Grab your wellies/hiking boots/old trainers, extra headwear, glitter make-up and stock up on SPF and water bottles as festival season is officially back.

Over the years, the UK has amassed a healthy selection of festivals up and down the country to suit every festival goers need. There are the big hitters, of course, (Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Wireless) and now also a healthy range smaller boutique festivals with as much of a focus on food, inspiring talks and art as much as music and day festivals meaning you can return to your very own bed at the end of the night too.

So whether your idea of a festival is sitting on top of a mates' shoulders singing your lungs out to your favourite band, rolling around in mud and partying into the early hours or getting a cosy night's sleep in a teepee after listening to your favourite author speak and sampling some of London's best restaurants at pop-ups, ELLE's UK festival guide has got you covered.

Here's everything you need to know for 2023 festival season:

We bring you ELLE UK’s best and newest festivals on the block.


All Points East, London; August 18-28

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Festival line-up: Stormzy, Haim, The Strokes, Erykah Badu, Sampha, Dermot Kennedy.

IN A NUTSHELL: Everyone loves a city festival, right? Enter All Points East. After its 2018 debut, the UK festival has become a staple of east London's Victoria Park and this year, again, has it spanning across two August weekends. Weekend one sees Stormzy take to the stage for his sole 2023 festival headline slot for a day and line-up he has personally curated topping off a monumental year for the London-born and bred rapper following the release of his third album, This Is What I Mean. A week later and ELLE UK cover stars Haim do what they do best when they headline the stage on bank holiday Monday.

preview for Haim Play Ask Me Anything And Discuss Taylor Swift Tours, 'The White Lotus', And Working With Sisters

All Points East, day tickets from £34.75 (Accessible)/ General Admission £69.55

Henley Festival, Henley-on-Thames; July 5 - 9

Festival line-up: Rag 'N' Bone Man, Westlife, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Ministry of Sound, Classical with Danny Rampling, Ronnie Scott's & Vanessa. Haynes present Aretha Franklin - Queen of Soul, Boney M

IN A NUTSHELL: Departing from the standard wellies and denim shorts combo, Henley Festival is the only black-tie festival in the UK. The boutique festival takes place over five days, with one main headliner taking to their floating stage each night. Music aside, there's a programme of music, comedy, food and art including the 2023 Audi High RISE gallery showing the works of emerging artists.

Henley Festival. General admission day tickets from £75.

British Summer Time Festival, Hyde Park; June 23 - July 9

best uk festivals 2023
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Festival line-up: Pink, Bruce Springsteen, Blackpink, Billy Joel, Lana Del Ray, Take That, Guns N'Roses

IN A NUTSHELL: Now a staple of London summers, BST returns in 2023 for its 10th anniversary. Found in Hyde Park, the festival hosts day shows dedicated to one main headliner with support acts often selected by the headliner themselves. Previously host to Stevie Wonder, Adele, Elton John and Taylor Swift, this year the headliners are just as major.

BST Festival. Day tickets from £90

Pub In The Park, various locations; May 12 - September 10

Festival line-up: Sugababes, Tinie Tempah, McFly, Gabrielle, Soul II Soul, Bananarama, General Levy

IN A NUTSHELL: Founded by chef Tom Kerridge, Pub in the Park travels across southern and Midlands UK venues (Wimbledon, Bath, Brighton, Leamington Spa, Tunbridge Wells, Chiswick, St Albans etc) for a showcase of good food, drink, music and vibes.

Wilderness, Oxfordshire; August 3-6

best uk festivals 2023
Giles Smith

Festival line-up: The Chemical Brothers, Christine and the Queens, Fatboy Slim, The Sugababes, Arlo Parks, Honey Dijon, Eats Everything.

IN A NUTSHELL: Wilderness has become infamous for its niceties, with its sumptuous culinary samplings and on-site Veuve Cliquot champagne bar, but there's so much more to it than that. Take its lakeside spa, masterclasses in yoga and breathwork, and a whole host of family-friendly of performance art, talks and plays and music sets. This year's gastronomic experiences in the Pop-Up market include 'pickling like a boss', 'creative writing breakfast club' and a sleep boot camp series. Which will be very handy post festival, we imagine.

Wilderness, Weekend Camping from £229.30

Dog Day Afternoon, Crystal Palace Park; July 1

Festival line-up: Iggy Pop, Blondie, Generation Sex, Buzzcocks, Lambrini Girls

IN A NUTSHELL: Described as the 'ultimate celebration of punk', punk rocker himself Iggy Pop headlines what will surely be a riotous afternoon aided by fellow punk legend Blondie and punk supergroup Generation Sex which consists of legends Billy Idol, Steve Jones, Paul Cook (both formerly of the Sex Pistols) Tony James from Generation X

Dog Day Afternoon. Day tickets from £71.50

Barn on The Farm, Gloucester; June 29 - July 2

Festival line-up: Gangs of Youth, Bleachers, Holly Humberstone, Olivia Dean

IN A NUTSHELL: What could be more fun than traipsing down on a farm with friends for a weekend of music? The festival boasts a mixed line-up of up and coming artists and with it's partnership with AIF's 'Drastic-on-Plastic' campaign - which aims to make the festival totally single-use plastic - it's one of the more planet-friendly options of the summer.

