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Festival season is back in full swing for 2023, and we’ve sifted through the best and biggest UK festivals on the calendar.

Some events allow you to camp, glamp, or stay at a nearby hotel. However, others are just day festivals, meaning no need to carry a rucksack full of beer, pillows, and snacks over a muddy field.

With so many amazing options, it can be tough to decide which event to attend, but we’re here to help!

Discover musical legends and iconic events with our guide to the 21 best and biggest UK festivals of all time…


1. All Points East

All Points East

First on our list of the best and biggest UK festivals is All Points East. This thriving music event has established itself as one of London’s best music festivals, bringing a diverse roster of rock, indie, and alternative artists to the capital’s Victoria Park.

In the few years since it first appeared on the scene, All Points East has brought an outstanding array of musicians to the nation’s capital, solidifying its place on the city’s music calendar.

Website: www.allpointseastfestival.com
Date:
Friday 18th August 2023 – Friday 25th August 2023
Address: All Points East, Victoria Park, London, E3 5TB
Price:
Day tickets start at £68.55 plus booking fee


2. Boardmasters

Boardmasters

As festivals in the UK are concerned, Boardmasters is an incredibly unique experience in Cornwall! This event is a must for beach lovers and watersports enthusiasts looking to explore the swells of the south coast.

Competitions in skateboarding, BMXing, and surfing are held throughout the day on the beautiful Cornish coast, with live music on the main stages to accompany the action.

Over the years, Boardmasters has built a solid reputation and is now a destination for some of the biggest acts on the international music scene. In comparison to all other major British festivals, it is distinguished by its beach setting and skater-themed atmosphere.

Website: www.boadmasters.com
Date:
Wednesday 9th August 2023 – Sunday 13th August 2023
Address: Trebelsue Farm, Watergate Bay, Cornwall, TR8 4AN
Price:
£40-£300


3. Boomtown

Boomtown

There is no other festival experience on earth quite like Boomtown. Situated on the Matterley Estate in South Downs National Park, this is a unique UK music festival!

The UK festival’s site is occupied by a smorgasbord of characters and entertainers based on an elevated street-level set design, as well as boundary-pushing art, theatre, and underground music cultures.

Website: www.boomtownfair.co.uk
Date:
Wednesday 9th August 2023 – Sunday 13th August 2023
Address: Matterley Estate, Ovington Down, Hampshire, SO24 OHY
Price:
Weekend tickets from £254, plus booking fee


4. Brighton & Hove Pride

London Pride

The UK is renowned for its plethora of Pride events, with Brighton taking centre stage. Pride celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community, whilst educating and raising awareness of crucial issues.

In 2023, Brighton Pride will celebrate its 30th anniversary, boasting a Pride Community Parade, Pride Festival, Pride Pleasure Gardens, and Pride Village Party, all free for everyone.

Over 300,000 people flock to the city’s streets to watch and participate in the parade, making it the country’s most popular Pride event. Britain hosts a variety of pride events in different locations including London, Manchester, Bristol, and Liverpool.

Whether you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally, discover fun facts about Pride Month before attending this UK festival!

Website: www.brighton-pride.org
Date:
Saturday 5th August 2023 – Sunday 6th August 2023
Address: Hove Lawns/Preston Park, Brighton
Price:
From £37.50-£375


5. BST Hyde Park

BST Hyde Park

Next on our list of the best and biggest UK festivals is British Summer Time Hyde Park or BST Hyde Park to its fans! This is a key summer event nestled in London’s beautiful Royal Park.

BST has previously hosted some of the most iconic music icons in the world over the course of the summer, including Lionel Richie, Elton John, Celine Dion, and Stevie Wonder.

Website: www.bst-hydepark.com
Date:
Weekends throughout Saturday 24th June 2023 – Sunday 8th July 2023
Address: Hyde Park, London
Price:
From £78.25


6. Creamfields

Creamfields

Creamfields is a crucial event on the clubbing calendar for many electronic-music fans, still going strong after two decades. A crowd of about 70,000 is expected to attend, making it the UK’s largest dance festival at the Daresbury Estate in Cheshire.

Some of the world’s best DJs will spin tunes including genres like house, techno, and trance, as well as disco, drum’n’bass, and underground sounds throughout the weekend.

Website: www.creamfields.com
Date:
Thursday 24th August 2023 – Sunday 27th August 2023
Address: Creamfields, Daresbury Estate, Cheshire WA4 4AG
Price:
£70-£365


7. Download

Download Festival Stage

A British-created rock and metal festival, Download is held annually in Leicestershire, England. It has become the UK’s premier rock festival, drawing sellout audiences over three days, eager to get a glimpse of the biggest names in the business.

