Has watching and hearing about Coachella online made you itch to get to a festival this summer? If so, you should read our top 10 UK festival picks and see if one takes your fancy. We are sure there is something for everyone on this list.
10. V Festival
Photo via V-Festival
When: 20th-21st August 2016
Where: Chelmsford and Staffordshire
Headliners:Justin Bieber and Rihanna
Ticket prices: £189 + £10.96 booking fee (weekend with camping), £165 + £10.15 booking fee (without camping), £89 + £8.90 booking fee (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.
Held in both Chelmsford and Staffordshire over two days, V Festival is accessible to everyone in the UK. This predominantly pop genre festival has grown over the years and is now a strong contender for being one of the best music festivals in the UK. Whilst being criticised for being a hugely commercial and expensive festival, it is one of the best to go to in order to see all of the big acts in one place. There is also a neat little area called The Village which contains fairground rides and food stalls to keep you entertained
9. Reading Festival
Photo via Reading Festival
When: 26th – 28th August 2016
Where: Reading
Headliners: Disclosure, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Fall Out Boy
Ticket prices: £213 (weekend ticket), £66.50 (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.
The renowned indie and rock festival still situates itself firmly as one of the best UK festivals to attend this summer. Usually extremely popular with the younger crowds, it is seen as a good starter for any newbie festival goers as it is relatively small yet still pulls in the big acts. The rock and dance stages are the main attractions but Reading also offers areas with food stalls, fairground rides and even a silent disco.
8. T in the Park
Photo via T in the Park
When: 8th – 10th July 2016
Where:Strathallan, Scotland
Headliners:The Stone Roses, Calvin Harris and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ticket prices: £205 (Thursday weekend camping), £194 (Friday weekend camping), £82.50 (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback when you use your Complete Savings account.
Having just recently moved to a new site in Scotland, the festival has slashed its capacity by 15,000 after various complaints last year about the traffic congestion, pedestrian safety and crowd control. This means that this year, T in the Park will make a much more enjoyable experience as you can be sure that you are safe with restructured security teams and better stage positions. If you’re from Scotland, it’s a must-go-to festival which has been said to be almost a rite of passage for the youth of Scotland.
7. Isle of Wight Festival
Photo via Isle of Wight Festival
When: 9th – 12th June 2016
Where:Seaclose Park, Isle of Wight
Headliners:The Who, Queen + Adam Lambert, Stereophonics and Faithless
Ticket prices: £195 (weekend ticket), £175 (student weekend ticket), £145 (teen weekend ticket). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.
One of the UK’s oldest festivals which took place in 1968 as a counterculture event, Isle of Wight still draws in a large crowd with its unique mix of acts and chilled atmosphere. Named the “Best Family Festival” in 2015, this festival is great for the older crowds and those wanting to introduce their little ones to the festival scene. Rather than being a festival for rowdy youths, this festival is much more mature. Don’t let this put you off or think that it is boring, it still boasts many acts and areas for you to enjoy over the weekend.
6. Download
Photo via Download
When: 10th – 12th June 2016
Where:Donnington Park, Derby
Headliners:Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden
Ticket prices: £225 (5 night weekend ticket), £215 (3 night weekend ticket), £87.50 (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.
The holy grail of UK rock festivals, Download attracts heavy metal fans from all over the UK. It hosts the biggest names in rock from the legends of rock to current stars. Much like other festivals, the main attraction is the music but there are various other stages and areas where you can sample food, attend a silent disco or see some comedy. Being a festival that is purely rock, it is not recommended for the mainstream festival goer. If you’re a hard-core head banger or a mosher then this is definitely the festival for you.
5. Latitude
Photo via Latitude Festival
When: 14th – 17th July 2016
Where: Henham Park, Suffolk
Headliners: The Maccabees, The National and New Order
Ticket prices: £205.50 (weekend ticket), £84.50 (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.
Said to be much more than a music festival, Latitude is a great casual weekend festival. There is music, dance, theatre and even film acts. Feeling a bit bored of listening to music? You can head over to listen to some poetry being read. Feeling sleepy after listening to poetry? You can go watch some uplifting cabaret. There really is something for everyone at this UK festival. It is also great for families with huge dedicated areas for children so you can introduce your little ones to the festival scene.
4. Lovebox
Photo via Lovebox
When: 15th – 16th July 2016
Where: Victoria Park, London
Headliners: Major Lazer and LCD Soundsystem
Ticket prices: £93.50 (4th release weekend ticket), £61.25 (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.
A strong contender for being one of the most unique and low-key festivals in the UK, Lovebox is a must-go-to for any of you hipsters, hippies and alternative youths. Held on a 40 acre site in London, Lovebox has a capacity of 50,000 which makes it a pretty small festival. Despite its size, Lovebox hosts a variety of musical genres ranging from hip hip to rock. Lovebox is not just about the music though. It is renowned for being a very creative centric festival with elaborately built stages and areas which makes it seems like a rural paradise, as opposed to a festival in the centre of urban London.
3. Wireless
Photo via Wireless
When: 8th – 10th July 2016
Where: Finsbury Park, London
Headliners: Calvin Harris, Chase and Status and Boy Better Know
Ticket prices: £155.50 (weekend three day ticket), £109.50 (Friday and Saturday ticket), £106.50 (Saturday and Sunday ticket), £106.50 (Friday and Sunday ticket), £62.50 (day tickets). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.*
A much smaller festival than the other big contenders in our top UK festival list, Wireless is still a festival to watch. With a line-up that boasts some of the biggest acts in the music industry right now, it is a festival for any lovers of rap, hip hop and R&B. Being a relatively new festival to the scene, it has definitely climbed up the ranks to secure a position in our list. You cannot ignore a line-up that brings in the likes of Calvin Harris and Chase and Status.
2. Bestival
Photo via Bestival
Where: 8th – 11th September 2016
When: Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight
Headliners:The Cure, Major Lazer and Hot Chip
Ticket prices: £190 (weekend ticket for adults), £180 (weekend tickets for students), £120 (weekend ticket for teens ages 13-17). Get your tickets from Ticketmaster and receive 10% cashback using your Complete Savings account.*
Bestival is a unique festival that each year releases a theme which will only add to the amount of fun you will have. Located in the Isle of Wight, the theme of this year’s Bestival is future; expect lots of dressing up and futuristic happenings whilst you’re at this festival. With areas such as the Wishing Tree field and Magic Meadow, you can expect to find many things to do whilst the music that you may not be interested in is on. Being one of the UK’s top festivals, Bestival was voted the Fan’s Favourite in 2011 as well as Best Major Festival in 2010 and 2012.
1. Glastonbury Festival
Photo via Glastonbury
When: 22nd – 26th June 2016
Where: Worthy Farm, Somerset
Headliners: Muse, Adele and Coldplay
Ticket prices: £228 + £5 booking fee (weekend ticket) NOW SOLD OUT*
If you were lucky enough to get your hands on what can only be compared to the golden ticket from Willy Wonka, then you will be heading to Somerset this summer for the best festival that the UK has to offer. It is one of the oldest but still is a strong contender as it pulls in all of the biggest acts from music around the world. However, Glastonbury is so much more than the music. Spanning 900 acres, you can visit the famous Green Fields for some hippy fun or rave it up in Arcadia if the music doesn’t take your fancy.
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