Student festival guide 2026
Music festivals are the ultimate summer experience, but they're not known for being student-budget-friendly. We review this year's hottest festivals, with one eye on cost...
Credit: Monkey Business Images – Shutterstock
With so many festivals taking place in the UK, it's getting trickier every year to decide which ones to go to – and more importantly, which ones you can actually afford.
No music festival is going to be cheap, but if the line-up features lots of your favourite artists, they can be cheaper than going to lots of individual gigs.
Plus, some festivals offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are worth the money. Remember, the artists themselves are only part of the full package: the atmosphere, food, surroundings and other activities are all things to take into account.
Note that the prices indicated for these festivals are correct at the time of writing, but are just for tickets and/or camping. They don't include travel to and from each festival and are subject to availability, and there could be extra booking fees (usually a few quid) on top of the ticket prices.
Top 19 UK festivals 2026
Here are the best student festivals in summer 2026:
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Parklife – Heaton Park, Manchester
- Dates – 20th – 21st June
- Headliners – Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji, Skepta and many more
- Cost – £163 weekend ticket.
Manchester's favourite music festival is, unsurprisingly, a favourite with the city's massive student population.
The weekend usually features a top-drawer line-up with loads of acts alongside a few big headliners.
You can also pay more for a weekend VIP upgrade. You can't camp at Parklife, so you also have to factor in accommodation in Manchester – there are tickets available that include hotel accommodation in the city centre though.
See our review of Parklife for an idea of what to expect.
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Latitude – Henham Park, Suffolk
- Dates – 23rd – 26th July
- Headliners – David Byrne, Teddy Swims, Lewis Capaldi
- Cost – £320 (weekend ticket with standard camping).
Latitude is one of the pricier festivals out there, but the lineup normally justifies the dollar. The festival will boast big artists alongside its main headliners.
It's a great all-rounder festival, where you can get back to nature by camping and lake swimming before dancing to DJs until the early hours.
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Wireless – Finsbury Park, London
- Dates – CANCELLED
- Headliners – N/A
- Cost – N/A.
Wireless festival had a bit of a hiccup this year after the UK government refused entry to the headline act YE (formerly Kanye West), leading to the cancellation of the event!
Wireless hosts the sounds of grime, hip-hop, rap and R&B in North London's Finsbury Park.
Wireless isn't a camping festival, so you'll have to factor in the price of London accommodation for this one.
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Reading and Leeds – Richfield Avenue and Bramham Park
- Dates – 27th – 30th August
- Headliners – Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + the Machine, Fontaines D.C., plus many more
- Cost – £325 (weekend ticket with camping), from £125 (one-day ticket).
As two of the longest-running music festivals in the world, Reading and Leeds are something of an institution in the UK.
The festivals run the same line-up, alternating between Richfield Avenue in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds.
Reading and Leeds started out a lot more rock, metal and punk-focused, but over the years they've become more open to mainstream hip-hop and dance music (causing a bit of controversy among loyal fans).
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Camp Bestival – Lulworth Castle, Dorset
- Dates – 30th July – 2nd August
- Headliners – Self Esteem, Billy Ocean, Bastille, Leftfield, Fatboy Slim & Friends, plus many more
- Cost – £255 (weekend ticket with camping), from £99 (one-day tickets)
Camp Bestival, the little sister of Bestival (RIP), is a confirmed unmissable date in the UK festival calendar, and its line-up never fails to get us excited.
Although the festival used to take place on the Isle of Wight, it has now been relocated to Lulworth Castle in Dorset. For a few years, Camp Bestival was also running in Shropshire, but unfortunately, this has since been scrapped.
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Creamfields – Daresbury Estate, Cheshire
- Dates – 27th – 30th August
- Headliners – Disclosure, Calvin Harris, Underworld, Faithless, Swedish House Mafia, plus many more
- Cost – from £84 (one-day ticket), all camping tickets sold out
Creamfields is a raver's paradise, with some of the biggest DJs in the business making appearances every year. The line-up is usually huge and basically reads like an A–Z of the industry.
