The Reading Festival — the longest-running popular music festival in the UK — returns in 2026, alongside its sister event, Leeds Festival. Together, Reading and Leeds are twin-site annual music festivals held across the summer Bank Holiday weekend, running from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 August. The Reading event takes place at Little John’s Farm in central Reading, while Leeds is held at Bramham Park. Headliners and most supporting acts play both sites.
Headliners Confirmed
Organisers revealed the first wave of headline acts in December, confirming Charli xcx, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C. and Raye. With the festival now just weeks away, the strength of this line-up is a reminder of why Reading and Leeds remains one of the UK’s leading festivals.
Kasabian have also been confirmed as the first-ever Thursday night headliner at Leeds, after the festival extended its licensing hours for the day.
R+L Festival has announced what it calls ‘the biggest staging and arena overhaul‘ in its 37-year history.
Six brand-new stages are joining Reading & Leeds for 2026, each built to carve out its own identity on site. Leading the pack is The Grid, taking over as the festival’s main stage and hosting this year’s headline sets from Charli xcx, Fontaines D.C., Dave, Raye, Florence + The Machine and Chase & Status.
For anyone chasing a different kind of headline moment, there’s The Warehouse — a purpose-built dance stage promising serious sound and lighting, billed as delivering “a fully immersive club experience.” Max Dean b2b Luke Dean (Reading only) and Hybrid Minds open the doors, while Skepta pulls double duty across the weekend, going back-to-back with Prospa in Reading and East End Dubs in Leeds. Rossi., Mall Grab, Omar +, Bou (Reading only), Hedex, Silva Bumpa, Alisha (Leeds only), Sota, Luuk Van Dijk and many more will keep the floor moving well past dark.
Then there’s The Canopy, the festival’s new launchpad for breaking talent – no longer limited to BBC-approved names, it’s now open to any emerging artist organisers want to champion. Think of it as the stage where future Reading & Leeds headliners cut their teeth.
For something more theatrical, The Ballroom brings chandeliers and draping to the site, built around artists shaping 2026’s sound and pulling together genres that don’t usually share a bill.
Over in Leeds, two familiar names return alongside the new additions — the LS23 and Piccadilly Circus stages — with the latter’s full line-up still to be revealed.
The line-up so far is:
Absolutely, Adéla, Alisha~, Amma, Arkayla~, Arthur Hill, bar italia, Basht.~, Bassvictim, Betty, Bleech 9:3, Bou*, Cardinals, Charli xcx, Chase & Status, Chloe Qisha*, Chris Stussy*, Clara La San, Clementine Douglas, Cruz Beckham and the Breakers, Dave, Day We Ran, Declan McKenna, dexter in the newsagent, DJ EJ, Djammin, Duke Dumont, Finessekid, Fliss*, Florence + The Machine, Florence Road Florentenes~, Fontaines D.C., Frost Children*, Garage Flower~, Geese, Gurriers~, Gunna*, Hamdi, Hedex, Holly Humberstone, Hybrid Minds, IN PARALLEL, [IVY]~, Jack Marlow~, JADE, James Marriott, Jane Remover*, Josh Baker, Joss Dean b2b Nafe Smallz*, Julia Wolf, Julian Fijma, Kasabian~, Keo, Kettama, Kilu, Kingfishr, Kneecap, Lamb, Locky~, Loyle Carner*, Luuk Van Dijk*, Maisie Peters, Mall Grab, Max Dean b2b Luke Dean*, Meeshy, Men I Trust*, Mulaa Joans, Niko B, Notion, Omar +, Overpass, Paris Paloma, People I’ve Met, Pozzy, Radio Free Alice*, RAYE, Raynor, Riordan, Role Model, Rose Gray~, Rossi., Ruby Roberts, Sade Olutola, Saint Ludo, Say Now, Seb Lowe*, she’s green, Silva Bumpa, Skepta, Skepta b2b Prospa*, Skepta b2b East End Dubs~, Skye Newman, Slayyyter, Sombr, Sota, SPEED, The Guest List, The K’s~, The Lathums~, The Lilacs~, The North, Tommy Phillips*, Tooth, Viagra Boys*, Violet Grohl, Westside Cowboy, WHATMORE, YT
* Reading only
~ Leeds only
Find more info and any remaining tickets for Reading & Leeds 2026 here.
Reporting on music, UK-based
