Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free
Reading and Leeds festivals take place this weekend (23 –25 August), and revellers will be wondering whether they should pack suncream or wellies before heading out to see Foo Fighters , The 1975 and more.
For Reading attendees, the forecast looks fairly positive, with temperatures predicted to jump due to a tropical plume bringing hot air from Spain and the Azores.
Friday will see highs of 23C, with some light clouds hopefully providing a little relief. Saturday will be sunny again (take sunscreen and a hat), and although it's expected to be more overcast the temperature will peak at around 27C.
Show all 20 1 /20The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 All Points East (24 May-2 June) In its second year, All Points East asserts itself as a serious competitor to some of London’s most longstanding music festivals. Taking over Field Day’s position in Victoria Park, Hackney, this 10-day event includes headliners like The Strokes, Christine and the Queens, Bon Iver, Bring Me the Horizon and Chemical Brothers. Each day’s lineup tends to reflect the headliner, so The Strokes are preceded by performances from The Raconteurs, Interpol, Johnny Marr and Courtney Barnett; you can catch James Blake, Kamasi Washington and Princess Nokia before Christine and the Queens, while Bring Me the Horizon curated their own lineup, including Architects, Run the Jewels and Alice Glass. Last year’s inaugural highlights included The XX (pictured).
Jordan Curtis Hughes
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 BBC’s Big Weekend (25-26 May) With the BBC’s considerable weight backing this location-hopping festival, fans have become used to an event that hosts some of the biggest names in pop. This year is no different: Miley Cyrus, Stormzy, Anne-Marie, Charli XCX (pictured), Sigrid, Vampire Weekend and Two Door Cinema Club are all performing at Stewart Park in Middlesbrough.
Rex
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Slam Dunk (25-26 May) Fans seeking a nostalgia-drenched weekend of pop-punk, metal and alternative music need look no further than Slam Dunk, which more than delivers on both fresh and familiar faces. This year you can catch All Time Low (pictured), Bullet For My Valentine, The Mezingers, Plain White T’s (yep) and Employed to Serve. Saturday’s action takes place at Temple Newsham Park, Leeds, on the Saturday, while the following day the circus moves to Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire.
Redferns
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 The Ends (31 May-2 June) We’re taking a bit of a punt on this one, as it’s actually a brand new festival in Croydon, but the lineup is too good to ignore. Organisers felt this part of London had been somewhat neglected in the past, but they’re more than making up for it now. It’s an absolutely massive lineup, featuring headliners Nas, Wizkid and Damian Marley (pictured), plus De La Soul, J Balvin, Ghetts, Kojey Radical, Nao and Nadia Rose to name but a few.
AFP/Getty Images
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Field Day (7-8 June) This year marks Field Day’s move to a brand new location in Enfield, north London, but that doesn’t mean the festival’s knack for rounding up some of the most thrilling live artists has changed. They’ve managed to nab Skepta (pictured) in a headline slot, which will take place right after the release of his new album Ignorance is Bliss. Jorja Smith, Diplo, Pusha-T, Bonobo (DJ set), Octavian and many more have also been announced.
Getty
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Parklife (8-9 June) Parklife in Manchester consistently boasts one of the best lineups of any UK festival that year. This year, they’ve outdone themselves by getting Solange, The Streets, Cardi B, George Ezra, Migos, Christine and the Queens, Nas, Kaytranada, Jungle, Mark Ronson, Loyle Carner, AJ Tracey, Octavian, Yxng Bane, Earl Sweatshirt, slowthai and Peggy Gou on the same billing.
Parklife 2017/FANATIC
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Download (14-16 June) The UK’s biggest rock festival is always a blast, which has a lot to do with its friendly albeit incredibly rowdy atmosphere. This year, organisers have invited Slipknot (pictured), Def Leppard and Tool to headline, as well as Enter Shikari, Rob Zombie, Skindred, Lamb of God and Blackberry Smoke.
Getty Images
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Black Deer (21-23 June) With country music growing in popularity among UK audiences, it was only a matter of time before the genre got its own festival. Black Deer is a lovingly curated event comprising some well-known US country music staples, but also a number of British folk, country and American acts carving out impressive careers of their own. Plus there's really good BBQ.
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Glastonbury (26-30 June) It’s back! Returning after its traditional fallow year, Glastonbury is the biggest UK festival of 2019. Maybe you’re not impressed with the headliners (Stormzy, The Cure, The Killers), but as any Glasto veteran will tell you, that’s not what this festival is about. It’s about the atmosphere, which is like nothing else, and the chance to stumble upon a new or previously unknown artist who might just change your life.
Getty Images
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 British Summer Time (5-14 July) Possibly the most convenient festival in the UK, at least in terms of access and transport, British Summer Time takes place in London’s Hyde Park. Organisers were apparently intent on securing legends this year, so headliners include Celine Dion (pictured), Stevie Wonder and Barbra Streisand, plus Florence + the Machine, Robbie Williams, Bryan Ferry, The National, Blood Orange and Nadine Shah. The weather is usually excellent around this time (sorry if this jinxes it) so make sure you take some sunscreen.
