The best music festivals in London 2025

AVA London, the mammoth electronic music and arts conference, is back in town. Offering a weekend of masterclasses, talks, interviews, and workshops with some key figures from the nightlife industry, it'll be staged across some of London’s most iconic venues, including KOKO, Here at Outernet, The Standard and The British Library. Don't miss out on the night-time antics which suitably complement the thought-provoking conversations in the day.  

Line-up includes: FKA Twigs, Jarvis Cocker, Munroe Bergdorf, No Tags Podcast, Erika de Casier, Ryoji Ikeda Live, LSDXOXO.

Varous venues. March 20-22.

Wide Awake bills itself as a ‘musical melting pot’, offering up leftfield indie, post-punk, electronica, techno and more. This year, Irish-speaking rap sensations Kneecap are headlining. When they aren't tearing up the stage with their club-ready raps, there's the Mercury-winning indie band English Teacher, DJ extraordinaire Daniel Avery and country star CMAT, alongside many more.

Line-up includes: Kneecap, CMAT, English Teacher, Daniel Avery, Mannequin Pussy, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.

Brockwell Park, SE24 9BJ. May 23.

Is it just us or does Field Day feel way younger than 17 years old? Time flies, eh? The electronic-heavy festival returns to Brockwell Park in 2025 after a stint in east London, with a line-up that leans more heavily towards DJs and producers than the spread of live acts and selectors we’ve seen at the festival in recent years. With a whole host of globe-trotting selectors on the bill, expect a day of non-stop dancing. 

Line-up includes: Peggy Gou, Jungle (DJ set), Bubble Love (Ross From Friends), James Blake (DJ set) b2b Mala, VTSS, Special Request b2b Yung Singh, Fatima Yamaha, Girls Don’t Sync.

Brockwell Park, SE24 9BJ. May 24. 

Peckham Rye’s electronic music bonanza GALA turns ten this year. Returning in its usual slot over the late May bank holiday, the festival is celebrating reaching double digits with a stellar three-day line-up curated in partnership with NTS radio, plus some of the city’s most acclaimed music and nightlife brands, including Horse Meat Disco, Rhythm Section, Jumbi, Chapter Ten and The Cause. The line-up is a massive one featuring dozens of world-class DJs offering a weekend of genre-fluid grooves.

Line-up includes: Floating Points, Moodymann, Theo Parrish, Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, Hudson Mohawke, Caribou, Floorplan.

Peckham Rye Park, SE15 4HA. May 23-25.

Cross the Tracks is known for its tasteful, groove-heavy curation across soul, funk and jazz, as well as loads of decent street food and craft beer. The festival has a laid-back, open-arms appeal, meaning you’ll find people of all sorts of ages having a boogie. This year, you've got everyone from Michael Kiwanuka to Jordan Rakei and Baby Rose to get excited about.

Line-up includes: Michael Kiwanuka, Ezra Collective, Jordan Rakei, Nala Sinephro, Cymande.

Brockwell Park, SE24 9BJ. May 25.

Sometimes you need to embrace the cheesiness, you know? Mighty Hoopla has firmly established itself as a festival promoting the very finest of pop, as well as platforming established and emerging LGBTQ+ performers. The result of this is a weekend of feel-good fun where the crowd are just as dazzling at the entertainment.

Line-up includes: Kesha, Ciara, Kate Nash, Pixie Lott, Jojo, Loreen, Vengaboys.

Brockwell Park, SE24 9BJ. May 31- Jun 1.

The inaugural SXSW London will take over various venues in Shoreditch, including Shoreditch Town Hall and Village Underground, bringing with it the hottest new acts from across the globe for more than 70 music events. The conference arm of the event will also make the journey across the pond, with 420 talks and panels delving into the most pressing issues across business, tech and more. The line-up is yet to be announced, but in previous years it hosted Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, so keep an eye out.

Line-up includes: TBC.

Various. Jun 2-7.

Scheduled for two consecutive weekends in June, Lido festival will take place in the Tower Hamlets park’s 5000-capacity Lido Field. Details of the line-up for Saturday June 7 were announced at the same time as the festival. Having released his accaimed second album in September, Jamie xx is set to headline as he brings his club residency The Floor to the festival, with Charli XCX bringing Brat summer back to east London the following week with her Party Girl takeover, and London Grammar will bring their indie-pop hits to the park, too, to envelope east London in their ethereal sounds.

Line-up includes: Charli XC, Jamie xx, Arca, Sampha, Romy, A.G. Cook, London Grammar, Celeste, Róisín Murphy.

Victoria Park, E3 5SN. Jun 7, 14, 15.

