15 music festivals with the most insane headliners in 2025

It’s almost festival season and these are the headliners you can’t miss (Picture: Jim Dyson/Redferns)

For some camping near strangers for three days in a field metres away from a booming speaker is a nightmare, to others an absolute dream.

Festival season is drawing ever closer and whether you’ve got your tickets or are eagerly awaiting more lineup announcements, there’s something for everyone.

From legendary Glastonbury to the new 360 experience Polygon Live to day festivals like BST Hyde Park — the UK has some seriously cool music in store for 2025.

Let’s not forget some of the international heavyweights proving themselves worthy contenders with Primavera Sound in Barcelona bringing in the pop-girlie big guns this year.

So whether you want to keep it low-key with a local day festival or fly to warmer climates for a dance-filled weekend, these are the 15 best festivals for 2025.

We’ve rounded them up; the hardest part is choosing where you want to go.

Glastonbury Glastonbury Festival is one of the most iconic UK festivals (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The pride of British festival season is undoubtedly Glastonbury Festival, a prestigious event that holds a special place in music lovers’ hearts.

2025 is set to be a particularly spectacular one as it is the last year before Worthy Farm takes a break so the land can recover, known as a fallow year.

Neil Young remains the only confirmed headliner so far, having risen to fame in the 60s with songs like Heart of Gold and Down By The River.

Meanwhile, Sir Rod Stewart is taking the coveted Sunday Legends slot who has grand plans to bring his model railways to the stage as well as his vocal talents.

As for the rest of the lineup, speculation is rife with names like Olivia Rodrigo, Eminem, Kings of Leon, Harry Styles, Green Day, and even Rihanna in the running.

Latest London news Eurostar resumes direct train from Amsterdam to London – but there's a catch People allowed home after 15-hour police stand-off with man waving a knife in London This is the salary you need to buy a house in every London borough — and it's bleak

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro's London news hub.

Glastonbury will take place in Somerset from Wednesday, June 25 to Sunday, June 29 with first batch tickets already sold out.

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound has an epic pop line up including Chappell Roan (Picture: Dana Jacobs/WireImage)

Primavera Sound in Barcelona has given us the girlie pop festival of our dreams with a lineup other music events might struggle to beat.

Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter will headline this festival in the Spanish sun, which runs from Wednesday, June 4 to Sunday, June 8.

Held at Parc del Fòrum, the lineup also includes LCD Soundsystem, FKA Twigs, HAIM, Jamie xx, Fontaines D.C., IDLES, Clairo, and more.

Primavera went toe-to-toe with Glastonbury on pricing, costing €350 (£291) for a full festival ticket which have now completely sold out.

With flights out, this might be one of the more expensive options but if you can get tickets, this is definitely not one to miss.

Polygon Live Polygon Live is a unique festival experience (Picture: Polygon Live)

If you’re not fussed by the pop domination then look no further than London’s newest festival Polygon Live, running from Friday, May 2 to Sunday, May 4.

Gig-goers will be surrounded by the specially designed outdoor ‘spaceship’, made up of two huge domes with over 200 speakers.

So far the lineup includes some incredible electronic artists like Arooj Aftab, Gold Panda, and Halina Rice.

Dropping the price point down slightly, this Crystal Palace festival starts at £74.61 for a general admission day ticket and maxes out at £154.36 for VIP early bird access over two days.

It’s set to be a unique festival experience with hundreds of lights, speakers, and unmissable sets so grab your tickets now.

All Points East The Maccabees are reuniting for the first time in years at All Points East (Picture: Andrew Benge/Redferns)

Who doesn’t love a day festival and All Points East is one of the country’s favourites with each lineup tailored to a certain genre.

The top-billed performers this year are Chase & Status, Barry Can’t Swim, Raye, and the long-awaited reunion of The Maccabees.

The 00s indie rock icons will perform Sunday, August 24 which coincidentally marks 10 years since their critically acclaimed album Marks To Prove It.

Chase & Status will take to the stage at Victoria Park, London, on Saturday, August 16, and are joined by Nia Archives, Overmono, and Sammy Virji.

The following week will see Barry Can’t Swim headline on Friday, August 22, after performances from Confidence Man and Shygirl.

Saturday, August 23, is headlined by Brit Award winner Raye and will bring Tyla, Doechii, and Jade to the stage too.

