Skiddle's big fat festival guide: UK edition - August

The best UK festivals in August, covering metal, house, techno, pop, hip-hop, Afrobeats, indie, DnB, jazz, and so much more.

Last updated: 28th Jul 2026

Originally published: 22nd Jul 2026

Possibly the biggest month for festivals in the UK is just around the corner now. With bank holiday weekends and (usually) better weather, there are so many August festivals planned all over.

Spanning sounds like hard techno, reggae, house, DnB, hip-hop, UKG, metal, punk, R&B, trance, pop, indie, jazz, Afrobeats, and loads more, no matter your vibe, there are a good few festivals in August we reckon you’ll love - and no, they aren't all sold out!

So let’s get into it. Here are the best UK festivals in August!

Teletech Festival

When: Saturday 1st August 2026

Where: Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, England

Big names: AZYR, Helena Lauwaert, Odymel B2B Faster Horses, Adrian Mills B2B Cloudy, Alex Farell, Restricted, Vieze Asbak

Find tickets for Teletech Festival

Reggae Land

When: Saturday 1st - Sunday 2nd August 2026

Where: The National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England

Big names: Vybz Kartel, Burna Boy, Shaggy, Beenie Man & Morgan Heritage, Shenseea, Barrington Levy, Julian Marley

Easily one of the best UK festivals in August, Reggae Land is the UK’s biggest reggae, roots, dancehall, dub, and jungle festival, bringing 130 artists for a full-scale celebration of Caribbean culture. With tunes across seven stages, plus food, fashion, community, and culture, it’s no wonder tickets always fly out.

Find tickets for Reggae Land

Jazz Cafe Festival

When: Sunday 2nd August 2026

Where: secret location in London, England

Big names: Ari Lennox, Greentea Peng, Smino, Durand Bernarr, Nightmares On Wax, Kofi Stone, Bushbby, Boldy James

Boardmasters

Photo credit: Will Bailey

When: Wednesday 5th - Sunday 9th August 2026

Where: Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, England

Big names: Nia Archives, Fatboy Slim, Lily Allen, Kasabian, Loyle Carner, Rudimental, Joy Crookes, The Kooks, Pendulum

Houghton Festival

When: Thursday 6th - Sunday 9th August 2026

Where: Houghton Hall in Norfolk, England

Big names: Ben UFO, Aurora Halal, Peach, Ricardo Villalobos, Call Super, Shanti Celeste, Objekt, Helena Hauff, OK Williams, Channel One, Ogazón

Bloodstock

When: Thursday 6th - Sunday 9th August 2026

Where: Catton Park in Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, England

Big names: Lamb of God, Saxon, Judas Priest, Sepultura, Slaughter To Prevail, Bleed From Within

The legendary Bloodstock is the biggest independent metal festival in the UK, consistently selling out as all the metalheads in the country scramble for tickets every time its lineup drops. Attracting 20,000 people every year for pure musical carnage, it’s a firm favourite for a reason, and one of the best festivals in August for anyone who's a fan of beefy riffs.

Rebellion

When: Thursday 6th - Sunday 9th August 2026

Where: Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England

Big names: The Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, Cock Sparrer, Sham 69, Skids, Cockney Rejects, The Chameleons, Ferocious Dog, Meryl Streek

Diaspora Calling! Festival

When: Friday 7th August 2026

Where: The National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England

Big names: Lauryn Hill & Wyclef Jean (30 years of The Score), Erykah Badu, Giggs, YG Marley, Fireboy DML, Zion Marley

Ms Lauryn Hill brings her festival to The Bowl for its UK debut. Joined by former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean to celebrate 30 years of their album The Score, they’ll be joined by a host of reggae, R&B, and soul legends across two stages, with Dave Chappelle hosting the event.

Find tickets for Diaspora Calling! Festival

Timescape Festival

When: Friday 7th - Sunday 9th August 2026

Where: Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire in Huntingdon, England

Big names: Matty Ralph, Signum, Woody Cook, K-Klass, Ammara, Ian Van Dahl, Will Atkinson, The Thrillseekers

Theme: out of this world. Music: trance, techno, psytrance, hard house, and tech house across four stages. If you’re camping at Timescape, you can check out silent discos in the Wellness tent every night, featuring surprise guest DJs from the lineup. Also in the wellness tent will be yoga, breathwork, a juice and slushy bar, sound baths, a fire pit, and a late bar in the evening.

