Festival News 2013

Iron Maiden have headlined Saturday night at this year's Download Festival. The band brought their Maiden England tour to the event on the 25th anniversary of their first headline appearance at Donington Park. Battling against Iron Maiden were Swedish band The Hives in the main tent who opened their set with Main Offender. Enter Shikari promised a big production for their headline slot on the second stage and didn't disappoint.
POSTED: 16/06/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Thousands of music fans have gathered for the three-day RockNess music festival, close to the shores of Loch Ness. Emergency services said the event has been good natured in good weather, with only a small number of people reported for drug offences. Acts appearing include Plan B, Basement Jaxx, Example, Fatboy Slim, Madness, Ben Howard and Jessie Ware. RockNess has been held since 2006 and attracts about 30,000 people.
POSTED: 08/06/13 - Source: BBC News Online

Patti Smith has been added to the line-up for this year's Green Man Festival. The iconic singer will headline a night of live music in the Far Out Tent on the Thursday night (August 15) of the festival that runs between August 15 and 18. Smith's appearance, the only UK festival she will be performing at this Summer, will see her join a bill that includes Jon Langford, Matt Berry and Manchester band Money.
POSTED: 30/05/13 - Source: nme.com

Fatboy Slim is confirmed to headline Friday night at this year's Bestival. The festival takes place at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight between 5 and 8 September. Other headline appearances from Elton John and Snoop Dogg, or Snoop Lion as he is now called, were announced earlier in the year.
POSTED: 17/05/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Reading and Leeds festival organiser Melvin Benn has rubbished a claim that young people are no longer able to afford festivals. A recent study by MSN claimed that the average age of festival-goers is now 35+ - specifically saying that the average age of a Reading & Leeds attendee is 35 years 8 months - and went on to say that young people are being priced out of the events. "Some things just have to be looked at twice and by God this did," Benn told Music Week. "We do surveys every year at Reading and Leeds and reinforce them by checking the Facebook and Twitter stats of our sites that carry age profiles. "For the last two years the age profiles have been 16/17 years 28%, 18/19 32% and 20/24 20%. A massive 80% aged 24 or under all coming along to the best 200 quids' worth of British culture on offer."
POSTED: 17/05/13 - Source: gigwise.com

Changes have been made to the Isle of Wight Festival's access routes and car parking in a bid to avoid a repeat of last year's traffic chaos. Heavy rain at the 2012 event left the main car park waterlogged and hundreds of cars were unable to enter the site. Promoter John Giddings has pledged double the amount of parking spaces, as well as asphalt entrances to the Seaclose Park site in Newport. He said what happened last year would "never happen again".
POSTED: 14/05/13 - Source: BBC News Online

The Hop Farm music festival has announced the cancellation of this year's event because of poor ticket sales. The festival had been due to take place in Kent on Friday 5 July and Saturday 6 July. Organiser Vince Power said in a statement: "We have worked very hard to try to make it work but it has proved too much a of mountain to climb."
POSTED: 03/05/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Will.I.Am has been added to the already stellar line up for this summer’s Yahoo! Wireless Festival. The singer will join the Legends Of The Summer bill on Sunday 14th July in which Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake will perform together ahead of their North American tour.
POSTED: 30/04/13 - Source: mtv.co.uk

The latest additions to this year's Reading & Leeds Festival line-ups have been announced with Merchandise, Parquet Courts, Spector and Drenge joining the bill as well as announcements for the Dance and Lock Up tents. Spector are one of the three Festival Republic tent headliners alongside Crystal Fighters and British Sea Power with Merchandise, Parquet Courts, Drenge, Surfer Blood, Kate Nash, Mo, MS MR and Half Moon Run all announced.
POSTED: 25/04/13 - Source: nme.com

Tickets for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Londonderry were snapped up in under an hour on Wednesday morning. All 37,500 tickets have now gone. Twelve and a half thousand tickets were available for each day. The event will take place at Ebrington over the Spring bank holiday weekend in May.
POSTED: 17/04/13 - Source: BBC News Online