Tickets for each day are still on sale on the All Points East website, starting at around £60 per day.

Sziget Sziget festival is bringing everyone from Kneecap to Charli XCX (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Last year, Sziget was ranked as the best all-round festival, boasting incredible headliners for decently priced tickets.

This year promises to build on that precedent as the headliners include Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, A$AP Rocky, and Post Malone.

The rest of the impressive lineup includes Nelly Furtado, Shawn Mendes, Kneecap, Blossoms, and more yet to be announced.

Sziget runs from Wednesday, August 6 to Monday, August 11, costing €309 (£261) plus a booking fee for the whole week with incredible headliners every day.

If you’re not fussed about the full festival, grab a three day pass for €189 (£157) plus booking fee and catch an early or late flight home.

Tickets are still up for grabs for this so if you missed out on your favourite femininomenon elsewhere this year, Budapest could be calling.

BST Hyde Park Sabrina Carpenter will headline one of the BST Hyde Park shows (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

This year’s run of BST Hyde Park concerts includes a not-to-be-missed final gig ever from the legendary Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra.

The sold-out gig on Sunday, July 13, marks the end of their mini farewell tour after keyboardist Richard Tandy died at the age of 76 last year.

ELO aren’t the only headliners though with Olivia Rodrigo (June 27), Zach Bryan (June 28 & 29), and Noah Kahan (July 4) all performing.

BST will also see the return of Sabrina Carpenter on Saturday, July 5, after playing the festival in 2023 ahead of BlackPink’s historic UK festival debut.

Sadly, Hugh Jackman had also been due to perform but was forced to cancel after an ‘unforeseen’ scheduling conflict.

The show must go on though and while the Wolverine icon won’t be heading to London, the rest of the lineup is so impressive we’ll forgive him.

Tickets are sparing at this point but there are still some up for grabs through BST’s official sellers Ticketmaster and AXS.

Y Not Festival For alternative indie rockers Y Not head to Darbyshire (Picture: Ollie Millington/Redferns)

Looking for something a little alternative? Y Not Festival in Derbyshire could have exactly the vibe you’re hoping for.

This incredible lineup includes The Prodigy, Courteeners, and Madness with The Wombats as an extra Thursday headliner.

Running from Thursday, July 31 to Sunday, August 3, in Pikehall this festival promises to help you live out those indie alternative dreams.

Also on the lineup are Franz Ferdinand, Primal Scream, The Last Dinner Party, Hard Life, The Pigeon Detectives, and Annie Mac.

Tickets are selling fast, starting from £159.50 so definitely act fast as the festival is still fairly small — great for any first-time festival goers.

Parklife

The one and only 50 Cent will be returning to Parklife Festival this year as a headliner alongside Charli XCX.

While Charli appears to be at every festival available, 50 Cent is so far only performing at Manchester’s Heaton Park which he last headlined three years ago.

They join the likes of Jorja Smith, Peggy Gou, Rudim3ntal, Flo, and rising star Lola Young in her festival debut on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15.

This short weekend run is packed with big names but keeps things on the more affordable end with day tickets from £85 plus fees.

If you’re hoping to go on both days, weekend tickets start at £135 plus fees and are still on sale now.

Reading and Leeds Reading and Leeds Festivals have some incredible headliners (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Another festival, another chance to see Chappell Roan performing live this summer as she takes to the Reading stage on Friday and Leeds on Saturday.

Taking place from Thursday, August 21, to Sunday, August 24, Reading and Leeds is historically the place to go for alternative, indie and rock artists.

The lineup is one of the best in years with Chappell joined by Hozier as well as Bring Me The Horizon and Travis Scott.

Other artists include AJ Tracey, The Kooks, Wallows, Becky Hill, Enter Shikari, Conan Grey, Suki Waterhouse, and Lola Young.

There are plenty more performers yet to be announced but tickets are on sale now, costing £325 for a weekend or £361 with early access.

If you’re just keen to go for one day, prices start at £125 each with travel options available to add on.

Isle of Wight Justin Timberlake will close the Isle of Wight festival (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Taking place from Thursday, June 19 to Sunday, June 22, the Isle of Wight Festival 2025 has pulled out all the stops.

This year will see The Police legend Sting headline the opening night during his mammoth run of festivals, along with performances from Faithless, The Corrs, and Lottery Winners.

