We have had our first glimpse of sun this year, which has made us think of one thing and one thing only: summer. And, as a wise man once said, with great summers, come great festivals - or something to that effect. If there is one thing the UK knows how to do well, it’s good festivals, the difficulty is picking which one (or ones) to go to.
Are you looking for the full weekend experience or just one day of fun? Are you big on eating, comedy and theatre as well as music? Do you want something a little off the beaten festival track? Are you saving your pennies but still want a big summer blow out? Well fear not, for you have come to just the place for the answers to all your burning questions. We have trawled the internet and come up with a definitive list of the top ten UK festivals to go to this summer.
LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY
Kicking things off nicely on the first weekend of May is Liverpool Sound City. The beauty of this festival is that it features loads of lesser known artists alongside some bigger names; meaning you’re sure to find a few new favourites to introduce your heathen friends to when you get back. This amazing festival, which features everything from music to creative workshops, is also a great way to explore the city that hosts it. A sunny May weekend spent strolling around the beautiful city of Liverpool, discovering new acts and listening to old favourites? We can’t think of anything better.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 3rd - 5th May 2019
Where: The Baltic Triangle, Liverpool
How much: £60.50 for the weekend; £34.65 for one day
Who: Mabel / Louis Berry / Blaenavon / King No-one / Loyle Carner / The Magic Gang / Confidence Man
Get your tickets: https://soundcity.seetickets.com/event/liverpool-sound-city-2019/
ALL POINTS EAST
Boasting not just one, but two weekends, All Points East certainly delivers on the festival feel goods. And gives you the bang for your buck. Spanning across the last weekend of May and first week of July, the famous Victoria Park event has all the music festival vibes you could possibly ask for. This one is real mixed bag of pop, rock and EDM acts, so there is definitely something for everyone. Plus, during the week between the two music-filled weekends, they offer a diverse range of free activities - think cinema, art, theatre, street food, games, massages, yoga and more, as well as music of course. Come for the big name acts, stay for the community fun times in between.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 24th May - 2nd June 2019
Where: Victoria Park, London E3
How much: £163.95 for the weekend; from £59.95 for the day
Who: WEEKEND ONE - The Chemical Brothers / The Strokes / Christine and the Queens / Hot Chip / Maribou State / James Blake WEEKEND TWO - Bring Me The Horizon / Mumford & Sons / Bon Iver / Dizee Rascal / Mac Demarco / Architects
Get your tickets: https://www.allpointseastfestival.com/tickets/
FIELD DAY
Formerly a Brixton stalwart, Field Day returns this year in a new venue. Don’t worry though, it’s all the same vibes - just north of the river. The new area, complete with four inter-linking warehouses, allows the festival to be bigger than ever and go on into the early hours of each morning. Well if it means extra festival hours, we say it’s worth the trip to north east London. As always, the big name acts will be out in full force - hi Skepta and Jorja Smith - accompanied by tonnes of artists we’re sure will give you more than enough listening pleasure. Field Day is 100% not one to be missed, hurry though as the tickets are selling out fast!
NEED TO KNOW
When: 7th - 8th June 2019
Where: Argon Road, London N18
How much: £77.50 for the weekend; from £40 for one day
Who: Skepta / Actress / Bonobo (dj set) / Jorja Smith / Diplo / Alfie Templeman
Get your tickets: https://fielddayfestivals.com/tickets/
LATITUDE
No list of UK festivals would be complete without an appearance from Latitude. Although on the slightly more spenny end of the scale, we can absolutely promise you that it will be worth it. And then some. The organisers behind Latitude have perfected the art of festival-hosting, there really is nowhere else like it. During the day you can watch some of the finest contemporary dance by a lake one minute, then sing your heart out to your all time favourite musicians the next, and you’ll probably catch snippets of some great british humour or poetry on the way. In the evening, lose yourself in the woods to discover some amazing forest parties with the best DJs around. Oh and they have pink sheep. No biggie.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 18th - 21st July 2019
Where: Henham Park, Southwold
How much: £202.50 for weekend camping; £77.50 for the day
Who: George Ezra / Snow Patrol / Lana Del Rey / Chvrches / Freya Ridings / Everything Everything
Get your tickets: https://www.latitudefestival.com/tickets
BOARDMASTERS
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to travel thousands of miles to go to a sun-soaked beach festival getaway - although as this one is in Cornwall, don’t quote us on the sun-soaked part. Boardmasters is the epitome of hippie/surfer vibes, and that’s never a bad thing. This year is set to be bigger and better with no fewer than 12 stages in the arena, but Boardmasters never forgets its surfing roots and you can still catch the world surf league competitions of its beginnings. This year, the line-up needs to get a special mention - some of the biggest names in the music industry will be heading down to Newquay, don’t you dare miss out.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 7th - 11th August 2019
Where: Watergate Bay, Cornwall
How much: £197 for weekend camping; £74 for the day