If you're looking for a fancier camping experience, you could consider the premium accommodation on their Dreamfields campsite.
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Victorious – Southsea Seafront, Portsmouth
- Dates – 28th – 30th August
- Headliners – Richard Ashcroft, The Black Keys, Kasabian, Scissor Sisters, The Streets and more
- Cost – from £234 + booking fee (weekend ticket with camping), from £87 + booking fee (day ticket).
This one is for the indie fans out there. It has a brilliant big-name line-up, considering this is still a relatively little-known festival.
As there are so many big acts, it's also a pretty cost-effective option.
Best of all, the Castle Stage is situated in front of the stunning Southsea Castle, making this one of the most picturesque festivals around.
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Isle of Wight Festival – Newport
- Dates – 18th – 21st June
- Headliners – Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris, The Cure, The Kooks and more
- Cost – £320 (weekend ticket with camping), £125 (day tickets).
Situated just off the South Coast (not far from Portsmouth and Bournemouth), the Isle of Wight might not be the easiest destination for a lot of people to get to. But it's well worth the trip for such an amazing line-up.
As well as the main headliners, you can also look forward to Wet Leg, The Kooks, Sex Pistol ft. Frank Carter and more.
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Mighty Hoopla – Brockwell Park, London
- Date – 30th – 31st May
- Headliners – Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters, Jessie J, Perrie and more
- Cost – from £86.95 ( Sunday tickets), weekend and Saturday tickets SOLD OUT.
Mighty Hoopla is back again this year in Brockwell Park, celebrating all things glitz and glam.
The festival is spread over two days, and the main headliners will be accompanied by the likes of Five, Todrick Hall, JLS and more.
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State Fayre – Hylands Park, Chelmsford
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- Date – 26th – 28th June
- Headliners – Kings of Leon, Alanis Morissette, The Lumineers, plus many more
- Cost – £270 (weekend camping ticket), £105 (day tickets).
New for 2026, State Fayre has a great lineup and loads of boutique camping options if you don't fancy slumming it in your own tent.
Set in the grounds of Hylands Park, we're excited for this festival's first year,
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Field Day – Brockwell Park, London
- Date – 23rd May
- Headliners – Andy C, Floating Points, Honey Dijon, Joy Orbison and more
- Cost – from £64.95 + booking fee (day ticket).
Since it started back in 2007, Field Day has been viewed as one of London's top electronic music festivals.
The festival has been held in various parks around the city. Last year, it was relocated to its new home in Brockwell Park, London.
The one-day festival has a great lineup for any of you house fiends and comes recommended by us. Check out the details in our full review of Field Day.
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We Are FSTVL – Upminster
- Dates – TBC
- Headliners – TBC
- Cost – TBC.
One of the best EDM festivals around, We Are FSTVL always guarantees a stellar line-up.
There hasn't been a We Are FSTVL since the 2024 event was cancelled last minute due to heavy rainfall. But the organisers have announced it will be returning in 2026. We're still waiting to hear when it's going to make a comeback this year.
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TRNSMT Festival – Glasgow Green, Glasgow
- Dates – 19th – 21st June
- Headliners – Richard Ashcroft, Kasabian, Lewis Capaldi and more
- Cost – £235.01 (three-day ticket), from £104.51 (two-day pass), from £82.56 (one-day pass).
TRNSMT festival started life as a replacement to T in the Park, but has grown into a hugely popular festival in its own right.
It's spread out over a weekend, right slap bang in the centre of Glasgow, designed for you to spend time exploring the city as well as enjoying the festival.
If you're going for a one-day pass, just make sure all the acts you want to see are playing on the same day.
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Green Man – Brecon Beacons, Wales
- Dates – 22nd – 23rd August
- Headliners – Mogwai, Wilco, Wolf Alice, Four Tet and many more
- Cost – SOLD OUT.
If you fancy a more chilled and laid-back vibe, then Green Man might be more up your street.
This folk festival takes place against a backdrop of stunning Welsh mountains, with fewer beats and more acoustic guitars. There are 10 different areas with something for everyone to enjoy, be it literature, comedy, science and/or Welsh beer.