Barn On The Farm , tickets start at £40

Truck Festival, Oxfordshire; July 21 - 23

best uk festivals 2023
Giles Smith

Festival line-up: Two Door Cinema Club, alt-J, Royal Blood, The Vaccines, Self Esteem, Kate Nash, Maisie Peters

IN A NUTSHELL: Celebrating indie and alternative music at Hill Farm in Oxfordshire, Truck festival is also home to comedy, orchestras, Hip Hop karaoke and more.

Parklife, Manchester; June 10-11

Festival line-up: Little Simz, Aitch, The 1975, Fred Again, Wu Tang Clan, Self Esteem

IN A NUTSHELL: It's not just the south that knows how to throw a festival; Manchester does it in style too, ta very much. The team behind the Warehouse Project take over Heaton Park for two days of electro hedonism and rap legends.

Parklife, day tickets from £84

Boardmasters, Watergate Bay, Cornwall; August 9-13

Festival line-up: Lorde, Liam Gallagher, Little Simz, Florence and the Machine

IN A NUTSHELL: No holiday abroad this year? No problem. Dip into the Newquay's Atlantic ocean at Boardmasters festival and forget you're a car journey from home. And for once, there's no need to compromise your music taste with the eclectic mix of genres including indie, pop, grime, drum and bass, house and rock. Surf culture and wellbeing is key in Cornwall, so look out for yoga classes, reiki and even an eco spa. Get that bikini ready.

Boardmasters, tickets from £86

Latitude Festival, Henham Park, Suffolk, July 20-23

best uk festivals 2023
Latitude Festival

Festival line-up: Pulp, Paolo Nutini, George Ezra, Mimi Webb, The Kooks,

IN A NUTSHELL: The ultimate family friendly festival is back where you can dive fully into their immersive adventure of music, theatre, film and creative arts, deep in the magical forests of rural Suffolk. Always about more than just the music, there are comedy shows (Sara Pascoe and Romesh Ranganathan also feature on the line-up), literary conversations with the likes of Charlie Mackesy, family programming like model making and puppetry and wellness (wild swimming and yoga, dreamy).

Latitude Festival. Day Tickets from £90, Weekend tickets from £286


Reading and Leeds Festivals, Reading and Leeds; August 25-27

Festival line-up: Billie Eilish, The Killers, Sam Fender, Loyle Carner, Wet Leg, Central Cee, Foals, Imagine Dragons, Rina Sawayama.

IN A NUTSHELL: For a riotous festival weekend with mosh pits galore, twin music festivals Reading and Leeds have you covered, as usual. From indie rising stars to rock royalty, you'll be sure to have a party.

Reading and Leeds Festivals, tickets from £94

South Facing, Crystal Palace Bowl, London; 28 July-13th August

Festival line-up: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Primal Scream, Sister Sledge, First Aid Kit, Craig David

IN A NUTSHELL: This month-long outdoor concert series has brought music back to the historic south east London venue that hosted Bob Marley, Pink Floyd and the Beach Boys in its heyday thanks to South Facing which is now in its third year.

South Facing, tickets from £30

We Out Here, Wimborne St Giles, Dorset; August 10-14

Festival line-up: Ezra Collective, Róisín Murphy, Cymande

IN A NUTSHELL: Perfect for listeners looking to join the musical dots between soul, old school jazz, old soul, disco and dance artists, at a festival that has is affectionately known as the 'jazz Woodstock'. Think drum and grime infused rhythms, rather than stereotypical jazz scatting.

We Out Here, tickets from £180

Creamfields, Daresbury, Cheshire; August 24-27

Festival line-up: Becky Hill, Calvin Harris, Camelphat, Eric Prydz, Fatboy Slim, Jamie Jones, Sarah Storey

IN A NUTSHELL: The daddy of dance music festivals is sure to be one of the messiest weekends of the summer. Continuing to shape the dance scene as we know it, it's essentially Ibiza in the north of England with the line-up reading like a who's who of EDM.

Creamfields, tickets from £70

Wireless, Finsbury Park, London; July 7-9

Festival line-up: Ice Spice, Flo, Travis Scott, 50 Cent, Latto, Popcaan,

IN A NUTSHELL: Promising to be the biggest celebration of hip hop and grime, ushering in new hip hop talent taking the world by storm (Ice Spice) and celebrating some of the biggest rap artists from the last 20 years all at the same time (50 cent).

Wireless, tickets from £75

Camp Bestival, Dorset and Shropshire; July 27-30 and 17-20th


Festival line-up: Grace Jones, The Kooks, Craig David, Melanie C, DJ Fat Tony (Dorset), Primal Scream, Rudimental (Shropshire).

IN A NUTSHELL: Run by the founders of the now defunct festival Bestival, this is a family-friendly fun fest held in beautiful surroundings - this year expanding to Shropshire too. Popstars share the stage with children's TV stars (yes Mr Tumble is on the bill), there's theatre for everyone, talks from authors including Munroe Bergdorf and Fearne Cotton and a family fancy dress competition.

