If you made it a festival in 2021, you’ve probably spent the last few Omicron-hit few weeks counting your lucky stars that you had that opportunity. Who knows what’s going to happen in 2022, but here’s hoping we can make a full return to running around fields with our pals, watching brilliant live music all summer long. Here are 20 festivals you can’t afford to miss next year (COVID-19 permitting!).
Glastonbury
When: June 22-26
Where: Worthy Farm, Pilton
Line-up: Billie Eilish, Diana Ross and more TBA.
Glastonbury might have only confirmed two acts for 2022 so far, but if ever there was a festival where you’re guaranteed to have a good time no matter who’s on the bill, it’s this one. If you do care about line-ups, though, we’ve got good news for you – Billie Eilish’s booking as the first headliner should more than allay any doubts that Glasto ’22 will be absolutely banging. Diana Ross will take over the legends slot for this year, and more names will be added to the line-up in due course.
Reading & Leeds
When: August 26-28
Where: Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds
Line-up: Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon, Rage Against The Machine, Halsey, Wolf Alice, Run The Jewels and more.
Reading & Leeds have put together one of the best line-ups we’ve seen so far. Cater to (almost) every branch of your multitudinous music taste with the best in rap, rock, pop and everything in between, from first-time headliners Megan Thee Stallion, Dave, Halsey and Bring Me The Horizon, to old stalwarts Arctic Monkeys and Rage Against The Machine, plus an undercard that’s already crammed with goodies.
TRNSMT
When: July 8-10
Where: Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Line-up: Paolo Nutini, The Strokes, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, Foals, Wolf Alice, Nile Rodgers & Chic, The Snuts, DMA’s and more.
TRNSMT will bring a raucous party to Glasgow next summer with a line-up that brings together Scottish faves with indie rabble-rousers. Rep the tartan with homegrown headliners Paolo Nutini and Lewis Capaldi and then recreate the best indie discos of your life with The Strokes, Foals, Wolf Alice and more.
The Great Escape
When: May 11-14
Where: Various venues, Brighton
Line-up: Priya Ragu, Tems, Sycco, Wallice, Gabriels, Lime Garden, Miso Extra and more.
One of the many pitfalls of our pandemic era has been not being able to discover new artists by any other means than listening to songs online. Thankfully, the return of The Great Escape – the UK’s premier new music festival – means a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the thrill of stumbling on our fave new band in a sticky small venue.
Wide Awake
When: May 27-28
Where: Brockwell Park, London
Line-up: Bicep, Primal Scream present ‘Screamadelica’, Caribou, Floating Points, Fat White Family, Working Men’s Club, The Comet Is Coming and more.
After a successful inaugural year in 2021, Wide Awake is already expanding to two days. That seems like a very good idea indeed when you look at the line-up they’ve announced for their second edition – one that brings together the best of electronic music and searing punk. Oh, and they’ve got Primal Scream playing ‘Screamdelica’ in full for the first time in a decade to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Quite a coup.
BST Hyde Park
When: June 24-July 10
Where: Hyde Park, London
Line-up: Elton John, Eagles, Adele, Pearl Jam, Duran Duran and more TBA.
If you need a little breather from moshpits but don’t want to miss out on live music, head to BST Hyde Park. The line-up so far is stacked with classic artists, including a last chance to see Elton John and Adele’s first hometown shows in seven years, so you’ll be able to tick some legends off the bucket list without waking up with bruises the next day.
Download
When: June 10-12
Where: Donington Park, Leicestershire
Line-up: Kiss, Iron Maiden, Biffy Clyro, A Day To Remember, Deftones, Korn, The Distillers, Megadeth, Steel Panther and more.
Get your devil horns up and enter the mosh as Download returns with a line-up of mega icons. Kiss, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro will take on headlining duties in 2022, but don’t ignore the rest of the line-up, which features an impressive array of titans and rising stars (from Trash Boat to Venom Prison) who could one day be topping the bill themselves.
2000 Trees
When: July 6-10
Where: Upcote Farm, Withington
Line-up: Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Turnstile, IDLES, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Pup, The Amazons, The Get Up Kids, Young Guns, The Chats and more.
The Cotswold Hills might not be the first place you think of when you think of rocking out, but one look at the 2000 Trees line-up might change that. Head over to Gloucestershire next summer for a packed bill from current British punk kings IDLES to US emo lords Jimmy Eat World, plus co-headliners Thrice and Turnstile. Massive.
Bluedot
When: July 21-24
Where: Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield
Line-up: Björk accompanied by the Hallé Orchestra and more TBA.
For a festival headliner like Björk, you don’t really want to be packed into an arena with feral teens who haven’t washed in three days and surrounded by the sweet smells of sweat and cheap lager. Hurrah, then, for Bluedot, which is offering the chance to watch the Icelandic enigma with the Hallé Orchestra in the atmospheric Jodrell Bank Observatory, where there’s a big old radio telescope in the background to make for an unusual and fitting setting.
Tramlines
When: July 22-24
Where: Hillsborough Park, Sheffield
Line-up: Sam Fender, Kasabian, Madness, James, The Vaccines, The Wombats, Declan McKenna, Sigrid, Becky Hill and more.
Once a multi-venue race around Sheffield, these days Tramlines takes place in one location, the green fields of Hillsborough Park. The 2022 edition looks like it’ll be a right old knees-up, bringing Kasabian, Madness, Sam Fender, The Vaccines, The Wombats and loads more indie stars to Steel City.