The party continues after the music has stopped. A special after-hours zone is available for Download that features a funfair, a cinema, a bar and other activities.

Another must-see event in this area is the annual Diwali festival in Leicester, recognised as the best place in the UK to celebrate Diwali.

Website: www.downloadfestival.co.uk/
Date:
Thursday 8th June 2023 – Sunday 11th June 2023
Address: Donington Park, Leicestershire
Price:
Between £90-£300


8. El Dorado

music festival

Within the spectacular grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, El Dorado seamlessly blends its party atmosphere with an emphasis on sustainability.

It combines all the elements for a true boutique festival including a grandiose venue, quirky décor and stage structures, as well as an eclectic line-up, fancy dress themes, games, fireworks and so much more.

Website: www.eldoradofestival.com
Date:
Thursday 6th July 2023 – Monday 10th July 2023
Address: Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Herefordshire, HR8 1RL
Price:
Weekend tickets start at £200


9. Glastonbury

Glastonbury Festival

Easily known as the best and biggest UK festival around, the iconic Glastonbury takes place every summer in Somerset. Over the course of the weekend, Glastonbury hosts over 100 stages and 2,800 performances.

There is something for every taste, with the Pyramid Stage attracting big-name performers and A-listers, whilst international talent trickles throughout smaller stages.

Each year all proceeds go to their charity partners WaterAid, Oxfam, GreenPeace, and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Website: www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/
Date:
Wednesday 21st June 2023 – Sunday 25th June 2023
Address:
Glastonbury, Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset
Price:
£265, plus booking fee


10. Gottwood

Glitterbox

Gottwood is an underground electronic music event that is independent, boutique, and intimate, featuring the best sounds from the underground electronic music scene in Wales.

Taking place in natural woodland on the lovely Welsh island of Anglesey, this boutique event has more of a sense of a close-knit party than a large festival. Underground electronic beats will be the soundtrack of the weekend, weaved together by a diverse group of industry heavyweights.

Website: www.gottwood.co.uk
Date:
Thursday 8th June 2023 – Sunday 11th June 2023
Address: Carreglwyd, Llanfaethlu, Holyhead
Price:
Between £80-£200


11. Inside Out

Belsonic

Inside Out is a Welsh dance festival hosted in Cardiff’s Bute Park each summer, attracting some of the world’s best DJs for a weekend of house, garage, drum and bass, and grime.

The festival is a local favourite, organised by the Welsh Dance Festival Association.

Website: www.insideoutcardiff.co.uk
Date:
Thursday 25th May 2023 – Sunday 4th June 2023
Address: Bute Park, Cardiff, CF10 3ER
Price:
£55-£82.75, plus booking fee


12. Isle of Wight Festival

Isle of Wight Festival

There’s no better place for music than the Isle of Wight, home to one of the oldest festivals in the UK, dating back to 1968.

The UK festival takes place on a beautiful island that stretches into the English Channel off the south coast of the country, where individuals such as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones have performed.

Website: www.isleofwightfestival.com
Date:
Thursday 15th June 2023 – Sunday 18th June 2023
Address: Isle of Wight Festival, Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight
Price:
Weekend tickets from £195; single-day tickets cost £80.50


13. Lovebox

Lovebox

Lovebox 2022 is a must-attend event for VIPs attending the London Festival. The event promises even more cutting-edge sonics from the most talked-about bands and artists.

After relocating to Gunnersbury Park in 2018, Lovebox lost none of its appeal, and it remains an exciting party destination, whether you’re visiting for the day or staying for the weekend.

Because it is a city event, there will be no camping, but there will be plenty of housing alternatives and public transportation options nearby.

The 2022 line-up is TBA!

Website: www.loveboxfestival.com
Date: 
Sunday 16th July 2023
Address: Lovebox Festival, Gunnersbury Park, London
Price:
Weekend tickets from £149.50 & day tickets from £72.50, both with booking fee


14. MiNT

MiNT

Every year, MiNT Festival brings a diverse line-up of dance music treasures to the hip city of Leeds, featuring house, techno, and other genres of electronic music.

The festival returns in 2022 and promises to raise the bar even higher. That means festivalgoers can anticipate with the usual top-tier line-up, an all-day party, and afterparties that will be hard to forget, the festival is sure to be a hit.

Website: www.mintfestival.co.uk
Date:
Saturday 16th September 2023 – Sunday 17th September 2023
Address: Newsam Green Farm, Leeds
Price:
£70-£100, plus booking fee


15. Newsam Park

Newsam Park

Another UK festival taking place in Leeds, Newsam Park is an open-air music festival that focuses on house and techno music. The Tudor Jacobean estate boasts lush woodland, broad meadows, and lakeside vistas of Temple Newsam.

