Best Electronic, EDM & Techno Festivals in the UK in 2026
ConcertBuddy • August 6, 2026
9 minutes
The UK electronic and dance music festival season in 2026 is one of the strongest in years. Creamfields celebrates two decades at Daresbury with Swedish House Mafia as a UK festival exclusive, Calvin Harris headlines both Creamfields and Parklife, Forbidden Forest turns ten at Belvoir Castle, and Junction 2 returns to Boston Manor Park with Nina Kraviz, Jeff Mills, and Adam Beyer. Whether your taste runs to stadium EDM, deep techno, drum and bass, or house, there is a UK festival built for you in 2026.
Find fellow fans heading to the same festival here.
Creamfields 2026 — Daresbury, Cheshire, August 27–30
Creamfields 2026 marks twenty years at the Daresbury site in Cheshire with one of the most ambitious lineups in the festival's history. Swedish House Mafia headline the APEX Indoor Main Stage on Sunday as a UK festival exclusive, with Disclosure performing a live show — also a UK festival exclusive — on the Arc Stage on Friday. Calvin Harris headlines Saturday at the Arc Stage, supported by Underworld (live) and Amelie Lens presents AURA on the Steel Yard. Faithless (live) perform on Saturday, joining Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Becky Hill, CamelPhat, Fatboy Slim, Fisher, John Summit, Dom Dolla, Patrick Topping, MK, Andy C, Hybrid Minds, Alesso, Pete Tong, Eats Everything, Sonny Fodera, and Shy FX across the Arc, APEX, Steel Yard, and Horizon stages. With 250+ confirmed acts across four days, Creamfields 2026 is comfortably the largest electronic festival in the UK this year.
Official website →Parklife 2026 — Heaton Park, Manchester, June 20–21
Parklife 2026 takes place across two days at Heaton Park in Manchester, with Calvin Harris headlining Sunday in his first Manchester appearance in thirteen years and Sammy Virji headlining Saturday in his first ever festival headline billing. Skepta, Zara Larsson, and Nia Archives feature strongly across the main stages, with Armand Van Helden, Andy C, Shy FX, Dimension, Chris Stussy, Kettama, Josh Baker, Clementine Douglas, Chloé Caillet, and K Motionz on the wider bill. Stage takeovers from XXL, Worried About Henry, Modern Funktion, and Ghosts Of Garage round out a weekend that covers house, drum and bass, UK garage, grime, and techno. Parklife is consistently one of the best-curated urban electronic festivals in the UK.
Official website →Forbidden Forest 2026 — Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, June 4–7
Forbidden Forest celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2026 at the spectacular grounds of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, hosting 114+ confirmed artists across six stages over four days. Headliners include Michael Bibi, Pendulum (DJ set), Hannah Laing, Holy Priest, Chris Stussy, Sub Focus, MK, Girls Don't Sync, and DJ EZ — with Phase 2 additions of Jamie Jones, Patrick Topping, Nicole Moudaber, Pan-Pot, and Tita Lau. Forbidden Forest is set against one of the most theatrical backdrops in UK festival culture — the fairytale turrets and grounds of Belvoir Castle in the Leicestershire countryside — and the 2026 tenth anniversary edition is its most ambitious yet. The programming spans house, techno, drum and bass, and everything in between.
Official website →Junction 2 2026 — Boston Manor Park, Brentford, London, July 25–26 & August 2
Junction 2 returns to Boston Manor Park in Brentford, west London, across three dates in summer 2026. The July 25 date is a collaboration with fabric London, featuring Nina Kraviz, Jeff Mills, Marcel Dettmann b2b DJ Hell, Nicolas Lutz, Francesco Del Garda, and GiGI FM b2b Polygonia. July 26 is headlined by Adam Beyer, with Miss Monique, Franky Wah, and Aaron Hibell. The August 2 date features I Hate Models, Leo Pol, and Charlie Sparks. Junction 2 is the closest thing the UK has to a full-spectrum techno festival — uncompromising booking, serious sound systems, and a crowd genuinely there for the music.
Official website →Love Saves the Day 2026 — Ashton Court, Bristol, May 23–24
Love Saves the Day 2026 returns to the magnificent grounds of Ashton Court in Bristol across two days in late May. Sammy Virji headlines Saturday, joined by Sub Focus, Hedex, Joy Orbison, Special Request, and 4AM Kru (live). Sunday features Confidence Man DJs, Rizzle Kicks, Eve, Goldie, and DJ Die. Later additions include Flowdan, Charlotte Plank, Gentlemen's Club, Tim Reaper, Sir Hiss, Douvelle19, and Clipz. The programming spans drum and bass, UK bass, house, grime, and the full spectrum of Bristol's own eclectic dance music culture. Love Saves the Day consistently punches above its weight — a two-day city festival with boutique programming and a passionate crowd from across the South West.
