Seven London music festivals you can still get tickets for

And just like that, August is almost over. Luckily for us, that doesn’t mean festival season has to be. Plenty of brand new and returning music festivals are taking place this month and next, meaning that you can dance, sing, scream, shout and get grossed out by Portaloos for just a little while longer. Many of the events are already sold out, but thankfully there are still some that you can scoop up tickets for – if you’re quick, that is.

Here’s our round-up of the best London music festivals you still have a shot of going to, last time we checked anyway. Bumbags and ponchos at the ready, friends!

Yam Carnival

Don’t miss: Davido, Honey Dijon, Femi Kuti 

Taking place on August Bank Holiday weekend, Yam Carnival is a fresh festival celebrating Black culture with a stellar line-up of dancehall, hip hop, R&B, and afrobeat artists – as well as some mouthwatering food trucks to keep you fuelled during all that grooving. Nigerian-American singer Davido is heading up the programme, joined by Femi Kuti (eldest son of Fela) and the massive alt-rapper star, Princess Nokia herself. 

Aug 28, Clapham Common. Tickets from £66.95. 

Alt LDN

Don’t miss: Princess Nokia, Machine Gun Kelly, Playboi Carti

This is another newbie. A mix of rock, hip hop and alternative music, Alt LDN promises to bring a mind-melting line-up of mosh-friendly acts to Clapham – with some massive names like Machine Gun Kelly and Playboi Carti. If you don't make it to Yam to see Princess Nokia (can you tell we’re a fan?), she'll be returning to the common to play Alt the day after.

Aug 30, Clapham Common. Tickets from £66.95.

Wide Awake

Don’t miss: Daniel Avery, Erol Alkan, Tia Cousins

Seems like Wide Awake is trying to do a lot of things at once – but it also sounds like it’s working. If you’re someone who likes to genre-hop, here you can skip between electronica, post-punk, jazz and back again, all while listening to some leftfield artists who are truly at the top of their game. The event is brought to you by the guys behind the previous Test Pressing Festival, so expectations are pretty high for them to deliver something good. 

Sep 3, Brockwell Park. Tickets from £54.45.

Naked City

Don’t miss: Nubya Garcia, Mungo’s Hifi, Romare 

South London's Naked City boasts a pretty impeccable line-up, as well as a bunch of street vendors, cocktails and craft beer to keep you refreshed throughout the day. In the spirit of ‘how London makes us feel’, expect to hear everything from new-generation jazz to house, jungle, reggae and disco. They’ve also teamed up with global reforestation platform Tree Nation, and will plant one tree for every ticket sold. Nice.

Sep 11, Beckenham Place Park. Tickets from £61 + £7.60 green tax. 

City Splash

Don’t miss: Barrington Levy, Eva Lazarus, Twinkle Brothers 

City Splash is throwing one big, bassy party to celebrate the impact of reggae music on British culture. That means not just reggae, but all of its sister genres: ska, rocksteady, dub, roots, dancehall, grime... you get the picture. They’re also teaming up with the London Jerk Festival to cook up a storm of fried plantains, jerk chicken and vegan ital stew. Expect rhymes, riddims and lots of chest-quaking rumbles and grumbles. 

Sep 12, Beckenham Place Park. Tickets from £44.

Electric Woodlands

Don’t miss: Hybrid Minds, Chase & Status, Flava D

This is yet another new festival, and it’s promising some pretty big stuff. Taking place 30 minutes away from central London in a lush Hertfordshire forest, Electric Woodlands is bringing three stages of bass-heavy artists for you to get your skank on next to Mother Earth. The bookings are impressive: Chase & Status, Kings Of The Rollers and Bad Boy Chiller Crew, among many more.

Sep 25, Bygrave Wood, Hertfordshire. Tickets from £40. 

 

Waterworks

Don’t miss: Job Jobse, Zenker Brothers, Ben UFO

Waterworks is a London electronic music festival with a twist: it has no headliners. Platforming emerging artists next to bigger international stars to shatter the stage hierarchy we all have a love-hate relationship with, it’s put on by the team who ran Croatia’s Love International – so things are looking good. The line-up is pretty solid: it has a selection of house, techno, heavier and happier dance music genres, so there should be something for all tastes. 

Sep 25, Gunnersbury Park. Tickets from £50.50 + £1 green tax.

Here are the best music festivals in London this year.

Not one but THREE festivals are coming to Clapham Common over the bank holiday.