Kira O’Boyle
Summer may seem a lifetime away, but the days of sitting in a muddy field surrounding by your best mates will come round sooner than you think. There is no doubt that UK festivals do it better than anyone else, we thrive on camping in unpredictable weather and having no access to clean toilets or showers, it’s magical right? UK festivals are unpredictable and energetic, they make for the best memories. A summer full of bucket hats and bum-bags, Strongbows and stellar line-ups; Impact’s Kira O’Boyle gives a rundown of the festivals that you do not want to miss out on this year.
Glastonbury Festival
Starting out strong, is the mother of all music festivals, Glastonbury. Whilst the line-up for the Worthy-Farm festival has not yet been released, tickets sold out within hours of going on sale. Tickets for the infamous festival are like gold-dust, as they promise the biggest acts to ever grace musical history to be performing. This year’s headliners? Madonna, Shania Twain, Coldplay and Dua Lipa are just some of the rumoured artists who could be blessing the Pyramid Stage, or for most of us, our television screens, this summer. Glastonbury never fail to put together a completely unexpected mix of headliners and acts. It is the only place where you find yourself having to choose whether to see your favourite rock band, an Elvis tribute act or Rick Astley. With over 100 stages, Glastonbury offers a completely diverse range of artists and acts, making it one of the most unique music parties in the world.
this is the chance to see the future of music all in one place
Truck Festival
Originally founded in 1998, Truck Festival have named themselves ‘the birthday party that got out of control’ being a ‘four day celebration of the best new established artists’. Headlining their 2024 party is Jamie T, Wetleg and The Streets accompanied by the indie royalty that we all know and love; The Kooks and Declan Mckenna. Truck is also the perfect place of discovery for your new favourite artists, with up-and-coming artists Nieve Ella, The Mysterines and The Royston Club being ones to watch out for at this year’s festival. This may not have the biggest line-up out of this year’s festivals, but don’t be fooled, this is the chance to see the future of music all in one place, giving you the rite of passage to say, “I saw them before they were big!”.
Parklife Festival
Heaton Park in Manchester has hosted some incredible artists over the years, however this year’s Parklife festival is bringing together a line-up bigger than ever before, with some of the biggest names in house, dance, rap and R’n’B, forming a weekend of incredible music. Doja Cat, Disclosure, Kaytranada, JHus, Peggy Gou, the Sugababes and Rudimental to name a few are all taking to the stage at this year’s festival. This year’s festival will be taking place on the 8th and 9th of June, making it a perfect festival to start of the summer.
Latitude Festival
Located in the heart of Suffolk, Latitude festival is the sophisticated and more laidback friend in the festival friendship group. Latitude is more than just a music festival, mashing together a combination of theatre, art, comedy and food, Latitude is for those looking to immerse themselves into all modes of entertainment. Taking place on the 25th– 28th July, they have booked huge headliners for the weekend: Kasabian, London Grammar, Keane and Duran Duran as well as legends Rick Astley and Nile Rodgers down the line-up. The line-up is also housing a never-ending list of incredible artists throughout the weekend including Swim Deep Caity Baser and Marika Hackman to name a few. The perfect blend of alternative, indie, 80s and current pop music, makes this a festival for all music-lovers.
a duo more iconic than Ant and Dec and a festival that is ingrained into British teenage culture
Reading and Leeds Festival
Reading and Leeds, a duo more iconic than Ant and Dec and a festival that is ingrained into British teenage culture. Five-days of no sleep, silent discos, mosh-pits and the pleasure of using a hole in the ground as a toilet, there is no festival quite like it. Since 2021, the festival keeps getting bigger and bigger, with two mainstages and six headline acts, the line-up is one of the biggest out there. Taking place on August bank holiday weekend, the twin festivals are hosting headliners Lana Del Rey, Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon, Blink 182, Fred Again and last, but certainly not least, the return of every indie kid’s favourite, Catfish and The Bottlemen. Festival goers will also have the pleasure of seeing a range of class music acts, including The Prodigy, Jorja Smith, 21 Savage and Fontaines D.C.
Boardmasters
In the heart of Cornwall’s Newquay, Boardmasters is the only music festival where you can see the biggest acts in music and compete in a surf competition at the same time. Become one of the UK’s most popular music festivals, established in 1981, the festival has become renowned for its incredible line-ups with a backdrop of Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay. Chase and Status, Stormzy and Sam Fender are all due to headline this year’s beach party taking place from the 7th-11th August, accompanied by Courteeners, Bakar, Becky Hill and many more familiar faces. Music, the beach and yoga, Boardmaster’s is truly one of the coolest festivals out there.
The festivals in the UK do not end there, as there are so many more to attend throughout the summer. Which ones will you be attending?
Kira O’Boyle
Featured image courtesy of Danny Howe via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of @glastofest, @parklife_festival, @boardmasters via instagram.com. No changes made to these images.
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