Rex
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 2000 Trees (11-13 July) Trees (11-13 July) Six friends sat together after a few (perhaps many) drinks and realised they had become disillusioned with a festival they had been attending for the past few years. They decided to start their own. Twelve years later and this small but mighty event is still going from strength to strength, with a stellar lineup and wonderful community atmosphere at Upcote Farm, Gloucestershire, all surrounded by the stunning Cotswold Hills.
Gareth Bull
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Lovebox (12-13 July) Lovebox has outdone itself this year by securing a wealth of talent to perform in its new west London home of Gunnersbury Park, from US stars like Chance the Rapper (pictured) and Solange to homegrown talent including J Hus, Giggs and Loyle Carner.
AP
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Bluedot (18-21 July) Held at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, this three-day festival has a lineup to make any electronic music fan starry-eyed. Headliners this year are Hot Chip (pictured), Kraftwerk and New Order, while lower down the bill but no less excellent are Jon Hopkins, Gruff Rhys, John Grant, Sons of Kemet, Anna Calvi, Omar Souleyman and KOKOKO!
Getty Images for FYF
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Womad (25-28 July) “Womad's great strength is its eclecticism,” read our review of last year’s festival. “There are bands from right across the globe, offering glimpses into lesser-known musical traditions from more than 50 countries, or slamming them together in unexpected combinations.” Taking place at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, organisers are continuing that tradition in 2019, with a lineup including Orbital, Ziggy Marley, Youssef, Bantou Mentale and Dakhabrakha.
Victor Frankowski
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Standon Calling (25-28 July) Set in beautiful Hertfordshire, Standon Calling is a family friendly festival that manages to curate an impressively diverse and current lineup each year. Along with plenty of entertainment for adults and children, guests can watch performances from the likes of Nile Rodgers and Chic, Wolf Alice, Rag’n’Bone Man, Echo and the Bunnymen, IDLES and Lewis Capaldi.
Justine Trickett
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Boomtown (7-12 August) Music and mayhem go hand in hand at this spectacular and creative event. Composed of several districts built across the sprawling hills of Hampshire, Boomtown has a surprise around every corner. Now in its 11th chapter, the festival’s lineup is as wildly eclectic as ever. Look out for the likes of Bedouin Soundclash, Kabaka Pyramid, Nova Twins, Lauryn Hill, Che Lingo, Four Tet, Hak Baker, Little Gay Brother, She Drew the Gun and This is the Kit.
Boomtown Fair
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 ArcTanGent (15-17 August) This popular event is where you’ll find the biggest and best names in metal, math rock and experimental music. You might think this sounds a bit niche, but it’s a surprisingly welcoming festival for people of all musical tastes, and there’s so much eclecticism within the lineup you’re bound to find a few things you love. It takes place at idyllic Fernhill Farm, 10 miles from Bristol.
Ed Sprake
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Green Man (15-18 August) One of the best independent festivals in the UK, Green Man has rounded up a solid set of artists to perform in the gorgeous Brecon Beacons – not to mention showcases for literature, poetry, film, comedy and theatre. On this year’s stages you can catch Yo La Tengo, Eels, Sharon Van Etten, Khruangbin, Car Seat Headrest, Aldous Harding, Julia Jacklin and more.
Max Miechowski
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 Creamfields (22-25 August) This massive festival is essentially an A-Z of the dance music scene. Above & Beyond, Calvin Harris, Camelphat, Peggy Gou, Martin Garrix and Dillon Francis (plus many more) will ensure fans in the Cheshire countryside keep dancing into the early hours.
The 20 best UK festivals for 2019 End of the Road (29 August-1 September) The event that serves as a kind of closer to UK festival season is also one of the biggest. Its lineup is arguably stronger than it has been the past few years, with Michael Kiwanuka (pictured) appearing in his debut headline slot, plus Beirut, Metronomy, Courtney Barnett, Mitski, Courtney Barnett and Parquet Courts, making this an indie music fan’s dream come true. Head to Larmer Tree Gardens, near Blandford, in Dorset.
Getty
On the final day of the festival, Sunday 25 August, the weekend will experience its hottest day with highs of 28C and near-unbroken sunshine. Make sure you drink plenty of water, find shade if you feel too hot, and wear plenty of sunscreen.
Over at Leeds Festival, the weather is looking more mixed, with Friday highs of 24C and a dry and cloudy late afternoon/early evening. On Saturday, it's a bit hotter but still with clouds in the day, and the same for the final day of the festival (26C) with no rain predicted.
Reading & Leeds 2019 festivals are being headlined by The 1975, Post Malone , Twenty One Pilots and Foo Fighters. Other acts on the lineup include Dave, Royal Blood, Billie Eilish, AJ Tracey, The Wombats, Stefflon Don, Bastille, Chvrches and Sundara Karma.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies