It’s official!!! We’ve reached peak festival capacity here in the UK right now. With the tickets for Reading / Leeds and Glastonbury all going on sale recently it made us wonder if you could go to a festival every month of the calendar year in 2024 and the results were quite surprising!
January: Rockaway Beach festival, Wales
The Butlins resort in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, is set to host the 8th Rockaway Beach Festival from Friday, January 5th, to Sunday, January 7th, 2024. This exciting indoor event kicks off with a massive opening party on Friday night, accompanied by a lineup that includes headline performances by The Cribs, Sleaford Mods, and The Selecter. Attendees can also enjoy additional acts such as The Vaselines, Hugh Cornwell, Skids, Chalk, and Deadletter. Beyond the music, the festival offers a diverse range of entertainment, including comedy shows, silent disco sessions, and pool parties. It promises to be a lively and memorable weekend for festival-goers. Website here.
February: Rockmantic Weekend, Carlisle
The Brickyard in Carlisle welcomes back the annual and original Rockmantic Weekender, returning to its roots where it was first established in 2013. The event is set to be a roaring success, with a sold-out status on the horizon, thanks to headlining performances by two of the UK’s hottest emerging rock bands: South of Salem and She Burns Red. These bands have not only graced numerous festivals but have also completed impressive tours with W.A.S.P. and Wednesday 13.
As tradition dictates, Rockmantic promises attendees the opportunity to discover their next favorite band among a lineup of incredibly talented acts, including King Kraken, Shadow Smile, Tom Kilner, Slyder Smith and the Oblivion Kids, Moskito, The Suicide Notes, Mallerstang, Mercia, LaVire, The Breathing Method, and Royal Bloom. Website here.
March: Country 2 Country festival: London, Belfast, Glasgow
The 11th instalment of C2C: Country to Country is set to take place in Glasgow, London, and Belfast, featuring a lineup of Country superstars (Kane Brown, Brad Paisley and Old Dominion are the headliners) crossing the Atlantic to perform together. The event will unfold from Friday, March 8th, to Sunday, March 10th, 2024. Notably, C2C will hit the road for the first time, making its debut in Belfast at the SSE Arena in 2024.
Billed as a jubilant celebration of country style and culture, The O2 will be transformed into a mini Nashville, with emerging artists gracing pop-up stages across the site. The Town Square will make a return, offering a plethora of food, drink, and entertainment stands. Within the main arena, the Spotlight stage will feature performances between the main sets. Tickets here.
April: La Linea, Latin Music festival, London
La Linea, the London Latin Music Festival, is set to make its return to London in April 2024 for its 24th edition, marking the final edition led by its founding director, Andy Wood. Renowned for celebrating the vibrant diversity of Latin music, La Linea has a history of bringing everything from Afro-Cuban hip-hop to Argentine electronica and samba to London audiences.
The opening weekend shows for the festival have just been unveiled:
- Friday, April 12: Lila Downs (at the Barbican)
- Saturday, April 13: Ana Tijoux (at Village Underground)
- Sunday, April 14: Los Tigres del Norte (at the Eventim Apollo)
- Tuesday, April 16: La Yegros (at The Jazz Cafe)
Expect additional names to be announced soon. For more details about specific events, including days and venues, refer to the lineup page.
May: Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Cheltenham Jazz Festival will showcase prominent international artists alongside the finest British talent, presenting a diverse range of performances throughout the week. The festival is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, May 1st, to Monday, May 6th, 2024.
Located in a tented festival village within Cheltenham’s Montpellier Gardens, the event will encompass a Big Top stage, the Jazz Arena, and a section dedicated to food, drink, and markets. Utilizing nearby venues such as the Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham Town Hall, and the Daffodil restaurant will further enhance the festival experience.
The festival’s lineup for the upcoming edition is yet to be announced, but previous editions featured acclaimed artists like Gregory Porter (who also serves as the festival’s Artistic curator), Randy Crawford, Courtney Pine, Imelda May, Van Morrison, Jamie Cullum, Sergio Mendes, Curtis Stigers, Chick Corea, Level 42, Katie Melua, and many more.
Stay tuned for further details available on the lineup page.
June: Take your pick!
June is perhaps the busiest month of the year for festivals. It’s the long days, good weather (theoretically) and summer vibes that are the reasons behind this. You can take your pick of the festivals you want to go to during this month! There’s a Ska and Reggae festival in Birmingham, the Parklife Weekender in Manchester, Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the mighty Download festival at Donington Park in Derbyshire and the Isle of Wight festival too, amongst lots of others. Let’s not forget Glastonbury, but we’re not going to link to that because if you haven’t got a ticket for that one by now, there’s no point!
July: Lytham Festival, Lancashire & Latitude festival, Suffolk
After going rock last year with the likes of Def Leppard and Motley Crue the Lytham festival is courting a different crowd for 2024. The likes of Hozier, the Courteeners, Madness and an orchestral performance from James with support from Johnny Marr have turned Lytham into something of an indie darlings delight next year. Tickets here.