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Boardmasters – Newquay, Cornwall
- Dates – 5th – 9th August
- Headliners – Fat Boy Slim, Kasabian, The Kooks, Loyle Carner and more
- Cost – £319 + booking fee (five-day camping), £309 + booking fee (four-day camping), £299 + booking fee (three-day camping).
If you're looking for some good old British beach fun (yes, this exists), then look no further than Boardmasters in Cornwall.
With surfing competitions, surf art and intimate gigs on the beach, it's an outdoor-lovers dream.
Snap your tickets up now and cross your fingers for some sunshine!
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Shambala – Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens, Northamptonshire
- Dates – 27th – 30th August
- Headliners – BCUC, Bob Vylan, Goat, Hollie Cook, The Selecter and many more
- Cost – From £1275 + booking fee (young adult weekend ticket).
If you're on the hunt for something a little bit different with your festival experience, then it's well worth checking out Shambala in Northamptonshire.
This laid-back and intimate festival is all about creativity and participation – from yoga to flash mobs, theatre troupes and cabaret, Shambala is more than just music.
It's also one of the most eco-friendly festivals around. They've already got rid of single-use plastics like cups and straws. Plus, they don't allow glitter, encouraging you to use face paints or masks instead.
Music ranges from funk, soul, disco and reggae to drum and bass, so there's guaranteed to be something to suit your taste somewhere.
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Beautiful Days – Escot Park, Devon
- Dates – 21st – 23rd August
- Headliners – Super Furry Animals, Madness, The Levellers, plus many more
- Cost – SOLD OUT.
Set up in 2003 by rock band the Levellers, Beautiful Days prides itself on being a completely independent festival: no sponsorship, no advertising and an extremely chilled-out vibe.
The festival site even has a Walkabout Theatre, family camping, real ale bars and Folk Sessions.
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British Summer Time Hyde Park, London
- Dates – 27th June, 3rd – 4th July and 10th – 12th July
- Headliners – Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Duran Duran, Pitbull and Lewis Capaldi
- Cost – From £112.85 (day ticket).
BST Hyde Park started back in 2013 and generally includes a line-up of international superstars and epic supporting acts.
The festival is held over a number of weekends in the summer, with various fantastic acts performing. Each day is classed as an individual event, so only one-day tickets are available.
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All Points East, Victoria Park, London
- Dates – 21st – 23rd August, 28th – 30th August
- Headliners – Jorga Smith + Tems, Lorde, Outbreak Fest, Twenty One Pilots, Deftones, plus more
- Cost – From £64.95 (one-day ticket).
All Points East is also a London-based festival spread over multiple days. There are tons of free activities during the week, but if you want to see some of the headliners during the weekends, you'll have to get a day ticket.
How to reduce festival waste
Festivals are great fun, but did you know that they generate up to 25,800 tonnes of waste each year? From broken tents to single-use plastic cups, all of this waste causes a lot of harm to the environment.
Many festivals are already tackling some of these issues by banning glitter and getting rid of plastic cups, but there are things you can do to help.
Here are some tips to reduce waste when going to a festival:
- Get a quality tent – Instead of buying a cheap tent that will likely break at the festival, try to get a quality one you can reuse instead. It's estimated that 250,000 tents are left at UK festivals every year – that's a lot of plastic going to landfills.
- Wear pre-loved festival outfits – Rather than getting a brand-new outfit, see what you already have at home. Or check out your local charity shop for some pre-loved outfits.
- Bring a refillable water bottle – This can help you cut down on all the single-use plastic cups you'll use. Just check the festival's website beforehand to make sure you're allowed to bring these with you.
- Volunteer to clean up litter – One of the best summer jobs for students is to volunteer at a festival in exchange for free tickets. Picking up litter is a common voluntary role – good for the environment and your bank account.
- Take everything home – Don't leave stuff at the festival. Bring everything home with you and try to recycle as much as possible. Things left at festivals likely won't be recycled and could end up in a landfill.
Don't forget to read our tips on how to save money at festivals before you go!
