Find tickets for Lytham Festival here
Love Supreme Jazz Festival
When is it?
Friday 30 June – Sunday 2 July
Where is it?
Glynde Place, Lewes
Who’s playing?
Little Simz, Grace Jones, Emeli Sandé, FKJ, Thundercat, Gabriels, Candi Stanton, Yussef Dayes, Marcus Miller, Shalamar, Greentea Peng, Mulatu Astatke and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: A lot of glitter and a lot of shiny jumpsuits.
Find tickets for Love Supreme Jazz Festival here
TRNSMT
When is it?
Friday 7 – Sunday 9 July
Where is it?
Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Who’s playing?
Friday night sees Pulp and George Ezra in the big slots, Saturday is Sam Fender and Kasabian, and Sunday has The 1975 and Royal Blood. You can also catch the likes of Nothing But Thieves, Cat Burns, LF, The Wombats, Ashnikko, Nial Horan, Mimi Webb, Inhaler and many more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Sam Fender swap his Newcastle United flag for Rangers. Actually do be surprised if you see that.
Find tickets for TRNSMT 2023 here
Kaleidoscope
When is it?
Saturday 15 July
Where is it?
Alexandra Palace, London
Who’s playing?
Hot Chip, George Fitzgerald, Gaz Coombes, Elvana, Girls Of The Internet, Erol Alkan, Heidi, Fabio + Grooverider, Nina Conti, Shaun Keaveny and Joe Lycett In Conversation and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Panoramic views of the city in the backdrop
Find tickets for Kaleidoscope here
Latitude
When is it?
Thursday 20 July – Sunday 23 July
Where is it?
Henham Park, Suffolk
Who’s playing?
Pulp, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra are headlining, with the likes of The Kooks, Metronomy, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Black Midi, The Beths and The Proclaimers starting to fill up a busy looking bill beneath them including
Don’t be surprised if you see: A fluorescent sheep quietly watching a Sadlers Wells ballet performance.
Find tickets for Latitude festival here
Standon Calling
When is it?
Thursday 20 July – Sunday 23 July 2023
Where is it?
Standon Lordship, Standon, Hertfordshire
Who’s playing?
The Human League kicks things off as a Thursday night headliner, with Years & Years, Self Esteem and Bloc Party leading the weekend slots. Joining them are the likes of KT Tunstall, Rick Astley, The Big Moon, Bear’s Den, Groove Armada, Anastacia, Squid, Katy B and many, many more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: A dog show.
Find tickets for Stanton Calling here
Camp Bestival Dorset
When is it?
Thursday 27 – Sunday 30 July
Where is it?
Lulworth Castle, Dorset
Who’s playing? The younger sister of Camp Bestival Shropshire (see below) is this year welcoming Grace Jones, Craig David and The Kooks, but at least half the audience will be more excited about seeing Mr Tumble, Horrible Histories and the Splash Test Dummies.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Chris Packham and Mr Motivator in the Roller Disco with Dick and Dom.
Find tickets for Camp Festival Dorset here
Wilderness
When is it?
Thursday 3 – Sunday 6 August
Where is it?
Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire
Who’s playing? The Chemical Brothers, Christine and the Queens and Fatboy Slim are this year’s headliners, with the likes of Confidence Man, Sugababes, Arlo Parks, Franc Moody, GoGo Penguin and Flyte joining the bill. For the raver there’s also Late Night Revelry from Laurent Garnier, Honey Dijon, Todd Terry and Eats Everything. But as with every Wilderness instalment, there’ll be other highlights in talks, arts, dining and wellbeing.
Don’t be surprised if you see: The Sugababes doing a bit of aerial yoga. Or axe-throwing.
Find tickets for Wilderness Festival here
Camp Bestival Shropshire
When is it?
Thursday 17 – Sunday 20 August
Where is it?
Western Park, Shropshire
Who’s playing?
Primal Scream, Rudimental, Melanie C, The Human League, Groove Armada, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Confidence Man, Sam Ryder and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Sophie Ellis-Bextor trying to beat last year’s record for the world’s biggest disco
Find tickets for Camp Bestival Shropshire here
All Points East
When is it?
Friday 18 – 28 August
Where is it?
Victoria Park, London
Who’s playing?
This year’s headliners are: Stormzy, who’ll be joined by the likes of Kehlani, Sampha and Knucks; The Strokes, who are sharing the stage with fellow New Yorkers Yeah Yeah Yeahs among others; Jungle, joined by Eryka Badu, Folamour and BadBadNotGood; Dermot Kennedy with SG Lewis, Olivia Dean, AURORA and more; and Haim will be playing a European exclusive with the likes of Girl In Red and Confidence Man.
Plus, the festival will again present Field Day, boasting huge headliners Aphex Twin and Bonobo, supported by the likes of Arca, Sudan Archives, Jon Hopkins and many more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Your mate from work also pulling a sickie on one of the Friday dates.
Find tickets for All Points East 2023 here
Creamfields North
When is it?
Friday 24 – Sunday 27 August
Where is it?
Daresbury Estate, Cheshire
Who’s playing?
Adam Beyer, Swedish House Mafia, Amelie Lens, Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Tiësto, Carl Cox (Hybrid Live), Eric Prydz, Pete Tong, Becky Hill and many more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: More lasers than Star Wars.
Find tickets for Creamfields North here
Connect
When is it?
Friday 25 – Sunday 27th August
Where is it?
TBC
Who’s playing?
Still TBC. Connect 2022 saw the festival return for the first time in 14 years, headlined by Idles, Jon Hopkins, The Chemical Brothers and The National. Line-ups like this are worth waiting for.
Don’t be surprised if you see: A second sophomore year that outdoes 2008.
Find tickets for Connect 2023 here
Reading & Leeds
When is it?
Friday 25 – Sunday 27 August
Where is it?
Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Wetherby
Who’s playing?
Sam Fender, The Killers and Billie Eilish. Loyle Carner, Wet Leg and Foals. Central Cee, Lewis Capaldi, Imagine Dragons, Becky Hill and too many other names than can comfortably fit on the poster.
Don’t be surprised if you see: A whole lot of A-listers crowding the Leon at Watford Gap services.
Find tickets for Reading and Leeds festival here
Sundown
When is it?
Friday 1 – Sunday 3 September
Where is it?
Norfolk Showground, Norwich
Who’s playing?
Raye, Chase & Status, Tion Wayne, Hybrid Minds, Artful Dodger, Caity Baser, Nia Archives, Piri, Versus, Sub Focus and more.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Ravers young and old.
Boundary Brighton
When is it?
Saturday 30 September
Where is it?
Stanmer Park, Brighton
Who’s playing?
Phase One of their 2023 lineup includes DJ sets from Sub Focus and Pendulum, plus the likes of Ben Hemsley, Hedex & Skywalker, East End Dubs, Holy Goof and Kurupt FM, among others.
Don’t be surprised if you see: Beats, Grindah, Steves and Chabuddy G causing havoc on the streets of Brighton.
Find tickets for Boundary Brighton festival here
Not sure which festival is for you? Use our festival finder to plan your perfect summer here.
Photo: Abbie Shipperley
