{"id":2247125,"date":"2026-01-23T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2247125"},"modified":"2026-01-23T14:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:59:08","slug":"your-guide-to-festivals-across-the-south-of-england-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/your-guide-to-festivals-across-the-south-of-england-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Your guide to festivals across the south of England in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Stuart Rust<\/span>South of England <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"BBCBBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Huge crowds gathered for Reading Festival in 2025<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Summer may still feel a long way off but event planning for the months ahead is already well under way. <\/p>\n

From large-scale music festivals to small local favourites, organisers across the south of England have been revealing what is in store for 2026.<\/p>\n

Here is a guide to the festivals happening near you in the year ahead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Oxfordshire<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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The Cuban Brothers perform at Big Feastival in 2024<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Oxford Literary Festival, 21-29 March<\/b><\/p>\n

If you are seeking something a touch more intellectual, one of the UK’s biggest literary gatherings<\/a> returns to venues across central Oxford with talks, debates and readings from top authors and other public figures. <\/p>\n

Confirmed highlights include historian Sir Simon Schama and Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, among others.<\/p>\n

Henley Festival, 8-12 July <\/b><\/p>\n

A riverside celebration<\/a> of music, performance, food and art on the Thames in Henley. <\/p>\n

Visitors can expect a mix of live music, cabaret, theatre, fine dining and parties.<\/p>\n

The full 2026 programme is still to be announced but last year’s headliners included Diana Ross, McFly and Rick Astley. <\/p>\n

Truck Festival, 23-26 July <\/b><\/p>\n

Dubbed “the UK’s most warped village fete”, The Maccabees, Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats, CMAT and The Libertines will top the bill at this year’s festival<\/a> at Hill Farm in Steventon. <\/p>\n

Other acts announced include Kaiser Chiefs, Primal Scream and Rizzle Kicks. <\/p>\n

Wilderness Festival, 30 July – 2 August <\/b><\/p>\n

The festival<\/a> returns to Cornbury Park, near Charlbury, after boasting Supergrass and Wet Leg as headliners last year.<\/p>\n

This year’s line-up has not been revealed yet.<\/p>\n

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, 13-15 August <\/b><\/p>\n

The event<\/a> hosted by folk legends Fairport Convention comes towards the end of the festival season. <\/p>\n

Traditionally, the band headlines the final night itself and this year is no exception. <\/p>\n

Other acts on the bill include Soft Machine and Turin Brakes.<\/p>\n

Big Feastival, 27-30 August <\/b><\/p>\n

Blur bassist Alex James will once again play host to this annual celebration<\/a> of music, food and drink in Kingham, West Oxfordshire.<\/p>\n

This year’s headliners are Basement Jaxx, The Streets and Bastille.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Berkshire<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Dom Dolla performing at Reading Festival 2024<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Long Walk Live, 26-27 June <\/b><\/p>\n

A brand new two<\/a>–day music festival<\/a> will debut in Windsor this year. <\/p>\n

The inaugural event will be held on the Long Walk, featuring a backdrop of Windsor Castle.<\/p>\n

Its first outing will be headlined by Chesney Hawkes and Boyzlife, a duo formed by Keith Duffy from Boyzone and Brian McFadden from Westlife.<\/p>\n

Reading Festival, 27-30 August <\/b><\/p>\n

One of the biggest festivals in the UK<\/a>, it is no surprise it will return in 2026 with another impressive line-up.<\/p>\n

Among the headliners are Charli XCX, Dave, Raye and Florence and the Machine, with countless other big names on the bill.<\/p>\n

Wokingham Festival, 29-31 August <\/b><\/p>\n

Founded as a family-friendly alternative to larger festivals<\/a>, Wokingham has become a popular fixture at Cantley Park over the past 15 years. <\/p>\n

This year’s acts are yet to be announced but 2025 included Selena and the Howlin Dogs, Third Lung and Bottle Kids. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Hampshire<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"BenBen Mitchell\/PA Wire<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Festivalgoers at the Victorious Festival give a Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales a colourful send off<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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The Big Eat Festival, 23-25 May<\/b><\/p>\n