Jessie Ware, Katy B and Magnetic Man have been added to the line-up for the final day of this year's Wireless Festival. Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z will co-headline the third and final date of this year's Wireless Festival in London, on July 14 with 2 Chainz, Porter Robinson, Angel and Daley all added to the line-up today alongside Jessie Ware, Katy B and dubstep group Magnetic Man. They join an already impressive line-up of hip-hop acts on that date including A$AP Rocky, Nas and A Tribe Called Quest's first UK show in 20 years.
POSTED: 03/04/13 - Source: nme.com

Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z are to co-headline the third and final date of this year's Wireless Festival in London, it has been confirmed. Both acts will headline individual dates prior to the joint show, with Justin Timberlake headlining the festival on Friday July 12, and Jay-Z closing the Saturday (July 13).
POSTED: 12/03/13 - Source: nme.com

Green Day are the final headliner to be confirmed for this year's Reading and Leeds festival. They'll join previously announced acts Eminem and Biffy Clyro in topping the bill at the event, which takes place between Friday 23 and Sunday 25 August.
POSTED: 11/03/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Global Gathering has confirmed performances from Plan B, Example and Rita Ora for its 2013 line-up. The festival, which takes place in July, will also see appearances from Katy B, Annie Mac and Rudimental. The event takes place at Long Marston Airfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, and has been running for more than a decade.
POSTED: 08/03/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Snoop Dogg has been added to the line-up for this summer's T in the Park. Mumford & Sons, Rihanna and The Killers are headlining the event, which takes place at Balado Park, Kinross-shire, between 12-14 July. The rapper, who now calls himself Snoop Lion, has already announced a headline set at Bestival later in the summer.
POSTED: 08/03/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Beyonce and Kings of Leon have been announced as the two headliners for this year's V Festival. The event takes place at Weston Park, Staffordshire and Hylands Park, Essex on 17 and 18 August. Organisers say Beyonce's appearance will be her only European festival slot of the summer. Also on the bill are Emeli Sande, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, The Script, Two Door Cinema Club, Beady Eye and Calvin Harris.
POSTED: 25/02/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z are the first artists confirmed to headline concerts at London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The stars will top the bill on separate nights of the Wireless festival on 12 and 13 July. They are the first acts announced by promoters Live Nation since they revealed plans to move into the venue. Organisers said Jay-Z's appearance would be his only European date in 2013.
POSTED: 19/02/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Rihanna is reportedly in talks to headline the Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival. The 'Diamonds' singer is apparently being lined up to follow in the footsteps of Beyonce – who headlined the Pyramid Stage on the final night of the 2011 festival - by closing this year's Glastonbury. A source told the Daily Star On Sunday: "She is the perfect choice. Beyonce stole the show two years ago and there's no reason why Rihanna can't do the same. She's got a huge back-catalogue and is undoubtedly the biggest female artist around at the moment bar Adele."
POSTED: 17/02/13 - Source: nme.com

The promoter of Bestival in the Isle of Wight fears for the future of many UK festivals if there is a repeat of the wet summer. Rob da Bank said potential festival-goers could be put off by the rain and muddy conditions at outdoor events. Heavy rain led to traffic chaos at the Isle of Wight Festival in June, while Guilfest in Surrey went into administration after poor ticket sales. Mr da Bank warned of "bigger problems selling tickets" if 2013 is as wet.
POSTED: 08/02/13 - Source: BBC News Online

Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy are the latest acts confirmed to play Reading and Leeds Festival 2013. The Scottish rockers are set to headline the Main Stage at the event alongside previously announced act Eminem. With one more major headliner yet to be announced, Fall Out Boy will also perform at the event, making it their only UK festival appearance.
POSTED: 05/02/13 - Source: mtv.co.uk