This new festival is the brainchild of the same people who creates Cocoon in the Park. Because it will feature some of the hottest national and international talent on the bill, as well as a cutting-edge stage production, it promises to be a refreshing take on the festival experience.

Website: www.newsampark.com
Date:
Saturday 8th July 2023
Address: Temple Newsam, Leeds, LS15 0AD
Price:
Tickets from £49.50, plus booking fee


16. Parklife

Parklife

Parklife Festival is set in an expansive green space and has become a mainstay of UK festivals in the North West. Combining club sounds, pop, hip-hop, electronica, and alternative music, enjoy big-name artists as well as rising stars.

The festival is produced by several renowned UK clubbing brands and has solidified its position as one of the biggest events on the dance music scene in the country.

Website: www.parklife.uk.com
Date:
Saturday 10th June 2023 – Sunday 11th June 2023
Address: Heaton Park, Manchester, M25 2SW
Price:
Tickets start at £129.50 for the weekend, and 79.50 for Saturday and Sunday


17. Reading & Leeds

Reading and Leeds

Reading and Leeds are the perfect music events for those looking to relish their bank holiday. The festivals occur simultaneously in both locations, with the same acts performed on both days.

In addition to some of the biggest names in rock and alternative music, they both host incredible performers who dominate the comedy scene.

Website: www.readingandleedsfestival.com/
Date:
Friday 25th August 2023 – Sunday 27th August 2023
Leeds Address: Bramham Park, Wetherby, LS23 6ND
Reading Address:
Richfield Avenue, RG1 8EQ
Price:
Around £232.20 for a weekend ticket


18. Sundown

Sundown

Norfolk’s number one bass and pop music festival, Sundown Festival hosts some of the best artists in the scene at the Norfolk Showground.

In addition to the music, festival-goers have the opportunity to explore the magical woodlands, experience eccentric art installations or ride the funfair.

Website: www.sundownfestival.co.uk
Date:
Friday 1st September 2023 – Sunday 3rd September 2023
Address: Norfolk Showground, Norfolk, NR5 0TT
Price:
£55-£260, plus booking fees


19. TRNSMT

TRNSMT

In a country already recognised for having the finest crowds in the world, cinch presents TRNSMT, located within the city’s Glasgow Green. This UK festival showcases musicians from across the world.

In addition to the music and fun of a typical festival, visitors to the city centre event will be able to learn more about the city’s restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, and cultural sites.

Website: www.trnsmtfest.com
Date:
Friday 7th July 2023 – Sunday 9th July 2023
Address: Glasgow Green, G1 5DB
Price:
£60-£175, plus booking fee


20. Wireless

Wireless Festival

Wireless is one of the best UK festivals, showcasing multi-award-winning British acts and international artists.

There are two stages and plenty of chillout zones on the festival site where you can bask in the party atmosphere. Expect a line-up of rap royalty, leaning heavily toward genres like trap, grime, hip-hop, and R&B at this event.

Website: www.wirelessfestival.co.uk/
Date:
Friday 7th July 2023 – Sunday 9th July 2023
Address: Finsbury Park, London, N4 1EE
Price:
Between £100-£356


21. Y Not

Y Not

Last on our list of the best and biggest UK festivals is Y Not Festival, an independent UK music festival offering a line-up of rock, indie and alternative music in the heart of the Peak District.

2022 will see Y Not commemorate its belated 15th anniversary in these exquisite settings, welcoming festival-goers to dance and laugh their way through an incredible weekend at one of the UK’s most intimate and personal events.

Make sure to delight in a selection of local ales, themed drinks, mouth-watering cuisine, crazy golf, comedy, and an epic paint war, all in the midst of panoramic, verdant countryside vistas.

Website: www.ynotfestival.com
Date:
Friday 28th July 2023 – Sunday 30th July 2023
Address: Pikehall, Derbyshire, DE4 2PR
Price: Weekend tickets from £119.50


If a UK festival is on your bucket list this year, check out our UK attractions and bucket list ideas before booking a Sykes Holiday Cottage today! You can also browse our Travel Guide for your holiday inspiration.


Image Credits: Hold-The-Line99(CC BY-SA 4.0),  JunkersPVFC(CC BY-SA 3.0), Liz Murray(CC BY-SA 4.0), PRFitzrovia(CC BY-SA 4.0), Carsmeller(CC BY-SA 4.0), Sam Warrenger(CC BY 4.0)

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