Camp Bestival, tickets from £210

Kendal Calling, Lowther Deer Park, Lake District; July 27-30

Festival line-up: Kasabian, Blossoms, Royal Blood, Kaiser Chiefs, Rick Astley, Annie Mac, Frank Turner, Nile Rodgers & Chic.

IN A NUTSHELL: Overlooking the rolling hills of the Lake District in Penrith, you'd be hard pushed to find better views than at Kendal Calling. Overall, expect indie singalongs and a total mud bath.

Kendal Calling, tickets from £169

Houghton Festival, Houghton Hall, Norfolk; August 10-13


Festival line-up: Horse meat Disco, Moxie, Pam Hogg,

IN A NUTSHELL: Curated by legendary DJ Craig Richards, the only UK festival to have a 24-hour licence, which means the music never stops... is back. At everyone's favourite techno festival, expect spontaneous back to backs and longer than usual sets.

Houghton, tickets from £250

Standon Calling, Hertfordshire; July 20-23


Festival lineup: Years & Years, Self Esteem, Bloc Party, The Human League, Shygirl, Katy B, Groove Armada

IN A NUTSHELL: As well as music you love, this boutique festival in Hertfordshire encourages you to sip Prosecco in hot tubs, lounge by the pool and watch comedy shows. Why not get a massage in the wellness area while the kids stay in the Play Zone or learn street dance at the Hip Hop academy? And when we say it's suitable for the whole family, we really mean it. Your dog is even welcome to join and take part in the dog show on the Sunday.

Standon Calling, Weekend tickets from £189

MADE Festival, Birmingham, July 29th - 30th

Festival line-up: Shy FX, Sean Paul, General Levy.

IN A NUTSHELL: Found in Digwell Park, Birmingham, seven stages of hip hop, drum & bass, house music, garage, bass, grime, and jungle are joined at this two-day, non-camping festival by installations of live art and wide range of tasty street food.

MADE Festival, tickets from £55

Community Festival, Crystal Palace Park; July 7

Festival lineup: Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats

IN A NUTSHELL: The London festival taking place this year in Crystal Palace Park, is set to host an impressive line-up of bands across just one day with Two Door Cinema Club topping the bill alongside emerging acts helping to shape the future of British indie sound.

Community Festival, tickets from £54

Glastonbury Festival, Somerset; June 22-26

Festival lineup: Sir Elton John, Arctic Monkeys, Guns N' Roses, Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Blondie, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Lewis Capaldi

IN A NUTSHELL: The Somerset festival, which takes place on Worthy Farm, returns this year, with its melding of music, visual art, politics, performance art, secret sets and a strong message of loving the planet. Plus, it's supposedly Sir Elton's final UK performance so expect an emotional Sunday night.

Glastonbury Festival, tickets from £280

Lost Village, Lincolnshire; August 24-27


Festival line-up: Four Tet, Honey Dijon, Peggy Gou, Roísín Murphy, Black Coffee.

IN A NUTSHELL: Foodies, comedy lovers and creatives rejoice! More than just music, this dance festival brings food by your favourite restaurants Kricket, Pophams, Burger & Beyond, comedy shows, plus free workshops in jewellery making, wood carving, macrame and more. Located in an abandoned forest, explore the network of winding paths leading to derelict houses, overgrown courtyards and an abandoned airport. When your legs tire, there’s yoga classes and even a spa with a wood fired hot tub and masseuse – now that’s the kind of festival energy we can get on board with.

Lost Village, tickets from £260

Soho House Festival, Gunnersbury Park; July 6th and 8th

Festival line-up: Pete Tong and The Essential Orchestra, Sugababes, Tom Grennan, Kojey Radical.

IN A NUTSHELL: The private members club hosts its House festival across two dates in west London. Members can buy a ticket for themselves and up to three guests and the ticket price also includes unlimited food and drink from Soho House's own offering (their signature Picantes are available) and other vendors including Tigre Tacos, Wright Brothers and Crosstown Doughnuts.

The Long Road, Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, UK; August 25-27

Festival line-up: Blackberry Smoke, Jon Pardi, Tenille Towns

IN A NUTSHELL: Buckle up UK country fans. If you like your Country from across the tracks or just around the bend, your chicken fried and your brisket smoked, The Long Road has it all. The three-day affair is an authentic, immersive and family-friendly experience

The Long Road Festival, tickets from £55

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Cloud X, Beckenham Place Park; 20th August

Festival line-up: Saint Levant, Samm Henshaw, Jaz Karis, Juls, Berwyn, Pip Millett and Santino Le Saint

IN A NUTSHELL: Dubbed as ‘South London’s Glastonbury’, Cloud X is the festival for lovers of R&B, Soul & Alt-rap music. With a refreshingly diverse line-up of artists, expect to immerse yourself in sounds of sweet melodic tunes, jazz funk and smooth, laid-back sets. For the ravers in attendance, the Selectors Paradise stage has you covered from hip-hop and dancehall to afrobeats.

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Olivia Blair
Talent Editor
Olivia Blair is Talent Editor at Hearst UK, working predominantly across Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Timothée Chalamet and Cynthia Erivo over the years.