Saturday’s lineup is just as impressive with Stereophonics, the Script, and Busted all taking to the stage.

Closing the show is Justin Timberlake, fresh off his world tour, joined by Jess Glynne, Olly Murs, and Ella Eyre. Fans can also catch Clean Bandit and Example across the weekend.

Tickets are still available for weekend camping, which will set you back £289.95, as well as day tickets at £195 each.

There are discounted tickets for students as well as deals for kids and teens so perfect for anyone hoping to take the whole family.

Victorious Portsmouth’s Victorious festival has Kings of Leon headlining (Picture: Mark Holloway/Redferns)

Running across the same weekend as Reading and Leeds, Victorious Festival in Portsmouth has some of the coolest headliners going.

Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, and Kings of Leon are all top of the billing with the likes of Madness, Nelly Furtado, and The Last Dinner Party all performing.

There are some real gems on this lineup, including Brit-nominated Michael Kiwanuka, Caity Baser, The Zutons, Scouting for Girls and the recently reunited Rizzle Kicks.

Craig David is bringing his TS5 set to the festival as well as comedy from Strictly winner Chris McCausland, Joel Dommett and Ruby Wax.

Victorious is slightly more affordable than some of the bigger festivals, with a weekend ticket costing £195 without camping.

There are still more acts to be announced so grab your tickets before they sell out.

Download Green Day are set to headline Download 2025 (Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)

A rare West Midlands festival, Download will be returning to Donnington Park on Wednesday, June 11 for a rock-filled weekend.

This year the festival is being headlined by Sleep Token, Korn, and rumoured Glastonbury performers Green Day.

Beyond the headliners, the festival is stacked with rock artists both new and legacy including The Darkness, Bullet For My Valentine, Jimmy Eat The World, and Weezer.

Lower down the lineup you might want to do a double-take as pop-rock band McFly is also set to perform (presumably without Busted).

You can purchase either a five or three-day weekend camping ticket, running at £345 for the full festival, from Ticketmaster now.

For those who don’t need to camp, you can save a little bit and opt for a £290 ticket with extra costs for travel arrangements.

Kendall Calling

Kendall Calling is an often underrated family-friendly festival in the Lake District, that being said it is already completely sold out.

Running from Thursday, July 31 to Sunday, August 3, the festival has something for everyone with a heavy nostalgic vibe to all the artists.

Headliners include Courteeners, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy and a very special Thursday night performance from the Kaiser Chiefs celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album.

The Wombats, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Last Dinner Party, Travis, Corinne Bailey Rae, and more are all listed on this mammoth lineup.

While official tickets are sold out, there is a fan resale upcoming so you can sign up for alerts on this if you’re keen.

Mighty Hoopla Mighty Hoopla is becoming one of London’s best festivals (Picture: James Klug/Getty Images)

Mighty Hoopla has been steadily gaining traction as one of the best festivals for LGBTQ+ music fans to attend.

This year Brockwell Park boasts 00s icons Ciara and Kesha as the headliners, leading a 90% female lineup.

Little Mix legend Jade was recently announced as well as an appearance from Eurovision star Loreen.

Drag stars like Adore Delano, Tayce, and Black Peppa can be spotted mixed in with the likes of Pixie Lott, Kate Nash, Una Healy, and Mutya Buena.

There’s also a very special performance from the West End cast of Wicked, we’re green with envy thinking about anyone lucky enough to get tickets.

Weekend tickets — giving access to both Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1 — are still available and are priced at £149.

There are also some general admission tickets still on offer, costing around £70 depending on entry times and day.

Brighton Pride Yes, the one and only Mariah Carey is headlining Brighton Pride (Picture: brightonprideofficial/Instagram)

Not strictly a festival but Brighton Pride shocked fans when organisers announced Mariah Carey as the official Saturday headliner for 2025.

The announcement comes five years after the chart-topping pop icon was forced to cancel her appearance at the festival due to Covid.

No further acts have been announced but quite frankly, Mariah should be enough to make you want to rush for tickets.

Last year’s Pride in the Park saw Mika and Girls Aloud take the headline slot, with S-Club, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Billy Porter all on the lineup.

You can sign up for updates on the website with tickets available on Thursday, February 20, at 10am and the presale sign up open now.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.