Full August UK festival calendar

Some of our favourite August festivals

Reading and Leeds Festivals

“Bank-Holiday bliss — music mayhem on two iconic stages.”

Come late August 2026, two of the UK’s largest and most legendary festivals — Reading and Leeds — once again transform their grounds into epicentres of rock, pop, rap and festival culture. 🎉

🏟️ Big Names, Bigger Energy

This year’s headliners offer an all-British / Irish top tier — a bold move and a reason to celebrate homegrown talent. Expect huge sets from Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C. and RAYE across various days. Ticketmaster UK+2TheFestivals+2

From anthemic alt-rock to high-energy rap, electronic bangers, indie vibes and sing-along choruses — Reading & Leeds always deliver a lineup for just about everyone.

🌙 Camping, Community, Chaos — and Comfort

Campsites typically open days ahead of the festival proper, offering the full “festival-camp lifestyle”: tents, early morning coffees with fellow festival-goers, communal showers (or planned hygiene strategies), and that slightly gritty vibe which makes every moment feel like part of one long, shared memory. Ticketmaster UK+1

From main arena craziness to chill-out zones, from midday guitar sets to late-night DJ tents — Reading & Leeds balances the chaos with community.

🎯 Who Should Be There

Music lovers with broad tastes — reading through the genres here is like scanning a Spotify Discover Weekly playlist.
Festival-campers seeking full immersion — if you want festival life in its messy, beautiful entirety.
Groups or friends wanting shared memories — long days, long nights, thousands of other people, and legends on stage.
Those chasing “UK festival rite of passage” status — Reading & Leeds is a classic for a reason: a cultural milestone, a sonic playground, a rite of summer.

In short: if you want to step away from the everyday and dive head-first into a long weekend of music, friends, chaos, and euphoria — there are few festivals as emblematic as Reading & Leeds.

We Out Here Festival — Dorset’s Cosmic Jazz-Meets-Club Gathering of Beautiful Minds

A Celebration of Community, Creativity & Boundary-Breaking Sound

When Gilles Peterson and Worldwide FM first shaped the idea of We Out Here, the plan wasn’t just to throw another music festival — it was to create a cultural meeting point. A place where jazz, soul, broken beat, Afro-fusion, house, hip-hop, experimental electronics and global rhythms could breathe the same air and move the same bodies. In 2026, the festival continues this mission on its gorgeous Dorset site, transforming the rolling countryside into a nexus of creativity, connection and open-hearted dancing.

A Line-Up Curated With Soul

We Out Here doesn’t do “big for big’s sake” bookings. Its line-up always feels expertly tuned to the spirit of the scene: adventurous, modern, community-rooted. Expect UK jazz icons shoulder-to-shoulder with deep-cut DJs; vibrant Afrobeat collectives warming stages as the sun sets; soulful vocalists sending entire fields swaying as one. Every year feels like a love letter to the scenes that matter.

And because this is a Gilles Peterson project, you can bet the programming moves effortlessly from sunrise meditations through late-night dancefloor mutations. Flow is the name of the game — nothing feels random.

Spaces That Feel Like Home

We Out Here’s stages each hold their own personality: live jazz spaces humming with improvisation, woodland clearings designed for club journeys, lakeside sunrise sets that feel like ceremony. Wander between them and you’ll find record-fair tents, talks with creators, workshops, film screenings, wellness areas and independent food vendors bringing global flavours to Dorset.

It’s a festival that invites you not just to party, but to participate — to explore taste, creativity, culture, and the connective tissue between them.

A True Community Vibe

Families, dancers, musicians, creatives, long-time heads, new explorers — everyone fits into the We Out Here tapestry. The crowd is famously friendly, the energy welcoming, and the weekend feels more like a gathering of curious, kindred people than a mass-market blowout.

If you’re tired of commercial mega-fests, this is the antidote.