A free-spirited celebration<\/a> of street food, family fun and outdoor dining at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley.<\/p>\n

Southampton Summer Sessions, 12-27 June<\/b><\/p>\n

A sprawling open-air event<\/a> held each year in Guildhall Square.<\/p>\n

This year’s boasts some music icons, including The Beach Boys, Paul Weller, Billy Ocean and Deacon Blue. <\/p>\n

Wickham Festival, 30 July – 2 August <\/b><\/p>\n

A beloved boutique festival<\/a> that blends folk, rock and world music with comedy, food stalls, real ales and family entertainment across several stages.<\/p>\n

The first night’s headliner is yet to be announced but The Saw Doctors, The Proclaimers and Curtis Stigers are confirmed.<\/p>\n

Boomtown, 12-16 August <\/b><\/p>\n

The immersive, theatrical music festival<\/a> at Matterley Estate, near Winchester, describes itself as a “holiday to a parallel world”.<\/p>\n

The event blends live music, performance art and storytelling across themed districts for a unique festival experience. <\/p>\n

This year’s acts include Madness, Kneecap and Shaggy. <\/p>\n

Victorious Festival, 28-30 August <\/b><\/p>\n

Held on the Southsea seafront in Portsmouth, this popular annual event<\/a> offers a diverse array of music, comedy, markets and other activities. <\/p>\n

This year’s line-up is headed up by Richard Ashcroft, The Black Keys and Kasabian.<\/p>\n

Mucky Weekender, 10-12 September<\/b><\/p>\n

The event<\/a> returns for its sixth year at Vicarage Farm, between Basingstoke and Winchester. <\/p>\n

The 5,000-capacity gathering is set within 28 acres of private parkland across four stages. <\/p>\n

Goldie will top the bill this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Isle of Wight <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"PAPA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Rod Stewart performing at the Isle of Wight Festival<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Isle of Wight Festival, 18-21 June <\/b><\/p>\n

One of the UK’s longest-running open-air music festivals<\/a> returns to Seaclose Park with a star-studded 2026 lineup, with The Cure, Calvin Harris and Lewis Capaldi headlining across the weekend.<\/p>\n

There will also be performances from Wet Leg, The Kooks and Teddy Swims.<\/p>\n

The Isle of Wight Garlic Festival, 15-16 August <\/b><\/p>\n

If music isn’t your thing but garlic is, this is most definitely the festival<\/a> for you. <\/p>\n

A flavour-packed celebration of garlic and local produce featuring food stalls, artisan markets, live music and family entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dorset<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"RachelRachel Juarez-Carr\/PA Wire<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Idles on stage at End of the Road Festival <\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Dorchester Beerex, 6-7 February<\/b><\/p>\n

An annual celebration<\/a> of beer and brass bands in Dorchester, perfect for craft beer enthusiasts and live music fans.<\/p>\n

The 37th outing will take place at the Corn Exchange, with music to be confirmed.<\/p>\n

Camp Bestival, 30 July – 2 August <\/b><\/p>\n

A colourful family-friendly festival<\/a> with big acts, children’s entertainment, comedy and more.<\/p>\n

Just the one act has been confirmed for this year’s event – Fat Boy Slim and Friends. <\/p>\n

But with last year headed by Sugababes, Basement Jaxx and Sir Tom Jones, there’s sure to be many big announcements to come.<\/p>\n

End of the Road Festival, 3-6 September <\/b><\/p>\n

An indie and alternative festival<\/a>, set in Larmer Tree Gardens, with an eclectic lineup of artists, workshops, talks and intimate performances.<\/p>\n

Pulp, CMAT and Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco will lead this year’s event. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.bbc.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stuart RustSouth of England BBC Huge crowds gathered for Reading Festival in 2025 Summer may still feel a long way off but event planning for the months ahead is already well under way. From large-scale music festivals to small local favourites, organisers across the south of England have been revealing what is in store for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2247126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2247125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Your-guide-to-festivals-across-the-south-of-England-in.webp.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2247125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2247127,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247125\/revisions\/2247127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2247125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2247125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2247125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}