British summer means festivals, whatever the weather does. From huge weekends in fields to city parks and seaside cliffs, there is a festival for every taste in music. Many have been running for decades and have become a rite of passage.
Here are ten of the best. Line ups and dates change every year, and some take a year off, so check before you plan. At the end there are tips for the hardest part of any festival: getting home.
1. Glastonbury, Somerset
Glastonbury Festival is the big one, and one of the most famous music festivals in the world. It is held on Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton in Somerset, and it was first held in 1970. It has grown into a temporary city of more than two hundred thousand people.
The festival has dozens of stages, from the famous Pyramid Stage, where the biggest names play, to small tents hidden in the fields. As well as music, there is comedy, theatre, circus, art and much more. Many people say you could spend the whole weekend without seeing a band and still have a wonderful time.
Tickets sell out in minutes, and you must register in advance to buy them. The festival takes a fallow year every so often, to give the land and the local community a rest. So check it is on before you plan.
Getting to and from Glastonbury can take hours, as the roads around the farm are packed. Plan well ahead, and allow plenty of time. If you are being collected, agree the pickup point in advance.
2. Parklife, Manchester
Parklife is a two day festival of dance, hip hop and pop, held every June in Heaton Park in north Manchester. It began in 2010, and it has become one of the biggest city festivals in Britain. For much of the North West, it marks the start of summer.
The festival has several stages and tents, with some of the biggest names in dance and pop music. It is known for its lively, young crowd and its colourful atmosphere. It is a day festival, with no camping.
Because it is in the city, most people travel home each night. Trams and buses are extremely busy at the end of each day. Roads around Heaton Park are closed or congested.
Booking a car ahead, with a pickup point agreed a short walk from the park, is the easiest way to get home. See our Manchester guide for more about the city.
3. Reading and Leeds
Reading and Leeds are twin festivals held over the August bank holiday weekend, one at Richfield Avenue in Reading and the other at Bramham Park near Leeds. The same bands play at both festivals over the weekend. The Reading festival has roots going back to the 1960s.
The festivals are famous for rock, indie, pop and hip hop, with some of the biggest names in music. They are especially popular with teenagers, many of whom go to celebrate the end of their exams. For many, it is a rite of passage.
Both festivals have large camping areas. The atmosphere is lively and loud. Parents often drop off and collect teenagers at the start and end of the weekend.
The roads around both sites are very busy at the start and end of the festival. Agree pickup points in advance. Train stations near both sites are packed.
4. Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival, held every June at Seaclose Park near Newport on the Isle of Wight, has a long history. The original festivals, held between 1968 and 1970, were among the biggest in the world, and the 1970 festival was one of the last concerts played by Jimi Hendrix. The festival was revived in 2002.
Today it brings big names in rock and pop to the island, with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. The festival has camping and plenty of food and drink. Getting there by ferry across the Solent is part of the adventure.
Ferries sail from Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington, and they are very busy during the festival weekend. Book ferry tickets early. The hovercraft from Southsea is the fastest crossing.
A car booked to meet you at the ferry terminal on the mainland is the easiest way to get home. The island itself has beaches and villages to explore before or after.
5. TRNSMT, Glasgow
TRNSMT is a city festival held every summer on Glasgow Green, the oldest park in Glasgow, beside the River Clyde. It began in 2017, and it has quickly become one of Scotland’s biggest music festivals. It brings big names in rock, indie and pop.
The festival is held over several days, with no camping, so festival goers stay in the city and go home each night. Glasgow’s famous crowds, known for their energy and singing, make it special. The atmosphere is electric.
The festival is a short walk from the city centre. After the headliners finish, the streets are packed. Glasgow’s pubs are busy long into the night.
A car booked ahead, with a pickup point away from the crowds, is the easiest way to get back to your hotel or home. See our Glasgow guide.
6. Download, Donington Park
Download is Britain’s biggest rock and metal festival, held every June at Donington Park in Leicestershire. It follows in the footsteps of the famous Monsters of Rock festivals held at the same site from 1980. It brings the biggest names in heavy music.
The festival is famous for its passionate, friendly crowd and its loud music. It has camping and several stages. The weather is often wet, and the site can become very muddy.
Donington Park is a motor racing circuit, close to East Midlands Airport and the M1. The roads around the site are very busy at the start and end of the festival. Allow plenty of time.
A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get to and from the festival, especially from the airport or from nearby cities such as Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.
7. Latitude, Suffolk
Latitude is a festival of music, comedy, theatre, poetry and art, held every July in Henham Park in Suffolk. It began in 2006, and it has a relaxed, friendly and family friendly atmosphere. It is known for its variety.
As well as music stages, Latitude has tents for comedy, theatre, literature and dance, and there is plenty for children to do. The festival is set in a beautiful park with a lake and woodland. The famous coloured sheep, dyed bright colours with safe dyes, graze in the fields.
Latitude is a good choice for families and for people who want more than music. It has camping and plenty of food and drink. The atmosphere is gentle.
Henham Park is in the Suffolk countryside, near the coast. The nearest towns are small, and public transport is limited. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get there and back.
8. Boardmasters, Cornwall
Boardmasters is a festival of music and surfing, held every August near Newquay in Cornwall. The music takes place on the clifftops above Watergate Bay, while surfing competitions are held on Fistral Beach. It is one of the most beautiful festival settings in Britain.
The festival brings big names in pop, dance and hip hop, and it has a young, lively crowd. Watching bands with the Atlantic Ocean behind them is unforgettable. The surfing competitions are free to watch on the beach.
Boardmasters has camping on the clifftops. The weather on the Cornish coast can be unpredictable, and the festival has occasionally been affected by storms. Pack for all conditions.
Newquay is a long way from most cities, and the roads into Cornwall are very busy in August. Cornwall Airport Newquay is nearby. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get to and from the festival.
9. Green Man, Brecon Beacons
Green Man is an independent festival of music and arts, held every August in the Glanusk Estate in the Brecon Beacons, known in Welsh as Bannau Brycheiniog. It is set in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. It has a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
The festival is known for its eclectic line up of folk, indie and alternative music, as well as comedy, literature, science and art. There are plenty of activities for children. The food and drink are excellent.
At the end of the festival, a huge wooden sculpture of the Green Man is burned in a spectacular ceremony. It is one of the highlights of the weekend. The festival has camping and glamping.
The festival site is in the countryside near Crickhowell, and public transport is limited. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get there. The Welsh mountains around the site are lovely for walks.
10. BST Hyde Park, London
BST Hyde Park, also known as British Summer Time, is a series of big summer concerts held in Hyde Park in central London. Each day, a different headliner plays to a huge crowd. It has hosted some of the biggest names in music.
The concerts run over several weekends in June and July, with free events in the park during the week. The setting in the heart of London is spectacular. The atmosphere is like a festival in the middle of the city.
There is no camping, so concert goers travel home each night. The Underground stations around the park are extremely busy at the end of each concert. The roads around the park are also congested.
Booking a car with a pickup point a short walk from the park is the easiest way to get home. See our Westminster guide.
The journey home
The hardest part of any festival is leaving it. Shuttle buses queue for hours and taxis vanish. Book your car ahead, agree the pickup point with your driver (usually a set drop off area away from the main gates), and add every bag and tent when you book so the car fits them.
For weekend festivals, book the journey there and the journey back at the same time, each at a fixed price. Keep your phone charged, so you can find your driver when you leave.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Get a fixed price for the journey.