Author: Jack Needham

Festival Insights | Head of Content

The Hertfordshire-based weekender Campo Sancho has announced the first wave of acts for its ninth edition. This year’s celebration of disco, balearic, reggae, house and all things groovy will welcome debut performances from Haçienda DJ Greg Wilson, house DJ Ruby Savage, Delusions of Grandeur label founder Jimpster and Italian selector Tonno Disko. Manchester’s Luke Una, disco DJ Heidi Lawden and Balearic act Dicky Trisco also join the line-up. Campo Sancho takes place 23-26 July 2026 at Walkern Hall, Hertfordshire. Tickets are on sale now.

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The Bristol and Nottingham city festival Dot To Dot has announced the first acts for its 2026 edition. The multi-city and multi-venue event, which takes place between 23-24 June 2026, will welcome Lambrini Girls, Fcukers and NewDad as its headline acts. The first announcement also includes indie-pop act Silver Gore, Vancouver-based act Meltt, La Sécurité and songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clothesline From Hell. More acts are yet to be announced. In previous years, Dot to Dot has welcomed acts such as The 1975, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Caribou, Sports Team and many more.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dot To Dot Festival (@d2dfest)…

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The UK Government has changed the criteria for artists applying for its Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS). The grant scheme offers between £5,000 – £50,000 to UK-registered independent music companies to “assist them with marketing campaigns when looking to introduce successful UK music projects overseas,” says MEGS As reported by Arts Professional, the new measures will ask artists to make “self-declarations regarding any activities that could be considered to bring the scheme into disrepute in the three years before and after an award is made.” As part of the new measures, entrants will be subject to verification checks administered by the…

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On 2 December, the UK Festival Awards, powered by Festival Insights, celebrated the best that this industry has to offer. In 2025, over 450 festivals entered, something that truly showcases how festivals continue to innovate and thrive. Northampton’s Shambala Festival were one of the winners on the night, taking home awards for Independent Festival, Medium Festival and The Sarah Nulty Community Impact. Elsewhere, Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival walked away with the Inner-City Festival Award, while Between The Trees took the Micro Festival of the Year Award. We also honoured those who work to make our festival spaces more sustainable, with the…

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After recently being announced for both Sheffield’s Tramlines and Newquay’s Boardmasters, Fatboy Slim is set to headline Dorset’s Camp Bestival with an all-day takeover. In what will be a Fatboy Slim & Friends presentation from 30 July to 2 August at Lulworth Castle, the ‘Praise You’ producer will preside over the family festival on 2 August 2026. Other acts across the weekend will be announced soon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Camp Bestival Dorset (@campbestival) In a social media post, Norman Cook (AKA Fatboy Slim) said: “Given that there’s a seaside theme at Camp Bestival this…

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The international showcase festival FOCUS Wales has unveiled its conference theme and first speakers for 2026. The 16th edition of the Wrexham-based festival will highlight ‘A Fairer Future for Music’, which the festival says will question “how can fairness become a genuine guiding principle rather than a buzzword or a gesture of good intent?” The theme is designed to explore how “artists, organisations, and communities can work together to create a more accessible, culturally diverse, and socially just musical ecosystem,” the festival goes on to say. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FOCUS Wales (@focuswales) Speakers at…

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Edinburgh’s Terminal V has announced its second wave of acts for 2026. The dedicated dance music festival, taking place at the Royal Highland Centre & Showground on 18-19 April 2026, will host a selection of B2B sets from techno acts Ben Techy and Luciid, Clouds and Tommy Holohan, bass music from Dart and Kyle Starkey and more. BYORN, Emilija, I Hate Models, Alex Farell, Lola Cerise, Fumi and Will Atkinson also join the line-up. Next year’s edition will take place over six stages and features more than 100 artists. The new acts join the previous announced techno icon Robert Hood,…

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The arts, music and culture festival Abandon Normal Devices will return from 25-27 September 2026 in Barnsley, Yorkshire.  The festival will take over the town for a weekend of art and installations featuring collaborations with a wide-spectrum of artists and creative technologists who “push the boundaries of immersive experiences,” says the festival. Previous editions of the festival took place in Liverpool, Castleton, Peak District, and Grizedale, Lake District. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abandon Normal Devices (AND) (@abandon_normal_devices) Tadeo Lopez-Sendon, Chief Executive for Abandon Normal Devices, said: “Since 2009, AND has transformed landscapes across the North into living…

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The first names for Reading & Leeds Festival have just been announced. In 2026, Charli xcx, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C. and RAYE will all co-headline the 27-30 August weekender. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Reading & Leeds Festival (@officialrandl) For the first time in the event’s history, says Festival Republic, Leeds Festival will also host a headline act on Thursday in Kasabian. Also appearing across the weekend is grime royalty Skepta, ultra-pop star JADE, rap trio Kneecap, NY-rock band Geese and more. 24 hour pre-sale starts at 9am on 2 December for Reading…

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Liverpool’s festival for new music, Sound City, has announced up-and-coming talents Westside Cowboy, Brooke Combe and The Molotovs for its 2026 edition. The two-day festival will also welcome Jalen Ngonda and Keo as its headline acts, who will be joining the likes of Brooke Combe, Cherryholt, Blossom Calderone and more. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sound City (@liverpoolsoundcity) The multi-venue festival will start with a conference on 1 May 2026, with the music taking place from 2–3 May. The new additions comes after Sound City recently opened its Apply To Play portal for 2026, which acts as a platform…

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