Bringing our city to your living room
Pull on your dancing shoes, dig out your UV paint and limber up — it’s time to get excited for festival season.
As the winter retreats and summer begins to appear over the horizon, it’s important to plan your musical exploits for the season.
For the dance music obsessives, the options are plentiful, whether you want to stay in London or venture farther afield.
Here is our pick of the boogie-worthy events taking place, covering the very best festivals in the UK.
The European music festivals worth travelling for this summer
Inner City Electronic
What is it? Spread out across some of the city’s best bars and venues, both indoors and outdoors, this Leeds festival offers a sharp, discerning bill.
Who’s on the line-up? Peggy Gou, Orbital, Young Marco, Craig Richards b2b Nicolas Lutz and more
Where is it? Various venues, Leeds
When is it? March 7
Tickets: from £45, innercityelectronic.com
Re-Textured
What is it? A new festival for 2019, Re-Textured paired cutting-edge electronic music with excellent light shows, all taking place within brutalist and modernist buildings.
Who’s on the line-up? SOPHIE, Daniel Avery, Ben UFO, Atari Teenage Riot and more
Where is it? Various venues, London
When is it? April 2-5
Tickets: Each show ticketed separately, re-textured.com
Terminal V
What is it? Housed within the cavernous expanse of the Royal Highland Centre, every inch of the space is filled with sound, provided by a star-studded DJ cast.
Who’s on the line-up? Bonobo, Nina Kraviz, Honey Dijon, Ben UFO and more
Where is it? Edinburgh, Scotland
When is it? April 11
Tickets: from £67, terminalv.co.uk
Brixton Disco Festival
What is it? Pretty much what it says on the tin: a day-long celebration of disco spread around some of Brixton’s best venues.
Who’s on the line-up? Crazy P, Jocelyn Brown, John Morales and more
Where is it? Various venues, Brixton
When is it? May 2
Tickets: £22.50, brixtondiscofestival.com
Wigflex City
What is it? A multi-venue Nottingham festival which launched with a superb line-up in 2019, helmed by local hero Lukas Wigflex.
Who’s on the line-up? Helena Hauff, Job Jobse, Octo Octa, Skee Mask and more
Where is it? Various venues, Nottingham
When is it? May 8
Tickets: from £35, residentadvisor.net
We Are FSTVL
What is it? Despite the queue troubles from last year, the big-hitting dance event will come back to east London over the bank holiday weekend.
Who’s on the line-up? Camelphat, Nina Kraviz, The Black Madonna, Carl Cox and more
Where is it? Upminster, London
When is it? May 23-24
Tickets: From £102 for a two-day ticket, wearefstvl.com
Gala
What is it? The house and disco festival will extend across two days this year for the first time in its five year history.
Who’s on the line-up? Jayda G, Horse Meat Disco, Bradley Zero, Gerd Janson and more.
Where is it? Peckham Rye, London
When is it? May 23-24
Tickets: from £80 for weekend tickets, thisisgala.co.uk
Riverside
What is it? The location of this one is pretty unique — right on the banks of the Clyde and in the shadow of a Zaha Hadid-designed museum — and the line-up is pleasingly eclectic.
Who’s on the line-up? Disclosure, Jayda G, Hunee, Amelie Lens and more
Where is it? Glasgow, Scotland
When is it? May 23-24
Tickets: from £100 for weekend tickets, riversidefestivalglasgow.com
AVA
What is it? Without doubt the best electronic festival in Northern Ireland, AVA has become also become a London fixture in recent times with takeovers at Printworks.
Who’s on the line-up? TBA
Where is it? Belfast, Northern Ireland
When is it? May 28-31
Tickets: TBA, avafestival.com
Junction 2
(ShotAway/Chris Cooper)
What is it? A techno-heavy two-dayer in west London with some of the best in the game.
Who’s on the line-up? Jon Hopkins, Four Tet, Honey Dijon, Amelie Lens and more.
Where is it? Boston Manor Park, London
When is it? June 5-6
Tickets: from £39.50 for a day ticket, junction2.london
Gottwood
What is it? A woodland utopia for dance music fans, with who’s-who line-up coming as standard.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC
Where is it? Carreglwyd Estate, Wales
When is it? June 11-15
Tickets: from £150, residentadvisor.net
Field Day
What is it? The north London festival has tightened its focus this year, reducing to one day from two and promising a more electronic-heavy line-up.
Who’s on the line-up? Bicep, Floating Points, Jungle, Mount Kimbie and more
Where is it? The Drumsheds, London
When is it? July 11
Tickets: £45, fielddayfestivals.com
51st State
What is it? A house music haven with artists from both today and yesteryear.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC.
Where is it? Trent Park, London
When is it? August 1
Tickets: from £32.50, 51ststatefestival.com
Houghton
What is it? Tragically rained off at the last minute back in August, 24-hour dance music festival Houghton returns.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC
Where is it? Houghton, Norfolk
When is it? August 6-9
Tickets: on sale February 4, houghtonfestival.co.uk
We Out Here
What is it? Pairing jazz with dance music, We Out Here made a big splash with its inaugural edition last year.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC
Where is it? Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire
When is it? August 20-23
Tickets: from £130 for weekend camping tickets, weoutherefestival.com
Creamfields
What is it? The usual cast of supermassive DJs will return to this massive party in 2020.
Who’s on the line-up? Camelphat, Armin Van Buuren, Pendulum, Calvin Harris and more
Where is it? Daresbury, Cheshire
When is it? August 27-30
Tickets: from £240 for four-day camping tickets, creamfields.com
South West Four
What is it? It’s always a big one whenever this dance music festival takes charge of Clapham Common for its annual bank holiday weekender.
Who’s on the line-up? The Streets, Kano, Major Lazer, Krept and Konan and more
Where is it? Clapham Common, London
When is it? August 29-30
Tickets: TBC, southwestfour.com
Field Maneuvers
What is it? Details on this “no-frills rave” are always pretty scant — the location is only revealed to ticket-holders a day or two before the festival — but we do know that it will bring a selection of DJs to an unknown party spot.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC
Where is it? TBC
When is it? September 4-6
Tickets: from £159 for a weekend camping ticket, fieldmaneuvers.com
Southport Weekender
What is it? The London version of the popular parties that used to take over Southport Pontins throughout the 90s and 00s.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC
Where is it? Crystal Palace Park, London
When is it? September 5
Tickets: Not yet on sale, southportweekenderfestival.com
Defected London FSTVL
What is it? The house label launched its first ever London festival in 2019 and returns for a second time this summer.
Who’s on the line-up? TBC
Where is it? TBC
When is it? September 12
Tickets: Not yet on sale, defected.com/london