Green fields, great bands, joyous atmospheres and air temperatures that make sleeping in a tent bearable (ignoring the occasional muddy years). We might be biased, but nowhere in the world does outdoor music festivals quite like the UK.
Here are our 10 picks for 2025, including world-famous options, boutique wonders and folk favourites. Just don't forget your tent.
Must-visit music and folk festivals in Britain
Beautiful Days
Ottery St Mary, Devon. 15-17 August 2025
The Levellers played one of the great Glastonbury gigs of all time in 1994, coming on after Rage Against the Machine to produce one of the Pyramid's most unforgettable Friday nights.
Long underrated by the music press, the politically charged folk rockers are still one of the UK’s most joyous live acts; still touring each year to sold-out gigs across the country and still delivering the singalongs – One Way, Another Man’s Cause and Liberty Song to name but three – from the classic Levelling the Land album.
Seeing and hearing the Levellers outdoors takes things up another notch another, however. Which is where their own Beautiful Days festival at Escot Park near Ottery St Mary in Devon comes in and where you can annually see the band not once, but twice over the weekend.
Held in Devon since 2003, it’s long been a celebration of folk, reggae and punk-leaning music, with no corporate sponsorship or branding all part of the Beautiful Days ethos (the Glastonbury-bashing Neil Young would have little to quibble with here). Yet it’s also hugely welcome and family friendly, with theatre stages, youth workshops and more. Not forgetting the winning beer from the local Otter Brewery. The capacity of 17,500 also feels like a sweetspot for us – big enough to create an atmosphere, but not too big that you’re queueing for the toilets for an hour.
As well as the Levellers starting and ending the show, major acts in 2025 include the Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Mercury Rev, Kate Rusby, Shed Seven and Kula Shaker. An adult weekend camping ticket is £190 for 2025.
Between the Trees
Merthyr Mawr, South Wales. 21-24 August 2025
If ever a festival sounded like a hit with BBC Countryfile Magazine fans it’s Between the Trees, which describes itself as: ‘all about reconnecting people, of all ages, with the natural world. It blends the enjoyment of indie-folk music with science and nature, spoken word, dance and the arts’. All that's missing is a DJ set from John Craven.
Now in its eighth year, the festival is set in the 100 acres of Candleston Woods, which is adjacent to the Merthyr Mawr National Nature Reserve and its mighty sand dunes and sweep of gorgeous sand. Both day and weekend tickets are available, with adult weekend tickets starting at £180.
2025’s headliners include Manran, Elephant Sessions, Amistat and The Drystones (you can listen to a playlist of all the performers on this Spotify playlist.
But it’s about so much more than the music, with forest bathing, holistic massage, foraging walks, creative arts, a ‘slip-n-slide’ and much more on offer over the August bank holiday weekend. There’s also barely any phone signal, meaning you can truly escape from work emails and loft insulation calls for a weekend at least.
Camp Bestival
Lulworth Castle, Dorset. 31 July – 3 August 2025
Held since 2008 in Dorset, Camp Bestival from Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank has long been one of the UK’s essential family-friendly festivals.
Comedy shows, literature programmes, a vast children’s area, workshops and more are all held within the castle grounds, with star performers in 2025 including the Horrible Histories live show, Dick and Dom and Kid Carpet.
Elsewhere on the generation-spanning lineup in 2025 are Tom Jones, Sugababes and Basement Jaxx, while Old Time Sailors will be performing sea shanties and folk songs from the 19th century. Failing that, you can also watch Barry from Eastenders do karaoke, sorry, Barrioke.
General camping, boutique options and campervans are all available within the 30,000-capacity site. The Lulworth Castle location in the Isle of Purbeck is another reason to venture to Camp Bestival, with the magnificent Durdle Door beach just a 10-minute drive away.
End of the Road
Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset. 28-31 August 2025
Cherished equally for Simon Taffe’s discerning indie line-up and its beatific site at Larmer Tree Gardens, End of the Road keeps those in the know coming back year after year. A regular award-winner and regular sellout, it's one of the UK’s festival success stories that’s beloved by its punters and acts alike for its atmosphere and beauty (see also the similarly celebrated Green Man, which sells out faster than hot Welsh cakes).
The 13,500-capacity event takes place at the lovely Larmer Tree Gardens on the Dorset and Wiltshire border in late August/early September each year, with the lineup often a mix of critically adored and eclectic guitar bands, alt-country acts and folk musicians.
2025’s headliners include Caribou, Father John Misty, Self Esteem and Sharon Van Etten showcase the array of musical talents and genres on offer, with further highlights including Vieux Farka Touré, Matt Berninger of The National and Throwing Muses.
Away from the music, there’s comedy, cinema, literature events, art galleries, games areas, woodland workshops, a forest and healing gardens, and a wealth of quality food trucks and bars. Tickets regularly sell out before the festival weekend (an adult camping ticket £270), so you’ll need to get your skates on to buy a ticket.
Glastonbury
Pilton, Somerset. 25-29 June 2025
It's the mother of all UK music festivals and offers a wonderful chance to see rising stars and all-time greats up close (or from the back of a very large field). Yet it’s often away from the main stages (or on the Wednesday and Thursday nights) when Glastonbury truly comes alive and its original spirit shines, from strolling in Shangri-La to getting waylaid in the Green Fields and watching the sunrise from the Stone Circles.
