Top 10 UK Music Festivals: Tune In On Your UK Working Holiday

Firstly, Glastonbury Festival is a hallmark of the summer UK music festival scene. It’s a five-day event held each year near Pilton in Somerset, England. And the best part? It’s not just music – the festival also plays host to theatre, dance, comedy, cabaret, circus, and other forms of art. Wondering about the lineup? Glastonbury is one of the best UK music festivals 2023, attracting international sensations like The Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, Lizzo, and Elton John. In other words, Glastonbury runs the gamut of tastes.

Next up, Reading & the Leeds Festival (don’t worry, it’s up next on the list) are a pair of sister music festivals held at the same time every year in August. The Reading Festival is older, but both have been heralded for hosting an impressive selection of renowned acts over the years. These days, both Reading and Leeds are centred around indie, punk, and contemporary rock.

See, we told you we’d cover this one! Thirdly, we have Leeds Festival shares the same headliners as the Reading Festival, but the acts play on different days – after all, they can’t be in two places at once! This year, Reading and Leeds will be showcasing some truly show-stopping headliners: The Killers, Billie Eilish, The 1975, and more. 

This year’s Isle of Wight Festival included headliners like Pulp, George Ezra, and The Chemical Brothers… but buried further down the list of artists are other big names like Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, and OneRepublic. Held every year in Newport, England, the Isle of Wight festival started out as a counterculture event in 1968 – but lost its license after just three years. However, it came back in 2002, and it’s been a staple of the UK’s summer music scene since. The Isle of Wight festival has to feature as one of the best UK music festivals 2023.

Next up, one of the world’s most famous rock festivals, Download is held annually at the Donington Park Motorsport circuit in England’s Leicestershire. They tend to host hard rock and metal acts like Megadeth, KISS, and Iron Maiden. Each year, Download attracts rock enthusiasts from around the globe. 

Since 2010, Live Nation’s iconic UK festival has been focused on hip-hop and rap music, featuring acts from both at home and across the pound. In addition, the festival headlines artists like Ice Spice, Lola Brooke, Future, and others graced Wireless this year. For any hip-hop and rap devotees, this one is a must-see – and it promises high-quality acts each and every summer. 

This 45,000-person festival takes place at Henham Park, near Southwold in Suffolk, England. Unlike some others on this list, it showcases a variety of different music genres – so if you and your travel companions can’t agree on what to see, Latitude could be an excellent choice. Furthermore, daytime programming is known for being relatively kid-friendly, and the festival has received plenty of positive buzz for being immersive and aesthetically attractive. In addition, nighttime programming takes on a more adult flavour with a diverse lineup of musicians, comedians, poets, and more. Latitude has something for truly everyone.

The perfect UK summer festival for families, Camp Bestival is now being held in two locations: Dorset and Shropshire. Attendees of the Dorset Bestival will enjoy the picturesque grounds of Lulworth Castle, while Shropshire visitors will revel in the beautiful surroundings of Weston Park. Nevertheless, this four-day festival appeals to all ages, and can be an excellent way to enjoy summer fun even with the kids in tow. Single-day passes are available, but the true Camp Bestival experience involves staying the night to enjoy immersive fun for hours and hours!

Boomtown is known as an independent fair that relishes its underground roots. It’s a sprawling metropolis of creative, immersive fun accompanied by a bombastic soundtrack of everything from ska to jazz and techno to reggae. This one is for the slightly more experienced UK music festival go-er! The term “music festival” really doesn’t do Boomtown justice. It’s an immersive five-day experience that combines the best of amusement parks, music, gaming, art, and more. The best way to discover what Boomtown is really about? Why not plan your UK working holiday and attend Boomtown while abroad?

Held on Glasgow Green in Scotland, TRNSMT is an annual music festival held each summer. Wondering what the letters stand for? They don’t! (But you can pronounce it like “transmit.”) TRNSMT is not a camping festival, so you’ll have to re-enter the grounds each day. However, attending is still well worth it, with headliners like Niall Horan, Pulp, and Sam Fender. 

In summary, across the UK, there are music festivals and events for people of every age and every music taste. These are just a sampling of our picks for the UK’s best music festivals of 2023. It’s never a bad time to travel abroad to see your favourite band!