The UK boasts a rich electronic music scene and an incredibly huge following of up-for-it fans, who when it comes to festival season, experience the equivalent amount of excitement felt by kids at Christmas. It’s lucky then that Britain’s festival calendar is stacked with electronic goodness which would pack out any stocking.
From the dance giants that are Creamfields, Parklife, We Are FSTVL, and South West Four, to the underground gems including Houghton and Junction 2, here are 10 of our favourite UK electronic music festivals for 2021.
Creamfields
Festival lineup (2021): deadmau5, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, Adam Beyer, Tiësto, Timmy Trumpet, Erix Prydz, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
The UK’s oldest and most prestigious dance event can pack its lineup with the very biggest acts in world electronic music, year after year. In fact, in a program featuring over 200 artists, you’d struggle to find a notable DJ that hasn’t played Creamfields.
The production value of Creamfields makes it an even more memorable experience with mindblowing stages such as Arc, Horizon, Generator, and Steel Yard.
When & where: 26th – 29th August 2021; Daresbury
Creamfields 2021 Guide / Book Creamfields 2021
Parklife
Festival lineup (2020): Tyler, the Creator, Skepta, Lewis Capaldi, Khalid, Jorja Smith, Giggs, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Robyn
Parklife Festival is one of the UK’s most popular and famous weekend music festivals, laying on a programme of diverse and cutting-edge music inside Manchester’s Heaton Park.
Curated by a number of the UK’s most renowned clubbing brands, the weekender has rubber stamped its position at the very front of the country’s dance music scene.
When & where: 12th – 13th June 2021; Manchester
Parklife Festival 2021 Guide & Waiting List
Junction 2 Festival
Festival lineup (2020): Jon Hopkins [live], Adam Beyer, Four Tet, Ben Klock, Amelie Lens, Nina Kraviz, Blawan, Maceo Plex
An A-list techno lineup heads to West London’s Boston Manor Park each summer for a day party, quite literally, underneath a motorway junction.
Friday’s lineup explores a wide range of the electronic music spectrum with a particular focus on house, techno, electro, and breakbeats, whilst Saturday retains the festival’s original style of full-throttle four-to-the-floor techno as well as spacey minimal.
When & where: 4th – 5th June 2021; London
Junction 2 Festival 2021 Guide & Waiting List
Southport Weekender
Festival lineup (2021): Kerri Chandler, Louie Vega, David Rodigan, Roger Sanchez, Kenny Dope, Moodymann, Gilles Peterson, Mr. Scruff
Southport Weekender returns to Bognor Regis for the ultimate weekend, throwing parties across the town’s Butlin’s Resort, including inside its theatres, cinemas, pubs and even swimming complex.
When & where: 19th – 21st March 2021; Bognor Regis
Southport Weekender 2021 Guide & Waiting List
Field Day
Festival lineup (2021): Bicep, Tale of Us, Floorplan, The Blessed Madonna, DJ Seinfeld, George Fitzgerald, Mall Grab, Floating Points
Now one of the capital’s most loved music festivals, Field Day is curated by a collection of clubs and promoters from the London music scene, culminating in a forward-thinking, genre-pushing lineup that features live performances and DJ sets that showcase house, techno, hip-hop and more.
When & where: 10th July 2021; London
Field Day 2021 Guide / Book Field Day 2021
Houghton Festival
Festival lineup (2020): Craig Richards, Helena Hauff, Ben UFO, Ricardo Villalobos, Four Tet, DJ Stingray, Sonja Moonear, Floating Points
Despite only two editions under their belt, Houghton Music & Arts Festival has established itself as one of the UK’s leading electronic festivals. Curated by British electronic music veteran Craig Richards and produced by another firm favourite Gottwood, the festival has won praise on basically all counts – lineup, scheduling, sound quality, location, atmosphere.
With extended set times and a knowledgable crowd, artists have the freedom to showcase sounds they wouldn’t normally explore, and this is where magic moments are created.
When & where: 12th – 15th August 2021, Houghton
Houghton 2021 Guide & Mailing List
We Out Here
Festival lineup (2020): Floating Points, Kenny Dope, Jayda G, Gilles Peterson, Joy Orbison, Mr. Scruff, Archie Shepp, Ezra Collective
Curated by Giles Peterson, Worldwide FM, and Brownswood Recordings, We Out Here is a festival celebrating musical eclecticism from across the spectrum. Soundtracking the Cambridgeshire countryside will be a mixture of jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, and a strong focus on electronic music.
A jam-packed programme of DJs and live performances as well as incredible food, wellness activities, and art installations make We Out Here a festival that should be on everyone’s calendar.
When & where: 19th – 22nd August 2021, Cambridgeshire
We Out Here 2021 Guide & Waiting List
Lost Village
Festival lineup (2020): Bonobo, Four Tet, Floating Points, Dixon, Honey Dijon, Ben UFO, Palms Trax, Chaos in the CBD
Beautifully tucked away inside a forest in Lincolnshire, Lost Village transforms the magical woodland into an enchanted electronic haven, taking festival-goers on a journey through house and techno to their utopia of the freshest electronic sounds in the scene today.
Mixed into this adventure is comedy, theatre, art and more for three days each summer hidden away amongst the forest.
When & Where: 26th – 29th August 2021, Lincolnshire
Lost Village 2021 Guide & Waiting List
We Are FSTVL
Festival lineup (2020): Carl Cox, Nina Kraviz, Andy C, Jamie Jones, Charlotte de Witte, Solardo, Sub Focus, CamelPhat
Growing in stature year on year, We Are FSTVL adds a fun and creative aspect to its wide-ranging style. Pioneers and current stars of techno, house, and bass arrive in the eastern outskirts of London in their droves, but the festival’s eye-catching main stages steal the show every time.
When & where: 29th – 30th May 2021, London
We Are FSTVL 2021 Guide & Waiting List
SW4: South West Four
Festival lineup (2020): Major Lazer, The Streets, Kano, Krept & Konan, Rudimental, Kelis, Andy C, Stefflon Don
Carving out space for itself in central London, South West Four rubs shoulders with the very biggest dance festivals in the world. Unexpected back-to-back sets have come to be an SW4 calling card, and at more than 100 artists over two days the sheer scale is impressive enough on its own.
When & where: 27th – 29th August 2021; London
South West Four 2021 Guide & Waiting List
More like this:
