Isle of Wight
When: 11 – 14 June
Where: Seaclose Park, Isle of Wight,
The Guinness Book of Records estimates that nearly 700,000 people attended this festival in the last of its initial run in 1970. This celebration has been a platform for pioneers such as Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and The Who to implement their legacy in each of their own genres on the world’s stage. A 32 year ban was placed because of a parliamentary act allowing only less than 5,000 people gathering on the island. The series was however revived in 2002 and has been a mainstay off the south coast ever since.
Download
When: 12 – 14 June
Where: Donington Park, Derby
Donington Park has been dubbed as the ‘Spiritual home of rock’ thanks to the 13 year strong ritual of serving the UK’s biggest metal festival. The lineup for this year has already been set in stone, with the legendary Kiss headlining alongside other revered rockers in the form of Muse, Slipknot, Judas Priest and Motley Crue. Even Slash will perform one of his famous solo renditions for a mud covered crowd to perform their best air guitar deliveries. This is not an event to be missed as there will unlikely be another time where such big names will be sharing a stage on the same weekend.
Glastonbury
When: 24 – 28 June 2015
Where: Worthy Farm, Somerset
Arguably the most famous festival in the UK (and possibly even the world?) returns to the West Country following over forty years of attracting the biggest names in music. The event was inspired by the hippie counterculture of the late 60s and early 70s and British sensations The Kinks headlined the first ever affair. Britain’s own The Libertines are rumoured to steal the show in 2015 following their reunion after a ten year hiatus in 2004.
T in the Park
When: 10 – 12 July 2015
Where: Perthshire, Scotland
T in the Park is Scotland’s biggest music festival and is moving to new site at Strathallan Castle from 2015. The occasion has five different stages, ranging from upcoming and bubbling under talent to the most prolific names in the entertainment industry. UK alternative strongholds Arctic Monkeys headlined the Sunday of last year’s show alongside the ever growing presence of Jake Bugg while Ed Sheeran and Calvin Harris took control of the stage on the Friday and Saturday respectively. T in the Park is a very British affair but there are touches of class from across the pond with Pharrell Williams and Imagine Dragons offering their services last year.
Lovebox
When: 17 – 18 July
Where: Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, London
Lovebox has been taking over London’s East End since Groove Armada founded the event in 2002. Over the last few years, Lovebox has expanded from a dance orientated weekend to a celebration of modern music of all cultures. The 2014 lineup saw performances from a mixed bag of musical backgrounds take the stage in front of the 50,000 capacity crowd. Hip Hop legend Nas performed his whole Illmatic album while Dubstep powerhouses Chase & Status performed live renditions of their chart classics.
Reading and Leeds
When: 28 – 30 August
Where: Little John’s Farm, Reading & Bramham Park, Leeds.
This pairing takes place simultaneously every August bank holiday weekend and they share the same lineup of talents. Reading is the original host of the event and is credited with being the oldest mainstream music festival in the world that still exists. There have been many historical incidents at the festival, including Kurt Cobain’s famous wheelchair statement, when the Nirvana frontman addressed speculation of his mental health by being wheeled out in a medical gown. Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore co-headlined last years’ event and the 2015 bill is set to be just as strong.
