UK music festivals are renowned around the globe for their creativity and their clout in capturing the coolest acts around. They also form one of the most saturated music festival markets in the world.
And with 2020’s festival season effectively cancelled, and 2021 seeing only a partial return, 2022 looks set to be a year like no other as music festivals make their roaring return in the UK.
With that in mind, we give you the ultimate lowdown on the best UK music festivals for 2022, including the almighty cinch presents TRNSMT, cinch presents the Isle of Wight Festival, Parklife, All Points East and Boardmasters, as well as some others still to go down in 2021.
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Festival lineup (2022): Billie Eilish + more TBA
Glastonbury Festival is one of the world’s most famous music and performing arts festivals. Embracing each and every genre across the spectrum, from rock and pop to minimal house, techno and full-throttle drum ‘n’ bass, music-lovers flock to its spiritual fields down in Somerset.
When & where: 22nd – 26th June 2022; Pilton
Glastonbury Festival 2022 Guide & Mailing List
Festival lineup (2021): Jamie xx, Foals, Kano, Bombay Bicycle Club, London Grammar, Jorja Smith, Tom Misch, slowthai
After a thrilling debut in 2018, All Points East has become a staple of east London’s Victoria Park as they continue to take things to an even higher level.
When & where: August 2022; London
All Points East 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2022): The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Pearl Jam, Duran Duran, Eagles
American Express presents BST Hyde Park – or British Summer Time Hyde Park to some – brings a host of the world’s biggest artists to the famous London Park for a series of events each summer.
When & where: 24th June – 10th July 2022; London
BST Hyde Park 2022 Guide / Book BST Hyde Park 2022
Festival lineup (2022): Courteeners, Blossoms, Nothing But Thieves, Levellers, Sleaford Mods, Pale Waves, Sundara Karma, Sports Team
Y Not Festival is an independent UK music festival, showcasing a lineup of rock, indie and alternative music in the heart of the Peak District in July 2022.
2022 will see Y Not celebrate its belated 15th anniversary in these beautiful surroundings, once again inviting festival-goers to dance and laugh their way through an unforgettable weekend at one of the UK’s most intimate and personal festivals.
When & where: 29th – 31st July 2022
Y Not Festival 2022 Guide / Book Y Not Festival 2022
Festival lineup (2021): Andy C, Wilkinson, Sonny Fodera, High Contrast, Sub Focus, Shy FX, Hardy Caprio, Danny Howard
Boundary Brighton is Brighton’s biggest electronic music festival, showcasing a lineup of house and bass music inside the city’s Stanmer Park each September.
Spread across three stages, festival-goers can expect to party alongside some of the finest artists in the scene.
When & where: 24th September 2022; Brighton
Boundary Brighton 2022 Guide / Book Boundary Brighton 2022
Festival lineup (2021): Bicep, Floorplan, The Blessed Madonna, DJ Seinfeld, George Fitzgerald, Mall Grab, Floating Points, Ross From Friends
Now one of the capital’s most loved music festivals, Field Day is curated by a collection of clubs and promoters from the London music scene, culminating in a forward-thinking, genre-pushing lineup that features live performances and DJ sets that showcase house, techno, hip-hop and more.
When & where: TBA 2022; London
Field Day 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2022): Paolo Nutini, The Strokes, Lewis Capaldi, Foals, Wolf Alice, beabadoobee, Fontaines D.C., The Snuts
Started as a replacement for T in the Park, the city centre event includes all the revelry of a traditional music festival, but also gives festival-goers the chance to explore the city’s bars, restaurants, nightclubs and cultural attractions.
When & where: 8th – 10th July 2022; Glasgow
cinch presents TRNSMT Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
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Festival lineup (2021): Amelie Lens, Helena Hauff, Nina Kraviz, Maceo Plex, Solardo, Robert Hood [live], Sven Väth, Tale of Us
After a series of enforced postponements, Terminal V will return to Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre at Easter, offering up an impressive array of house and techno stars.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; Edinburgh
Terminal V Festival Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2022): Courteeners, Kasabian, Blossoms, DMA’s, Becky Hill, Tom Grennan, Pale Waves, The Lathums, The Fratellis
Neighbourhood Weekender is an indie festival inside Warrington’s Victoria Park, laying on a weekend of riff-tastic music, including household names alongside some of the scene’s hotly tipped upcoming artists, giving music fans a chance to discover the next big thing.