Find tickets for Timescape Festival

Coloursfest

When: Saturday 15th August 2026

Where: Braehead Waterfront in Glasgow, Scotland

Big names: Ben Nicky, Darren Styles, Billy Gillies, Mauro Picotto, George Bowie, Bryan Kearney, Will Atkinson

Find tickets for Coloursfest

Boomtown

Photo credit: Lucas Sinclair

When: Wednesday 12th - Sunday 16th August 2026

Where: Temple Valley in Hampshire, England

Big names: Kneecap, Skrillex, Scissor Sisters, Madness, Scooter, Faithless, Four Tet, Shy FX, Shaggy, Princess Nokia, Ashnikko, Peaches, Vengaboys

ArcTanGent

When: Wednesday 19th - Saturday 22nd August 2026

Where: Fernhill Farm in Bristol, England

Big names: Primus, Chelsea Wolfe, Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas (Mariner 10th anniversary), Igorrr, Napalm Death, Perturbator, Sikth, Conjure, Maruja

Green Man

Photo credit: Patrick Gunning

When: Thursday 20th - Sunday 23rd August 2026

Where: Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park in Wales

Big names: Mogwai, Wolf Alice, Four Tet, Wilco, Baxter Dury, Dry Cleaning, Fcukers, Four Tet, Shame, Cat Power

We Out Here

Photo credit: Sienna Lorraine Gray

When: Thursday 20th - Sunday 23rd August 2026

Where: Wimborne St Giles in Dorset, England

Big names: Joy Crookes, Thundercat, Arthur Verocai with Nu Civilisation Orchestra, Gary Bartz & NTU Troop, Mulatu Astatke, Digable Planets, Yukimi, corto.alto, Stereolab, Blawan, John Glacier

Field Maneuvers

When: Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd August 2026

Where: "somewhere in Norfolk", England

Big names: Daniel Avery, Call Super, Detroit In Effect, Jana Rush, CCL, D. Tiffany, Roza Terenzi, I. JORDAN, DJ Storm

Shambala

Photo credit: Leora Bermeister

When: Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th August 2026

Where: Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens near Market Harborough in Northamptonshire, England

Big names: BCUC, Bob Vylan, Emma-Jean Thackray, Goat, Hollie Cook, The Selecter, Big Sleep, Jayahadadream

Lost Village

Photo credit: Andy Hughes

When: Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th August 2026

Where: an abandoned forest near Norton Disney in Lincolnshire, England

Big names: Ezra Collective, Peggy Gou, Confidence Man (DJ), Overmono, Fcukers, Caribou B2B Solomun, Ewan McVicar

Creamfields

When: Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th August 2026

Where: Daresbury in Cheshire, England

Big names: Underworld, Faithless, KETTAMA, Armin van Buuren, Disclosure, Swedish House Mafia, Amelie Lens, Armand Van Helden, Calvin Harris

Obviously one of the biggest August festivals, Creamfields is set to return with a bang. An absolutely massive lineup packed with DJs from across the spectrum - dance, DnB, house, techno, harder sounds, trance, UKG, and so, so much more - it promises a banging August bank holiday weekend. And there's still tickets left!

Find tickets for Creamfields

EMERGE

When: Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th August 2026

Where: Boucher Road Fields in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Big names: Hannah Laing, Charlie Sparks, Funk Tribu, blk. B2B Restricted, blk. B3B Natte Visstick B3B Vieze Asbak

FORWARDS

When: Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th August 2026

Where: The Downs in Bristol, England

Big names: Little Simz, Self Esteem, Tems, Wet Leg, Amyl and The Sniffers, Dijon, Viagra Boys

Krankenhaus

When: Friday 28th - Sunday 30th August 2026

Where: Muncaster Castle in Ravenglass, The Lake District, England