Latitude is set to make a return, taking place from Thursday, July 25th, to Sunday, July 28th, 2024, now conveniently scheduled during the school holidays. The event unfolds at the picturesque Henham Park in Southwold, Suffolk.
Beyond its musical offerings and iconic colorful sheep, Latitude is a multifaceted celebration of the arts, encompassing film, comedy, theatre, cabaret, dance, poetry, literature, and visual arts. It promises attendees a lively and culturally rich adventure by the sea.
While the complete lineup is yet to be unveiled, the organizers have just revealed the first headliner for the 2024 edition. In an exclusive UK appearance, Duran Duran is set to grace the main stage at Henham Park, coinciding with the launch of their highly anticipated new album, ‘Danse Macabre.’ Tickets here.
August: Boardmasters, Cornwall & Boomtown, Hampshire
August is also packed month for festivals as the school holidays kick in and post-GCSE & A level teenagers head off for ‘rites of passage’ weekends away.
Boardmasters is set to make its return, spanning five days from Wednesday, August 7th, to Sunday, August 11th, 2024. The festival will take place at a captivating cliff-top location that offers breathtaking views of Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach in Cornwall.
Situated on two sites near Newquay, Boardmasters seamlessly blends action sports such as surf, skate, and BMX with daily live music performances, creating a dynamic and engaging festival experience.
While the lineup for the upcoming event is yet to be disclosed, the 2023 edition featured stellar headliners including Liam Gallagher, Lorde, Florence + The Machine, Little Simz, Four Tet, Dermot Kennedy, Raye, Rudimental DJ Set, The Vaccines, Gabrielle Aplin, Example, Bou, Bru-C, SG Lewis, Gretel Hänlyn, Wunderhorse, Connie Constance, Squid, The Reytons, and many more. Tickets not on sale yet but line up is announced later today! (Nov 29th)
BoomTown Festival is set to make a triumphant return with ‘Chapter Three: Revolution of Imagination’ at Matterley Estate near Winchester, Hampshire. The festival is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, August 7th, to Sunday, August 11th, 2024.
Boomtown unfolds a captivating storyline that evolves each year, and for the post-pandemic era, it has been reset to a State of Emergence rising from the ashes of the old State of Emergency. The artist lineups are being kept under wraps until just before the festival, maintaining the element of surprise. Proudly showcasing a vast selection of national and international music spanning every genre, Boomtown aims to deliver its most diverse and exciting lineup to date. As always, the festival stands out for its commitment to being an event where attendees are drawn by the overall experience rather than the prominence of individual artists on the lineup. Tickets here.
Bloodstock and the Reading & Leeds festivals also take place in August too! We’re also big fans of the Long Road festival in Leicestershire which takes place on August Bank holiday weekend. It’s a cornucopia of Country and Americana set in the beautiful grounds of Stanford Hall. No info yet on the line up but various levels of tickets are on sale here.
September: Little Orchard Cider & Music festival, Cornwall
Levellers, the renowned English folk rock band, has been unveiled as the inaugural headliner for the upcoming Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival, slated to occur at Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm from September 13 to 15, 2024.
Celebrating its eleventh year, the Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival stands as one of Cornwall’s most beloved events. While super early bird tickets are already sold out, a limited number of early bird tickets are still available. Levellers are set to take the stage as the Saturday evening headliners, and joining the lineup to headline on Sunday evening are the Dub Pistols, legendary pioneers of reggae-meets-jungle. Following the success of their 2023 album, Frontline, the six-piece ensemble is poised to bring the festival to a grand close.
Additional acts confirmed for the Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival 2024 include crowd-pleasers The Wurzels, who will grace the stage on Friday night, along with performances by Land of the Giants, King Dinosaur, and Cyderfex. The headlining act for Friday night is yet to be announced. Tickets here.
October: Power Metal Quest, Birmingham
The 6th anniversary of Power Metal Quest Fest, a whole day dedicated to power, prog and heavy metal in the heart of Birmingham will take place across the weekend of 12th October 2024. No bands have been announced yet but tickets are on sale here.
November: Mutations festival, Brighton
Mutations Festival, situated in the vibrant city of Brighton, is a multi-venue musical extravaganza. Emerging from the remnants of the beloved DRILL:BRIGHTON in 2015, the festival embarks on a journey that spans 11 of Brighton’s grassroots music venues over a weekend.
Attendees can immerse themselves in a diverse array of music, featuring performances from both established and emerging artists. The festival’s impressive lineup has showcased the talents of renowned acts such as Pussy Riot, Working Men’s Club, Tourist, Goat Girl, Beak>, Animal Collective, Bob Vylan, Chelsea Wolfe, White Denim, Baxter Dury, This Is The Kit, Black Country New Road, and many others. Info here.
Given December 2024 is a whole year away from the publishing of this article there haven’t been any festivals announced yet for then but various Christmas markets, light trails (Blenheim Palace and Kew Gardens do good ones) and festive weekends will be available for those people jonesing for a weekend away!