Green Man
When: August 18-21
Where: Brecon Beacons, Wales
Line-up: Michael Kiwanuka and more TBA.
Based in the idyllic Brecon Beacons, Green Man is one of the most beautiful festivals on offer in the UK. To match the dreamy scenery, in 2022 they’ve booked Michael Kiwanuka to headline, whose smooth, soulful songwriting will close out one day of the weekend in dreamy fashion. More artists will be announced for next year’s fest soon, but expect them to be just as high quality.
End Of The Road
When: September 1-4
Where: Larmer Tree Gardens, Wiltshire
Line-up: Pixies and more TBA.
It feels like it’s been aeons since Pixies were first announced to headline End Of The Road in 2020 – but finally, at long last, they’ll actually get to do it in 2022 (fingers crossed). The pandemic, of course, has thwarted them the last couple of times but hopefully by September Black Francis and co can rip through their seminal indie hits and give us something to celebrate.
Latitude
When: July 21-24
Where: Henham Park, Suffolk
Line-up: TBA
In 2021, Latitude was the first major music festival to be held in the UK since the pandemic began. As such, the energy was electric and emotional as music fans darted through the woods and over the lake to catch as many sets as possible. We might not be crying with joy at the sight of circle pits next year, but expect Latitude 2021 to be just as vital. No announcements have been made about the line-up at present, but this year had Bastille, Wolf Alice and The Chemical Brothers headline, so it’s bound to be a good’un.
Primavera Sound
When: June 2-12
Where: Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona
Line-up: Massive Attack, Pavement, Tame Impala, Beck, The National, The Strokes, Gorillaz, Jorja Smith, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Tyler, The Creator, Disclosure, Interpol, Jamie xx, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Lorde, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and many more.
If you thought Primavera Sound was already a must-go festy, wait until you see this year’s line-up. Spread over two weekends, the Spanish party has bagged pretty much the best bill of 2022 so far. Wanna watch some massive pop stars? They’ve got Dua Lipa, Lorde and Jorja Smith. Ready to rave? Get down to Disclosure, Massive Attack and Jamie xx. Craving some indie icons? Look out for Pavement, The National, Beck, The Strokes, Gorillaz, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and so many more. To die for.
Mad Cool
When: July 6-10
Where: IFEMA, Madrid
Line-up: Metallica, Twenty One Pilots, Placebo, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Muse, Queens Of The Stone Age, Faith No More, Kings Of Leon, Florence + The Machine, Pixies and more.
Not to be outdone by its fellow Spanish fest, Mad Cool has also gone straight for the big guns in 2022. If rock is more your bag, this is the Mediterranean trip to take next year – there are headline sets from Metallica, Twenty One Pilots, Muse, QOTSA and Faith No More alone, all ready to be soaked up in the lovely Madrid sun. Hermoso!
Bilbao BBK Live
When: July 7-9
Where: Kobetamendi, Bilbao
Line-up: LCD Soundsystem, The Killers, J Balvin, Pet Shop Boys, Placebo, Moderat, Stromae, Four Tet, M.I.A., Nathy Peluso and more.
Bilbao BBK is bouncing back in 2022 with a bill that’s both huge and full of acts ready to make you move. Joining fellow headliners LCD Soundsystem and The Killers is the “Prince of Reggaeton”, Colombian singer and rapper J Balvin. Four Tet will bring the late-night fun while M.I.A. will also be on hand to get everyone amped up.
Coachella
When: April 15-17, 22-24
Where: Empire Polo Club, Indio
Line-up: Rage Against The Machine and more TBA.
Set over two weekends, Coachella typically brings the best of the best to the Californian desert. Rage Against The Machine will headline next April, with more names to be confirmed soon – but expect the headliners to be iconic and the rest of the bill to represent music’s most forward-thinking and fun artists.
Sziget
When: August 10-15
Where: Hajógyári Island, Budapest
Line-up: Arctic Monkeys, Dua Lipa, Kings Of Leon, Lewis Capaldi, Stromae, Bastille, Caribou, Jungle, Slowthai, Jon Hopkins, Sigrid and more.
Attending Sziget is like escaping to a magical island divorced from the mundanities and vibe kills of real life. In 2022, this stunning fantasy land will welcome Arctic Monkeys, Dua Lipa and Kings Of Leon into its kingdom to soundtrack a great festival getaway.
Creamfields
When: August 25-28
Where: Daresbury, Cheshire
Line-up: Above & Beyond, Armin Van Buuren, Camelphat, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Nina Kraviz, Tiësto and more TBA.
Here’s one for the dance heads. Creamfields is probably the most iconic electronic music-focused festival in the UK and you can always count on them to bring both the biggest names and beats to festival season. Case in point? The 2022 line-up so far, which features megastars like David Guetta and Tiësto, with tons more on the way.
InMusic
When: June 20-23
Where: Culture Factory, Zagreb
Line-up: The Killers, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Deftones, Kasabian, Royal Blood, IDLES, White Lies, Gogol Bordello, Fontaines D.C., Sleaford Mods, Amadou & Mariam, Hinds, Dry Cleaning and more TBA.
Pop over to Croatia next summer for your rock and indie fix at InMusic. So far, it’s a rare chance to see Deftones live and in the flesh, while fellow bill-toppers The Killers and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds are guaranteed to put on thrilling shows, but both in entirely different ways.