Music festivals in 2018: The best UK events to book tickets for now

Glastonbury might be out of action for 2018, but UK music fans are never short of options when it comes to great festivals.

From boutique to blockbuster, British music events come in all different shapes and sizes, and can accommodate pretty much any taste.

Lineup announcements and ticket releases are well underway for 2018’s festivals, with some of the biggest acts in music confirmed to perform in the UK later this year. However, with so much choice, it can be hard to know where to start.

So, if you’re organising your summer plans, make sure to out check out our picks for the UK’s top festivals below, and see our roundups of the best London festivals and European music celebrations too.

From Latitude to Creamfields, this is everything you need to know about the best UK festivals

Download

UK metal institution Download takes place at Derby's Donington Park this summer, with Guns n' Roses, Avenged Sevenfold and Ozzy Osbourne set to headline. The festival has entertained UK metal fans ever since launching back in 2003 and all the early signs are suggesting this year will be the biggest celebration yet.

June 8 - 10. Leicestershire. Tickets can be bought here.

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight festival is one of the most established events on the UK summer circuit, with an illustrious history to boot. Three huge events took place on the Isle of Wight between 1968 and 1970 before the festival was revived in 2002. A huge selection of acts are taking part in 2018, with Chase & Status, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Manic Street Preachers, Depeche Mode, The Killers, Kasabian, Van Morrison and Liam Gallagher all performing over the weekend.

June 21 - 24. Isle of Wight. Tickets can be bought here.

TRNSMT

Arctic Monkeys mark their only confirmed UK date of 2018 with a performance at Glasgow’s TRNSMT, four years after their last headline slot at Reading & Leeds festival. Liam Gallagher, Stereophonics, Courteeners and Interpol also perform at this, one of the UK’s biggest musical events of the summer.

June 29 - 30. Glasgow. Tickets can be bought here.

Latitude

As well as boasting one of the most eclectic lineups of the year (The Killers, Alt J and Solange, The Vaccines, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Mogwai and John Hopkins all perform in 2018), Latitude also boasts a diverse arts lineup. Fans can expect strong comedy, theatre, poetry and literature and street food offerings across the weekend in and amongst the bands. It’s the UK’s biggest boutique festival and one of the best of the entire year.

July 12 - 15. Suffolk. Tickets can be bought here.

Bestival

Bestival relocated from the Isle of Wight to Dorset last year, and organisers are looking to see in the second year at the new festival site in style. There's a promising line up already confirmed, with M.I.A, Jorja Smith, London Grammar, Grace Jones, Plan B and Chaka Khan all perform in 2018. Bestival is known for being one of the most colourful experiences of the summer calendar, and if you like dressing up and letting your hair down, there’s no better festival in the country.

August 2 - 5. Dorset. Tickets can be bought here.

Green Man Festival

The Green Man Festival site, nestled in amongst the beautiful Brecon Beacons, is one of the most picturesque anywhere in the UK and the setting for one of the best artisan festivals of the year. It’s a boutique festival experience on a big scale, with arts events, strong comedy lineups and fantastic food on offer over the weekend. Fleet Foxes, the War On Drugs and Grizzly Bear have all been confirmed for the 2018 event.

August 16 - 19. Brecon Beacons. Tickets can be bought here.

Creamfields

The ever-popular Creamfields is the UK’s biggest dance music festival, celebrating house, drum & bass and techno over August bank holiday weekend. The festival will welcome 40,000 people a day to its site in Daresbury, Cheshire this year, with legendary DJ Carl Cox set to headline. He follows the likes of deadmau5, The Chainsmokers, Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Armin van Buuren and Eric Prydz who performed in 2017.

August 23 - 26. Cheshire. Tickets can be bought here.

Reading & Leeds

Attending Reading festival and its naughty little brother Leeds has become something of a right of passage for young music fans across the country, and 2018 promises to be no different. They’re two of the biggest, booziest and most bonkers festival experiences to bad in the UK this year. The lineup sees Kendrick Lamar, Kings of Leon and Fall Out Boy top the bill at the twin events this year and there's always plenty to discover across the festivals’ nine stages too.

August 24 - 26. Reading & Leeds. Tickets can be bought here.

End of the Road

End of the Road is a gem of a festival tucked away in South Wiltshere. Discerning music lovers are drawn to the boutique event every year to see a diverse lineup of critically acclaimed and hotly-tipped artists. This year Vampire Weekend, St Vincent and Feist will headline the festival, while the likes of Yo La Tengo, Ezra Furman, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, John Cale and Fat White Family also perform.

August 31 - September 3. South Wiltshere. Tickets can be bought here.

Festival No.6

Franz Ferdinand and Friendly Fires headline this diverse and multifaceted event, which all takes place in a stunning Portmeirion setting. Jessie Ware, Everything Everything, The Charlatans, Django Django, Ride and Anna Calvi also perform, but the family-friendly festival also celebrates arts, theatre and comedy across the course of the weekend.

September 6 - 9. Portmeirion. Tickets can be bought here.