Dreaming about the 2020 festivals that might’ve been? Same.
Lockdown has crushed our hopes and dreams of travelling from festival to festival a bit this year.
So now our attention, of course, starts to focus on 2021. UK music festivals are well known around the globe for their creativity and showcasing the freshest acts.
We’re here to give you the ultimate list of the best UK music festivals for 2021, including the mighty Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Reading & Leeds, Boardmasters, NASS Festival and more.
1. Glastonbury Festival
Festival lineup (2020): Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar
Definitely worth being the number one on our list, Glastonbury stands out from the other ones, they set the bar when it comes to worldwide music festivals. Glastonbury hosts some of the biggest names in music. Well known for the famous pyramid stage, but it’s the other parts of the festival that really set it apart from the rest.
From taking a walk-through Shangri-La where you’ll be thrown into the themed world of theatres while hearing electronic music’s best and underground names to being in Arcadia, the place for the most hardcore ravers, or the cosier circus and cabaret field, where you can go for a laugh and party together with drag queens and trapeze artists.
When & where: 23rd – 27th June 2021: Pilton
2. Isle of Wight
Festival lineup (2021): Lewis Capaldi, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Snow Patrol, Jess Glynne, Primal Scream, Kaiser Chiefs, Pete Tong
The Isle of Wight went from attracting 700,000 people to see Jimi Hendrix in 1970, to being banned until 2002. The festival has since welcomed massive artists such as Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. Isle of Wight is always staying relevant and will forever be incredibly popular because of the artists performing on their stages.
When & where: 17th – 20th June 2021: Seaclose Park, Isle of Wight
3. Reading & Leeds Festival
Festival lineup (2020): Rage Against The Machine, Liam Gallagher, Stormzy, Lewis Capaldi, Migos, Run the Jewels, Courteeners, Two Door Cinema Club.
Reading & Leeds festivals are the type of festivals that August bank holidays are made for providing lineups that feature indie bands, grime and dance.
If they ain’t playing here, they ain’t worth seeing.
When & where: 27th – 29th August 2021: Little John’s Farm, Reading & Bramham Park, Leeds
4. Boardmasters
Festival lineup (2020): Skepta, Kings of Leon, The 1975, Dizzee Rascal, The Kooks, Loyle Carner, Mura Masa, Damian Marley
Music, surf and skate fans can’t miss Boardmasters. Taking place each summer in the sunshine on the south-west coast of England. This festival brings together music, surfing, wellbeing and the outdoors. All combined with the best tune from some of our favourite artists in drum and bass, house, indie, pop, etc.
With cliff-top sessions and surf shows, you can say this is one of the best weekends of the year.
When & where: 11th – 15th August 2021: Newquay
5. Creamfields
Festival lineup (2021): deadmau5, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Adam Beyer, Timmy Trumpet, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Peggy Gou, Eric Prydz
We can’t forget about this insane dance music festival, Creamfields provides the best when it comes to electronic music. Whether you’re a fan of house, techno, EDM, drum and bass or trance Creamfields has it all while providing an epic lineup of the biggest in dance at the moment.
When & where: 26th – 29th August 2021: Daresbury Estate, Warrington
6. RADIO 1 Big Weekend
Festival lineup (2020): Disclosure, Sam Smith, Anne-Marie, Mabel, Lauv, HAIM, Aitch x AK, Niall Horan, Rex Orange County and many more.
BBC Radio 1’s Big is a music festival organised each year by BBC Radio 1. It is held in a different location within the United Kingdom every single time! They already hosted a live version of the festival this year, but we can’t wait for it to return in 2021.
When & where: 21st – 23rd May 2021: Location Unknown
7. NASS Festival
Festival lineup (2021): The Streets, Andy C, Shy FX, Holy Goof, Hybrid Minds, Kings of the Rollers, SaSaSaS, Jaykae
You can say that NASS Festival is the UK’s only professional action sport and music festival where they showcase music, street art, skate and BMX competitions alongside artists playing music of the worlds of drum and bass, hip-hop, grime, house and more.
When & where: 8th – 11th July 2021: Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet
8. All Points East
Festival lineup (2020): Tame Impala, Kraftwerk 3D, Massive Attack, Caribou, Iggy Pop, Glass Animals, Johnny Marr, Neneh Cherry, Nils Frahm
A pretty new addition after their debut in 2018, All Points East has made its mark in East London’s Victoria Park. From late May until early June they lay on two weekends of multi-flavoured music, comedy, outdoor film screenings, theatre, children’s activities and more.
When & where: May 2021: Victoria Park, London
9. Lovebox
Festival lineup (2020): Tyler, the Creator, Disclosure, Khalid, Anderson. Paak, Jorja Smith, Charli XCX, Hot Chip, FKA Twigs
Number 9 is London’s annual party created by Groove Armada back in 2002. The festival puts together a diverse lineup with a mix of house, techno, R&B, grime, etc. We can say that Lovebox is a place of creativity.
When & where: 11th – 13th June 2021: Gunnersbury Park, London
10. BST Hyde Park
Festival lineup (2020): Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Pearl Jam, Little Mix, Post Malone
BST Hyde Park (also known as British Summer Time Hyde Park) is a huge outdoor festival in London’s most famous park. It showcases the biggest artists, to give a few examples of stars that have played here in the past think about Stevie Wonder, Florence + the Machine, Eric Clapton and Bruno Mars.
When & where: July 2021: London