It’s been an exciting fixture in London’s musical calendar since 2013, and it’s back with a line-up of some of the biggest stars on the planet. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area. Catch Gen Z pop hero Olivia Rodrigo, US country singer-songwriter Zach Bryan and folk-pop artist Noah Kahan. Plus, Hugh Jackman performing musical hits,  Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra doing the band’s final ever live show, and 'Espresso' hitmaker Sabrina Carpenter.

Line-up includes: Olivia Rodrigo, Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan, Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter, plus more. 

Hyde Park, W2 2UH. Various, Jul.

Somerset House Summer Series is back for another year. Held in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain court, in the enclave of the iconic Neoclassical building, this open-air series of gigs has long held space for both exciting up-and-comers and well-known trailblazers from the UK and beyond. The line-up for 2025 is still under wraps, but the Summer Series usually plays host to an eclectic mix of legends and current acts. Last year, punk poet Patti Smith, south London indie gang The Big Moon and soulful singer Corinne Bailey Rae were all on the bill. 

Line-up includes: TBC.

Somerset House, WC2R 1LA. July 10-20.

Wake up babe, a new house and techno festival in London just dropped. Legendary house DJ Jamie Jones has announced he is bringing a brand-new festi to the capital this summer, taking over Boston Manor Park with one of his world-famous Paradise parties. Spread across four stages, Paradise in the City promises to have ‘cutting-edge sound and state-of-the-art production’, all produced by partners LWE. The line-up hasn’t been anounnced yet, but it’s going span to a variety of techno and house DJs, all hand-selected by Jones. Expect a day of four-to-the-floor belters with an Ibiza vibe. 

Line-up includes: TBC

Boston Manor Park, TW8 9JU. Sat Aug 2.

After a great debut last summer, London’s Jazz Cafe returns to Burgess Park for its sophomore edition in early August, with a line-up traversing jazz (of course), RnB, hip hop and electronic sounds across four stages. Headlining the 15,000-capacity festival in September is American singer and saxophonist Masego, best known for his RnB hit ‘Tadow’, with further line-up announcements to come. 

Line-up includes: Masego, more TBC.

Burgess Park, SE5 0RJ. Aug 3.

This summer, some contemporary dance music greats will take up residence at a stunning venue. Labyrinth On The Thames – masterminded by promoter Labryinth – will see different artists from the world of electronic music takeover the Old Royal Naval College (a UNESCO World Heritage Site!) for six days of unmissable performances. So far, South African DJ and producer Black Coffee, melodic house star Anjunadeep and global dance phenom FISHER have been confirmed for the double-weekender. Keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the line-up – it looks set to be a banger.

Line-up includes: Black Coffee, Anjunadeep, FISHER, plus more TBC.

Old Royal Naval College, SE10 9NN. August 1-3; 8-10.

All Points East returns to Vicky Park for its seventh edition in 2025. Since debuting in 2018, the festival has garnered a reputation for building some of the most exciting line-ups in the UK. Its headliners are often indie or dance-focused big-hitters, while its undercards are packed with cult heroes and rising stars you can say you saw first. As well as the ticketed weekend events, look out for All Points East In the Neighbourhood, the festival’s free midweek programme of community activities including film screenings, live sports, theatre, family fun and more. 

Line-up includes: Barry Can’t Swim, RAYE, The Maccabees, Confidence Man, Shygirl, Tyla, Bombay Bicyle Club, Dry Cleaning, Chase And Status.

Victoria Park, E3 5SN. August 15–17, 22-24.

Having outgrown its first home in Hackney Wick, London’s queer nightlife festival Body Movements levelled up last summer, making a dazzling debut in Southwark Park with five stages showcasing the great and good of the LGBTQ+ party scene in the capital and beyond. It was easily the best edition yet of the groundbreaking festival, so we’re thrilled that the great and good of the London queer scene will once again come together in the same location for its 2025 edition, on the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend.

Line-up includes: Adonis, Pxssy Palace, Little Gay Brother, Power Dance Club, Function, Queer Bruk, Riposte, Howl, House of Revlon.  

Southwark Park, SE16 2TX. Aug 24.

What is a spatial audio festival, you might be wondering? If you go to Polygon Live LDN, you’ll probably find out. The gist is seeing live music in a 360-degree arena surrounded by high-tech lights and loads of crystal-clear speakers – a spectacle which event organisers actually call a ‘spaceship’. Artists on the lineup so far include dreamy Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab, electronic legend Jon Hopkins, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake. This is one for audiophiles looking for something a bit more immersive. 

Line-up includes: Arooj Aftab, Gold Panda, Jon Hopkins, Cosmo Sheldrake

Crystal Palace Park, SE19 2GA. May 2-4.