A comprehensive guide to all the best festivals happening this summer in the UK and abroad

After two years of festivals being disrupted, cancelled or postponed, 2022 looks set to be the year when all the summer’s best musical events return in full force.

If you had all the money in the world you could pretty much fill all your weekends from the end of May right through to the end of August with festivals spanning a wide range of genres.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to all the best festivals of 2022 in the UK and abroad:

Wide Awake- May 27th- 28th

This London-based festival promises the best artists from a wide range of genres including techno, jazz and alternative music.

Bicep, Primal Scream, Caribou and Floating Points are among those performing at Wide Awake.

Tickets: wideawakelondon.co.uk

Love Saves The Day- June 2nd-3rd

Love Saves The Day is the go-to end of term festival for any Bristol Uni student, so expect the crowd to be packed with people who just want to look like Effy from Skins.

Bicep and Chase & Status are headlining the two-day party, which has now relocated to the incredibly picturesque Ashton Court.

Tickets: lovesavestheday.org

Gala- June 2nd-4th

This classic London weekender specialises in house, jazz and techno. Shanti Celeste, Hunee and Palms Trax are all performing.

Tickets: thisisgala.co.uk

Primavera Sound- June 2nd-12th

2022 marks the twentieth anniversary of Primavera Sound and the lineup looks top class.

Tame Impala, Dua Lipa, Jorja Smith, Lorde and Gorillaz are among the artists who will be performing at the Barcelona-based festival.

Tickets: primaverasound.com

Kala- June 8th-15th

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Set on a beach in sunny Albania, Kala festival is back after two years off. Organisers say the music “takes cues from the heyday of ‘Balearic Beat’ and spans a wide range of genres and decades connected by spirit, rather than genre.”

The lineup features some of the biggest names in electronic music including 808 State, DJ Harvey and Palms Trax.

Tickets: kala.al

Glastonbury- June 22nd-26th

The mother of all festivals, Glastonbury will return this year after a two-year, coronavirus-engineered break.

The star-studded lineup includes Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Fender, Doja Cat and Kendrick Lamar.

The event is, however, sold out. If you haven’t got tickets already…better luck next year x

El Dorado- June 30th-July 3rd

Set in rural Herefordshire, El Dorado has got banging lineup this year. Gerd Janson, Hybrid Minds and Groove Armada are all playing.

Tickets: eldoradofestival.com

Wireless Festival- July 1st-3rd and July 8th-10th

Wireless Festival simply can’t be missed and that’s because there are three, yes THREE, opportunities to attend. The festival, which predominantly features rap artists, will take place at Crystal Palace, London between the 1st-3rd July.

The following weekend (8th-10th July) it’ll be back in London at Finsbury Park and also in Birmingham. If the logistical challenge of organising such an event doesn’t already excite you, the lineup surely will. Artists like A$Ap Rocky, Dave, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are all set to perform.

Tickets: fielddayfestivals.com

Hideout- July 3rd-7th

Hideout has been cancelled for the past two years due to the pandemic but now it’s back and ready to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

Mike Skinner, CamelPhat and Horse Meet Disco will all be performing at the iconic Croatian festival.

Tickets: hideoutfestival.com

TRNSMT- July 8th-10th

Located in the heart of Glasgow, TRNSMT is hosting some of the most popular musical artists around. The Strokes, Foals, Sam Fender and Sigrid will all be performing.

Tickets: trnsmtfest.com

Outlook Origins Festival- July 28th- August 2nd

Specialising in drum and bass, grime and electronic music, this Croatian festival is not one to miss.

Ben UFO, Ghetts and Skream are among those set to perform.

Tickets: festicket.com/festivals/outlook-festival

Boomtown Fair- August 10th-14th

Boomtown Fair has long been a staple of many people’s summers. This year marks the beginning of a new chapter, but the festival organisers have decided to keep the lineup a secret.

A post on their website reads: “We have spent months debating whether this was the right thing to do and what is clear is that there are many aspects to the way the music industry is run that simply don’t work for independent festivals. The complex process of releasing a music line-up with exclusivity deals, billing and escalating costs have led us to decide that this is the time to rethink the way we approach it and explore new ways of doing things.

“We have always been a creatively led festival and people attend Boomtown because of the overall experience, we will continue to book incredible headline artists, and all the festival favourites, but by approaching our programming announcements in this radical way, we can create lineups that are even more phenomenal and diverse than we have ever been able to before.”

Tickets: boomtownfair.co.uk

Houghton Festival- August 11th-14th

Houghton has been cancelled three years in a row but this year the festival’s look will surely change. Ben UFO, Joy Orbison and Hunee are among the big names featured on this year’s lineup.

Tickets: ra.co

All Points East- August 19th-28th

This year’s edition of All Points East will feature Gorillaz, Disclosure and Tame Impala. The London-based festival is definitely not one to be missed.

Tickets: allpointseastfestival.com

Field Day- August 20th

Field day is a short-but-sweet festival in the heart of London this August. Expect performances from The Chemical Brothers, Daniel Avery and Eliza Rose among others.

Tickets: fielddayfestivals.com

Lost Village- August 25th-28

This other-worldly festival specialises in dance music and is surely not one to miss this summer. Tom Misch, Jamie XX and Bonobo are among those on the bill.

Tickets: lostvillagefestival.com

Reading and Leeds- August 25th-28th

If you’re 15 and in the market for a weekend of dark fruits and regret, Reading and Leeds might just be the festival for you.

After looking at the lineup I (almost) want to take back that disparaging comment. Megan Thee Stallion, Dave, Arctic Monkeys and Little Simz are among those playing the festival.

Tickets: readingfestival.com / leedsfestival.com

Creamfields- August 25th-28th

Another cracker for fans of electronic music. Camelphat, Fisher and Fat Boy Slim will be coming to Cheshire to play Creamfields this year.

Tickets: creamfields.com

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