Okay, Glastonbury is now arguably too crowded and too poppy (for these middle-aged ears anyway), but just seeing it once in a lifetime is nigh-on mandatory for all festival fans. I'm lucky to have grown up a healing crystal's throw from the site and still believe that there's nowhere else in the world that can match its atmosphere and excitement.
And if you can’t get tickets (who can?), there are opportunities to volunteer as a steward in exchange for a ticket. Just don’t attempt to climb that super fence.
- Glastonbury Tor: walk in the footsteps of King Arthur on this short but sweet circular route
- 11 best stone circle sites to visit in the UK
Knockengorroch
Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. 22-25 May 2025
In with a healthy shout of being Britain’s most beautiful music festival, Knockengorroch is set on the glistening Water of Deugh against a backdrop of south-west Scotland’s rugged mountain peaks.
Founded in 1998, the weekend festival in Dumfries & Galloway celebrates music from the Celtic diaspora, as well as global folk music, ska, reggae, jazz, dance music and more. Cabaret, spoken word, comedy and dance events also take place over the weekend, with the dance area staying open until 5am. Confirmed as headliners in 2025 are African Head Charge, Dub Pistols and Elephant Sessions.
There are no shops, ATMs, petrol stations or urban ‘civilization’ for 10 miles, which gives this a proper feeling of being in the wilderness. Dogs are welcome, too.
Priddy Folk Festival
Priddy, Somerset. 11-13 July 2025
Perched high in the Mendips Hills National Landscape, the Priddy Folk Festival is one of the friendliest festivals around. Aided no doubt by the fact it’s a charity venture entirely run by volunteers whose profits are channelled back into community causes.
The entertainment is always memorable as well, including an array of folk music acts, a children’s festival, maypole dancing and more, while the catering gets tastier and tastier each year. As does the local ale and cider from the bars.
There are also guided wildlife and archaeological walks into the Mendips Hills, stalls selling clothes handicrafts and a mix of ticketed and free events. Day or weekend tickets are available and camping is in the village of Priddy itself. We’ll see you around the maypole.
Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
Dolgellau, Wales. 18-20 July 2025
Regularly attracting thousands of spectators to north-west Wales, Sesiwn Fawr offers a celebration of folk, Welsh and Celtic music, traditional Welsh dance, literature, children's activities, comedy and more in the pretty town of Dolgellau.
The festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022 and Dolgellau’s dramatic location in South Eryri (Snowdonia) is one of the many attractions of the weekend jamboree.
For the camping-agnostic amongst you, the town-based nature of the festival means you can stay in one of Dolgellau’s indoor establishments, although there are campsites relatively nearby.
Appearing in 2025 on the main stage of Sesiwn Fawr’s main stage at the Royal Ship Hotel include Welsh artists NoGood Boyo, 9bach, Celt, Yws Gwynedd, Ynys, Mynediad am Ddim and Cardiff-based Afro-funk band, Afro Cluster. They will be joined by one of Scotland’s best-known names in contemporary folk music, Peatbog Faeries, and Québécois Celtic group, Le Vent du Nord.
Wilderness Festival
Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. 31 July – 3 August 2025
If you’re new to festivals and/or camping, then Wilderness might just be the ticket. Say farewell to filthy toilets and greasy burgers, say ahoy hoy to banquets, bell tents and fancy dress cricket matches.
The Wilderness in question is the manicured lawns of Cornbury Park, a country estate in the Cotswolds that may not rival Knockengorroch for its off-grid ambience, but those in London and Oxford will appreciate the shorter travel times.
Those new to both festivals and camping will appreciate the wealth of bell tents, huts and tipis that can be rented for the weekend (general camping is also on offer), while family fields, theatre areas, a book tent and open-water swimming in the lake are further draws.
Wilderness’ lineup nudges more to the dance music spectrum than many on the list here, with festival legends and electronic duos Orbital and Basement Jaxx two of 2025’s major draws. Elsewhere, Britpop legends Supergrass, the Isle of Wight’s mighty Wet Leg and the eerily good Bootleg Beatles are likely to keep the good times rolling and anyone whose bedtime isn’t 11pm can venture to the Valley for late-night high jinx.
Wychwood Festival
Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire. 30 May – 1 June 2025
One of the first camping festivals of the season is Wychwood, held on the semi-rural surrounds of Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire since 2005.
Bands set for 2025 include headliners Shed Seven, James and Doves, with the Malian desert blues band Songhoy Blues our pick of main stage acts. Sea-shanty fans can catch Fisherman’s Friends and tribute act The Smyths are the closest you’re ever going to get to the Manchester legends this century.
But music is only one part of the mix at this family-friendly fest. The annual Village Green programme features activities, circus skills, workshops and more for all the family. There’s Joe Wicks delivering a morning P.E. session, immersive silent discos and a podcast-making workshop from The National Trust’s nature-inspired show Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers. And if you want to exercise those vocal cords, look no further than Friday’s ‘Barrioke’ session with Barry from Eastenders.
An adult weekend camping ticket is around £170, while boutique and ‘park and pitch’ options are also available.
Main image: The Pyramid Stage has witnessed countless legendary gigs since 1970, but there's plenty more to experience at Glastonbury away from the main stages. Credit: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
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