Major UK Music Festivals – Festival Guide, Tickets & Family Tips
The UK has a huge variety of music festivals, from weekend camping events and major rock festivals
to city-centre concerts and large dance weekends. Whether you prefer pop, indie, rock, electronic
music or a mixture of everything, there are festivals across the country to suit very different tastes.
This guide highlights some of the best-known UK music festivals and helps you choose between
camping festivals, city events, family-friendly options and weekends built around a particular style
of music.
Festival dates, line-ups and ticket arrangements change each year, so always check the festival’s
current information before booking travel or accommodation.
What Kind of Festival Are You Looking For?
For a full festival weekend
Look at camping festivals such as Glastonbury, Download, Reading & Leeds and Creamfields,
where the festival becomes the whole weekend rather than simply one concert.
For a city break
TRNSMT and BST Hyde Park work well if you would rather stay in a hotel and enjoy a major
music event without camping.
For families
Family policies vary enormously. Look for dedicated family areas, daytime activities and clear
under-18 arrangements before choosing a festival with younger children.
For a particular music style
Download is strongly associated with rock and metal, while Creamfields focuses on electronic
music. Other major festivals usually offer a much broader mix.
Major UK Music Festivals
Glastonbury Festival
Somerset · Usually late June
Glastonbury is much more than a music festival, combining major artists with theatre, comedy,
dance, performance, smaller stages and unusual areas spread across a vast festival site.
It is best suited to visitors who want the complete multi-day camping festival experience.
The festival is not held every year, so check the current programme before making plans.
The Isle of Wight Festival normally offers a broad mixture of pop, rock, indie, dance,
established performers and newer artists.
Because it takes place on an island, it needs a little more planning than most mainland
festivals, particularly for ferries, accommodation and camping.
BST Hyde Park is different from a traditional camping festival. It consists of a series of
large outdoor concert days in central London, usually with a different headline act on each date.
It is a good option if you want a major festival atmosphere while staying in London rather
than camping for an entire weekend.
Reading and Leeds are paired festivals held over the same weekend, with much of the line-up
appearing at both sites on different days.
Reading has a more urban setting, while Leeds is held in parkland outside the city.
Both are particularly popular with younger festival audiences and weekend campers.
Creamfields is one of the UK’s biggest electronic music festivals, with large-scale stages
and music ranging across house, techno, trance, drum and bass and other electronic genres.
It is primarily a multi-day festival experience and is particularly suited to visitors looking
for a large dance-music weekend rather than a mixed-genre event.
Check age rules before booking: Festivals have very different policies for
children and teenagers. Some welcome families, while others place restrictions on under-18s
or require an accompanying adult.
Think about accommodation early: Camping may be included at some festivals,
while city festivals are often easier with a hotel, holiday cottage or other accommodation nearby.
Plan transport before buying tickets: Large festivals can create heavy traffic,
temporary road arrangements and busy rail services. Island festivals also require ferry planning.
Allow for the weather: Even summer festivals can involve rain, mud or strong sun.
Suitable footwear, waterproof clothing and sun protection can all make a big difference.
Check accessibility: Accessible campsites, viewing platforms, toilets, parking and
companion-ticket arrangements vary by festival, so check the current accessibility information
before booking.
Compare the full cost: The ticket is only part of a festival weekend. Remember to
allow for travel, accommodation or camping, food and any parking charges.
Affiliate disclosure:
This section contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through these links, we may earn a
small commission at no extra cost to you.
See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Disclosure: This site may contain affiliate links and paid advertisements. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