Who: Wu-Tang Clan / The Wombats / DJ EZ / SG Lewis / The Hunna / Florence + the Machine / Franz Ferdinand / Elderbrook / Foals / Plan B / Lewis Capaldi / Mall Grab
Get your tickets: https://www.boardmasters.com/tickets
BOOMTOWN
Boomtown returns this year for chapter 11: A Radical City and we have been told to forget everything we already know about the magical place. Boomtown’s organisers have said that every single stage and district will be getting an upgrade, that all the roads will lead to new places and that they have quite a few additions up their sleeves. The eleventh chapter reigns in a new era, with new stories to be told and adventures to be had. Sounds intriguing? Get a ticket. Boomtown Fair are also on a crucial environmental mission, and are doing everything they possibly can to help save our beautiful planet (read their mission statement here). They have announced that along with all the other acts, they are focussing on three other very important headliners: our world, our environment, our future. Any green-minded festival goer can go to Boomtown safe in the knowledge that their fun isn’t going to ruin the planet.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 7th - 11th August 2019
Where: Matterley Estate, Winchester
How much: £229 for the weekend
Who: Ms. Lauryn Hill / Prophets of Rage / The Streets / Chase & Status / Groove Armada / Four Tet / Carl Cox / Ms. Dynamite / Horse Meat Disco
Get your tickets: https://ww2.theticketsellers.co.uk/boomtown-2019-10047798/
GREEN MAN
Head down to Wales this summer and, nestled in the natural beauty of the Brecon Beacons, you will discover the wonderful Green Man festival. Immerse yourself in your surroundings and enjoy the laid back vibes of your environment. The vibes are folky, you’re more likely to hear elegant acoustic guitar playing than ear-splitting beats, but that could be just what the doctor ordered towards the end of a big summer. Although this one as the feel of a small festival, do not be duped, Green Man boasts ten different areas of the festival; places to discover literature, science, art, comedy and whatever else tickles your pickle. Soak up the atmosphere, kick back, and relax. Green Man have it all covered.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 15th - 18th August 2019
Where: Brecon Beacons, Wales
How much: £189 for weekend camping
Who: Four Tet / Father John Misty / Eels / Yo La Tengo / The Growlers / Idles / Marika Hackman
Get your tickets: https://www.greenman.net/tickets/
ELROW TOWN LONDON
Eto, our resident office DJ and team manager, has chosen Elrow as his top pick for the summer. While we may not trust him with our lives, we certainly trust he knows his music. A relatively new festival, Elrow has proved itself in the past couple of years to be a massive contender on the dance festival scene. Having outgrown its previous location, Elrow is moving to Trent Park this summer for its biggest party yet. Get involved.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 17th August 2019
Where: Trent Park, London EN4
How much: £54.50
Who: Line-up TBA, but with previous years’ guests including Fatboy Slim / Claptone / Eats Everything / Idris Elba, we aren’t worried.
Get your tickets: https://www.elrowtown.com/en/london/
LOST VILLAGE
This one is for the dresser-uppers, the costume-makers; all you magical beings who love nothing more than looking as out-of-this-world as you can. The whole festival site gets transformed for the week, and attendees are transported to what feels like other dimensions. The production value alone should make you want to visit Lost Village, with woods filled with mad lighting displays, special effects and crazy characters wandering around. But if that isn’t enough to pull on your cord, the line-up this year will 100% pull you in.
NEED TO KNOW
When: 22nd - 25th August 2019
Where: Lincolnshire
How much: £185 for weekend camping
Who: Maribou State / Bicep / Little Dragon / Modeselektor / Elder Island / Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy; plus an extra special mystery guest who still hasn’t been announced...
Get your tickets: https://lostvillagefestival.com/tickets
SHAMBALA
Last, but by absolutely no means least, is Shambala. Shambala is an entirely different festival. It is small, intimate, big on hippy vibes, psychedelia and saving the environment. In fact, Shambala has been awarded a 5* sustainability rating for the second year running last year, something no festival has ever achieved. A few years ago, the festival announced that it be meat and fish free, and this year it has gone one step further by banning cow’s milk in an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint and food wastage. Shambala has even more to offer than just great environmental practices though. The line-up is always perfectly curated to suit the mood of the festival, with plenty of new and emerging artists for you to feast your ears on. Shambala is the perfect end to the summer, and tickets are nearly fully sold out so what are you waiting for?
NEED TO KNOW
When: 22nd - 25th August
Where: Northampton
How much: £144 (only cyclist tickets left)
Who: Otis Mensah / Idles / The Age of L.U.N.A / Holy Moly & The Crackers (and new acts being announced every Monday and Friday)
Get your tickets: https://www.shambalafestival.org/buy-tickets/
So there you have it beautiful people, all you need to do now is gather your pals, get your transport sorted and let the good times roll. And if you’re in need of the perfect outfit, just check out our womenswear and menswear sections for those wavey festival garms.
By Joan Crowley
Disclaimer:
Please note that whilst we have tried to provide the most accurate prices possible, not all ticket prices listed in the article are inclusive of booking fee so, may be slightly more expensive at the checkout.