When & where: 28th – 29th May 2022; Warrington
Neighbourhood Weekender 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Amelie Lens, Dax J, Eats Everything, Darius Syrossian, Patrick Topping, Ricardo Villalobos, Maya Jane Coles, Gerd Janson
Each September MiNT Festival welcomes an enviable lineup of dance music gems that spans across house, techno and more to the hip city. That means festival-goers can expect the usual top-tier lineup and an all-day party to remember, before the afterparties come calling.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; Leeds
MiNT Festival 2021 Guide / Book MiNT Festival 2021
Festival lineup (2021): Arrested Development, Basement Jaxx [DJ set], David Rodigan, David Morales, Black Motion, Derrick Carter, Todd Edwards, Grandmaster Flash
Beautiful People returns to London to once again showcase a vibrant day of all things house, soul, R&B, garage and disco.
Billed as “the world’s friendliest party”, Beautiful People is all about bringing people together under a shared love of music and the summer sun.
When & where: 3rd September 2022; London
Beautiful People 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Burna Boy, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Koffee, Bugzy Malone, Wilkinson, Honey Dijon, Shy FX, Mall Grab
Strawberries & Creem Festival returns to Childerley Orchard in Cambridge in 2022 with another lineup of the best in hip-hop, house, Afrobeats, garage, drum and bass and more, showcasing all this on a summer weekend in Cambridge.
When & where: 18th – 19th June 2022; Cambridge
Strawberries & Creem Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Sigma [DJ set], SaSaSaS, The Manor, DJ Luck & MC Neat, Amine Edge & Dance, Turno, Problem Central, Artful Dodger
Back for 2022, Tranzmission Festival is the ultimate UK rave festival, featuring some of the best in drum and bass, jungle, garage, grime, house, and old-school.
When & where: 4th September 2022; London
Tranzmission Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Anne-Marie, Dizzee Rascal, Clean Bandit [DJ set], Pete Tong, Joel Corry, MisaJam, Sean Kingston, Fickle Friends
Live at Lydiard is a multi-genre music festival in Southwest England. Taking over Lydiard Park in Swindon for one summer day, the festival is a welcome addition to the region’s party calendar.
For its debut edition in 2021, Live at Lydiard boasted a lineup of over 30 electronic, pop, R&B, and hip-hop acts spread out over four stages.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; Swindon
Live at Lydiard 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Sean Paul, Loyle Carner, Fredo, Becky Hill, Wilkinson, Example, Solardo, Shy FX
Sundown Festival is Norfolk’s number one bass and pop music festival, bringing some of the best artists in the scene to its home at the Norfolk Showground.
Beyond the music, festival-goers also have the chance to explore the festival’s magical woodland, immersing themselves in quirky art installations or riding high at the funfair.
When & where: 2nd – 4th September 2022; Norwich
Sundown Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Helena Hauff, FJAAK [DJ set], KiNK [live], Jayda G, Or:la, Optimo, Arista, Hammer
AVA Festival is a cutting-edge house and techno music festival in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast. Built around five core pillars – forward thinking lineups, artist development, high production values, a commitment to visual arts and community – AVA’s latest instalment will deliver on all five.
When & where: 3rd – 4th June 2022; Belfast
AVA September 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2022): Muse, Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Kasabian, Pete Tong presents Ibiza Classics, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Blossoms
The reincarnation of one of the UK’s first ever festivals continues to pull in the world’s biggest guitar slingers and the hottest craftsmen and women from pop and electronic genres.
Born in 1968 and still rocking out strong 50 years later, IoW has lived through decades of musical and cultural change, always staying relevant and incredibly popular.