Official website →Field Day 2026 — Brockwell Park, London, May 23
Field Day 2026 returns to Brockwell Park in south London for a single-day event on May 23. Eliza Rose and Andy C headline the main stages, joined by Honey Dijon, Floating Points, and Interplanetary Criminal. Partiboi69, Patrick Mason, Silva Bumpa, DART, and Big Reg complete the bill across multiple stages. The programming covers house, techno, drum and bass, and forward-thinking club music — credible bookings in a beautiful south London park setting. Field Day has consistently championed electronic artists who sit outside the mainstream, and the 2026 edition continues that tradition.
Official website →Gottwood 2026 — Anglesey, Wales, June 11–14
Gottwood celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2026, returning to its woodland home on Anglesey, Wales, across four days with a 250-artist programme running continuously around the clock. The lineup features Nicolas Lutz, Jane Fitz, Call Super, Gene On Earth, Mala, Margaret Dygas, Move D, Eris Drew & Octa Octa, Fumiya Tanaka, Zip, Shonky, Vera, Priori, Dresden, and Double O. Gottwood is the UK's finest boutique underground festival — no phones on the dancefloor, music that runs from sunset to sunrise without interruption, and a woodland setting unlike any other UK event. With capacity kept deliberately small, tickets sell out within minutes of going on sale.
Official website →Houghton 2026 — Houghton Hall, Norfolk, August 6–9
Houghton 2026 returns to the grounds of Houghton Hall in Norfolk across four days, with around 200 artists confirmed and approximately 60 festival debuts on the bill. Returning artists include Ricardo Villalobos, Calibre, Donna Leake, Shanti Celeste, Helena Hauff, Ben UFO, Nicolas Lutz, Jane Fitz, Powder, and Peach. Festival debuts include Underground Resistance & Saul Williams, Aurora Halal, Paquita Gordon, Djrum, Gabrielle Kwarteng, Decius, Mark Ernestus & Tikiman, Peverelist, and DJ Nature. Live acts include Marie Davidson, Mary Lattimore, Holy Tongue, Reggie Watts, and Radioactive Man. Houghton is the most curatorially ambitious festival in the UK — a programme that rewards discovery and rarely books the obvious.
Official website →Eastern Electrics 2026 — Burgess Park, London, August 9
Eastern Electrics 2026 moves to its new home at Burgess Park in south London for a single-day event on August 9. The Martinez Brothers headline the main stage, with Joseph Capriati b2b Special Guest and Mau P b2b Dennis Cruz among the standout bookings. The Four Corners stage features Skream b2b Patrick Topping, East End Dubs, Groove Armada, Zed Bias, and Obskür. Eastern Electrics has been a fixture of the London summer since 2010 — house and techno from credible selectors, with a crowd that knows exactly what it is there for. The move to Burgess Park in Peckham marks a new chapter for one of London's most reliable one-day summer events.
Official website →Find Your Festival Crew with ConcertBuddy
Going to Creamfields, Parklife, Forbidden Forest, or Junction 2 alone? ConcertBuddy connects you with other fans heading to the same festivals — so you can find your people before the weekend begins. Post your event, browse who else is going, and turn a solo festival trip into something far better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is headlining Creamfields 2026?
Creamfields 2026 headliners are Calvin Harris (Saturday, Arc Stage), Swedish House Mafia (Sunday, APEX Indoor — UK festival exclusive), and Disclosure (Friday, Arc Stage — live, UK festival exclusive). The wider lineup includes Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Faithless (live), Underworld (live), Fatboy Slim, Becky Hill, CamelPhat, John Summit, Dom Dolla, and 250+ more across August 27–30 at Daresbury, Cheshire.
When is Parklife 2026 and who is headlining?
Parklife 2026 takes place on June 20–21 at Heaton Park, Manchester. Calvin Harris headlines Sunday and Sammy Virji headlines Saturday. The wider bill includes Skepta, Zara Larsson, Nia Archives, Armand Van Helden, Andy C, Shy FX, Chris Stussy, and Kettama.
What is the best techno festival in the UK in 2026?
Junction 2 is widely considered the UK's premier techno festival, running July 25–26 and August 2 at Boston Manor Park in Brentford, London. The 2026 lineup features Nina Kraviz, Jeff Mills, Marcel Dettmann, Adam Beyer, and I Hate Models, with a special fabric London collaboration on July 25.
The UK's 2026 Electronic Festival Season Is Here
From Creamfields' twentieth anniversary at Daresbury with Swedish House Mafia and Calvin Harris to Parklife's first Manchester headline from Harris in thirteen years, from Forbidden Forest's tenth anniversary at Belvoir Castle to Junction 2's uncompromising techno programming in west London — the UK's 2026 electronic festival season is an exceptional year for dance music. Find your fellow fans on ConcertBuddy.