Summer 2025 brings the much-anticipated British festival season. Discover the best UK music festivals for 2025, from camping extravaganzas to city events.
The best UK music festivals to book for 2025
Summer 2025 is finally here. And with the warmer weather and longer days comes the jewel in summer’s crown: the much-anticipated British festival season. It’s a months-long affair, not least because the lead-up to a big festival can be just as exciting as the event itself: the group chat assembled months before, the line-up drop, the outfit planning, the last-minute supermarket dash for cereal bars, baby wipes and tinnies of beer. It really never gets old.
These days, festival season proper starts as early as April and extends all the way to the end of September and into October, with events happening all over the country. The choice is pretty overwhelming: you can pitch up at a boutique camping weekender where you can sweat out your hangover in a wood-fired sauna, go hardcore at one of the scene staples like Glastonbury or Reading and Leeds, try a dance music marathon at Field Maneuvers, Gottwood or Houghton, or cop a ticket to one of the many, many day festivals and align your trip with a city break.
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Kendal Calling
From its beginnings in 2006, Kendal Calling has been steadily growing and has brought many big alternative and rock names to the Cumbria stage. While a famously muddy festival, the Lake District setting is a pretty spectacular one, with the festival again returning to Lowther Deer Park next summer offering various entertainment for the whole family.
Big names: The Courteeners, The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Wombats, The Last Dinner Party, Travis, Kaiser Chiefs.
Visit: Lowther Deer Park, Lake District. July 31-August 3. Book now
Recommended: The best London music festivals for 2025, The best family-friendly festivals for 2025, The best festivals in Europe for 2025, Glastonbury 2025 review: popstars ruled the weekend, but special guests have lost their cool, How to get tickets to Glastonbury 2027.
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Wilderness
When it comes to boutique festivals, Wilderness sets the bar high. Last year’s line-up was a paradise for the discerning dance fan, but as ever, Wilderness isn’t just about great beats. You’ll also feast on delicious food, attend talks and debates, and take a dip in the famous lake. It’s a fest to nourish the soul.
Big names: Basement Jaxx, Supergrass, Wet Leg, Aurora, Orbital, Air.
Visit: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. July 31-August 3. Read more
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Boomtown
Ah, Boomtown. It’s colourful, it’s loud and it’s often very, very wild. The multi-genre dance and roots festival is home to arty stages that will make you literally gawp and hundreds of surprise actors roaming around, hoping to ‘guide the citizens through the labyrinth of adventures waiting to be discovered’. Most of the line-up is kept a secret until just before the festival, but expect everything from techno and disco to jungle, gabber and dancehall.
Big names: Maribou State, Sex Pistols, Sean Paul, Overmono, Hybrid Minds, Nia Archives, Azealia Banks.
Visit: Matterley Basin, South Downs National Park. August 6-10. Buy ticket
Published on 28 July 2025 by Ben Robinson
