The Best Music Festivals To Look Forward To This Summer

It’s the time of year when we might be fighting off the January blues as the Christmas cheer begins to fade away, the weather has turned Baltic and daylight is still scarce. However, there’s also the anticipation of turning over a new leaf and making plans for the longer and warmer days ahead.
The festival season may be a long way off, but tickets are already on sale for many music events being held around the country this summer. Here’s a guide to what’s on offer: all you need to do is gather a gang, book your tickets, and organise coach hire, and you will already have a date in your diary to look forward to and lift some of that mid winter gloom.
The Great Escape, Brighton, 14-17 May 2025
Tickets are on sale now for The Great Escape, a new music festival held in Brighton in May. It takes place in over 30 venues across the city that are within walking distance of each other, with a pop-up stage by the beach. The line-up consists of lots of new and emerging artists, so it’s a chance to see the next big thing before they go mainstream.
If you are a musician, it’s a brilliant opportunity to gain new audiences, and also get a record deal: the festival is a draw for music industry professionals who are looking for promising new acts to sign up. There’s plenty of networking and interesting panel discussions and talks going on behind the scenes as well.
Confirmed acts this year include Allie Sherlock, a singer-songwriter from Ireland; Ashaine White, a grunge soul singer who is already gathering momentum with national airplay; and the American girl group Betty, who were featured in the hit TV show the L Word.
LIDO Festival, Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, London, 7 June
London’s newest festival is LIDO in Victoria Park, and it is run by the team behind All Points East. The big-name headliners are Jamie XX and Charli XCX.
Download Festival, Donnington Park, 13-15 June
The ever-popular rock and metal festival has been going strong for over 20 years at Donnington Park in Leicestershire. This year’s lineup includes Green Day, Korn, Sleep Token and over 90 more acts.
Parklife, Heaton Park, Manchester, 13-15 June
Parklife, held in a historic park just a few miles outside Manchester city centre, returns this year with headline act Charli XCX, who has gone stellar in the past couple of years with her zeitgeisty brand of electro dance pop. Also on the bill are Prospera, Chaos in the CBD, Gina Breeze, plus hundreds of other artists yet to be announced.
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, 25-29 June
It would be impossible not to mention Glastonbury, the biggest and most famous festival of them all that grabs the media headlines. The official line up is yet to be announced and tickets have already been sold out since November. However, there’s a second chance in April when returned tickets will be resold.
Latitude, Henham Park, Suffolk, 24-25 July
Latitude is a family-friendly festival that encompasses music, comedy, literature, theatre, family activities and wellness events. On this year’s line up you will find Manchester’s finest, Elbow, plus Maribou State, Snow Patrol, and Fatboy Slim on the music stages, while Greg Davies and Bridget Christie head up the comedy arena to bring the laughs.
Kendal Calling, Lowther Deer Park, Lake District, 31 July-3 August
Kendal Calling is a music and arts festival that celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year. It has grown from crowds of under 1,000 in the noughties to a 40,000-capacity four day event. It’s set in beautiful surroundings and this year it features The Courteeners, The Prodigy, Fat Boy Slim, The Last Dinner Party, The Kaiser Chiefs, and The Wombats.
Tickets are already sold out, but you can register via the website for fan to fan resale. There may still be limited tickets available for some of the experiences such as the Green Room, an exclusive chill out space with proper toilets and a cocktail bar. You may even get to rub shoulders with the stars and will be treated like a VIP.