When & where: 16-19 June 2022; Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
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Festival lineup (2021): Dave, Megan Thee Stallion, Skepta, Disclosure, Jamie xx, DaBaby, Burna Boy, Eric Prydz
Parklife Festival is one of the UK’s most popular and famous weekend music festivals, laying on a programme of diverse and cutting-edge music inside Manchester’s Heaton Park.
Curated by a number of the UK’s most renowned clubbing brands, the weekender has rubber stamped its position at the very front of the country’s dance music scene.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; Manchester
Parklife Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Sven Väth, Jamie Jones, Denis Sulta, Enzo Siragusa, Dan Shake, Mella Dee, Nightmares on Wax, Folamour
Newsam Park is a new house and techno music festival in Leeds. Brought to you by the people behind the legendary Cocoon in the Park that ended after 11 editions in 2019, this is the rebirth, promising to be a fresh take on the festival experience, with some of the hottest national and international talent on the bill and state of the art stage production.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; Leeds
Newsam Park 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Gorillaz, Foals, Jorja Smith, Sam Fender, Loyle Carner, Jamie xx, Lianne La Havas, Blossoms
Hidden amongst the swell and sunshine of the south-west coast of England, Boardmasters mixes the best boarders in the world – whether they’re surfers or skaters – with BMX kings, and soundtracks the action with dance dons, folk stars, and pop favourites.
With cliff-top sessions and surf shack shows, it’s only a cocktail short of the best weekend of the year. Ready to make your Instagram followers jealous?
When & where: 10th-14h August 2022; Newquay
Boardmasters Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2019): Giggs, Rudimental, Cypress Hill, Loyle Carner, Pendulum [DJ set], Hannah Wants, Tom Misch, Yxng Bane
NASS Festival is the UK’s biggest celebration of music, street art, skate and BMX, and is the UK’s only professional action sport and music festival.
Showcased across four days and 11 stages at the Bath & West Showground, NASS lays on a weekend of sports competitions in Skate, BMX, Inline and FMX, as well as music from the worlds of drum and bass, hip-hop, grime, house and more.
When & where: 7th – 10th July 2022; Shepton Mallet
NASS Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Stormzy, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Liam Gallagher, Disclosure, Post Malone, Lewis Capaldi, Queens of the Stone Age, Two Door Cinema Club
Reading and Leeds are the type of riotous events that Bank Holidays are made for, providing a platform for rising and established indie bands, metal groups, next generation dance, hip hop and alternative pop acts. An enduring rite of passage for the UK festival-goer.
When & where: 26th – 28th August 2022; Reading & Leeds
Reading Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Leeds Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2019): Adam Beyer, Richie Hawtin, Bicep, Maceo Plex, Daniel Avery, Ricardo Villalobos, Amelie Lens, Dixon
Returning after two years off, Junction 2 promises to come back stronger than ever in 2022 as it once again demonstrates why it’s a key weekend in the UK’s techno calendar.
Its name originates from its setting – quite literally underneath a motorway – but the industrial-meets-park surroundings are the perfect accompaniment to Junction 2’s gritty, but alternative, sound.
When & where: 3rd – 4th June 2022; London
Junction 2 Festival 2022 Guide & Waiting List
Festival lineup (2021): Future, Skepta, Migos, AJ Tracey, Megan Thee Stallion, Headie One, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert
Wireless is not quite bigger than hip-hop, but it’s certainly getting that way. This soiree is the best chance to see a line up of rap royalty, leaning heavily on the side of trap, grime, hip-hop and R&B. One of very few UK dates that this pedigree of scene superstars book in advance.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; London
Wireless Festival 2022 Guide & Mailing List
Festival lineup (2021): deadmau5, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Pendulum, Tiësto, Bicep, Eric Prydz, Nina Kraviz
Dance brand Cream has become a global superstar, taking its legendary parties across continents; and yet it all began as an offshoot from Liverpool’s Cream nightclub.
Now in Daresbury, Creamfields attracts tens of thousands every year seeking to party to the finest names in dance, along with immense visuals, lighting and pyrotechnics. Joined by a devoted following, Creamfields continues to shape the dance scene as we know it.
When & where: 25th – 28th August 2022; Daresbury
Creamfields 2022 Guide & Waiting List
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