Snoop Dogg and Elton John have been unveiled as the headline acts for this year's Bestival. The festival takes place at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight between 5 and 8 September. Tom Odell, M.I.A, Jessie Ware, The Flaming Lips and Franz Ferdinand will also perform across the weekend. The event is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is traditionally one of the last festivals in the summer schedule.
POSTED: 31/01/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Bob Geldof is to front a reunited Boomtown Rats at the Isle of Wight Festival - 26 years after last performing with the band. The band have been added to the Sunday line-up of this year's event at Seaclose Park in Newport. They are to play the main stage in a UK festival exclusive. Geldof said: "I've always fancied playing the Isle of Wight Festival ever since I hitched there in the good/bad days when I was a kid."
POSTED: 28/01/13 - Source: BBC News Online

Paul Weller has been added to the bill for this year's Isle of Wight Festival. The former Jam frontman will appear as a special guest before Friday night headliners The Stone Roses. He said: "It's been a while since I've played [the festival] and I'm excited to be playing it this year. It's a great way to kick off the summer." The Killers and Bon Jovi have already been announced as headliners for the first major festival of the summer, in June.
POSTED: 21/01/13 - Source: BBC News Online

The organisers of The Big Chill music festival have confirmed that there are "no plans" for the event to be staged in 2013. The 2012 festival was cancelled because it clashed with the Olympics. Festival Republic have told the BBC there are "currently no plans for The Big Chill to return in 2013". The festival, which attracted crowds of 40,000, has been staged since 2002 in the grounds of Eastnor Castle in Ledbury, Herefordshire.
POSTED: 11/01/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Bestival organisers have announced a charity gig in honour of the people killed and injured in a coach crash on the way back from the 2012 festival. Kerry Lynne Ogden, 23, Michael Molloy, 18, both from Liverpool and driver Colin Daulby, 63, of Merseyside, died when the coach hit a tree. Fifty people were also hurt in the crash in Surrey on 10 September. Bestival organiser and Radio 1 DJ, Rob da Bank, says the team were "devastated" by what happened. The charity event, called Bestival Benefit, will be held in Liverpool, the hometown of the two young people who died. It will take place on Saturday 30 March and will also feature the Cuban Brothers.
POSTED: 01/01/13 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

The organisers of Sonisphere say the rock festival has been cancelled for 2013. The event, which was due to take place at Knebworth Park, was only confirmed a few weeks ago. Organisers say they were unable to secure a strong enough line-up of artists, and will now take a year off. "We made offers to over a dozen major artists but for various reasons none of these offers lead to securing a strong bill," they said. The festival was also cancelled in 2012, which Stuart Galbraith, CEO of Kilimanjaro Live said was a "hiccup".
POSTED: 21/12/12 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

The renowned Womad festival will continue after agreements were made over policing concerns. Following a hearing, Wiltshire Police said it was content that conditions had been set which would "provide a safe event for people to enjoy" in 2013. Earlier this year the force had challenged the licence that allows the annual festival to be staged on the Charlton Park Estate near Malmesbury.
POSTED: 16/12/12 - Source: BBC News Online

Eminem will headline Reading and Leeds in 2013, his only UK festival appearances of next year. The rapper is the first main stage headliner to be confirmed for the event, which takes place between Friday 23 and Sunday 25 August. Last month Alt-J, Sub Focus and Deftones were among the first artists announced to play the festivals.
POSTED: 10/12/12 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Fleetwood Mac look nailed on for a Glastonbury headline appearance next June. The reunited band have announced a US tour which ends two weeks before the Somerset festival. Iconic frontwoman Stevie Nicks said: “If everything goes well we’ll be in Europe doing festivals this summer, then we’ll actually tour Europe.” The band have vowed to play all their classics at the gigs.
POSTED: 05/12/12 - Source: thesun.co.uk

Bestival has been named the best major festival of 2012 at the ninth annual UK Festival awards. Founded by DJ Rob da Bank and his wife Josie, Bestival won the same accolade in 2010 but lost out to Glastonbury last year.
POSTED: 04/12/12 - Source: guardian.co.uk

Rihanna and Mumford & Sons have been announced as headliners for next year's T in the Park festival. The event, Scotland's biggest festival, is celebrating its 20th year in 2013 and will see singer Rihanna make her debut at Balado Park in Kinross-shire. Other artists on the line-up already are Mercury Prize winners Alt-J and Nottingham singer/songwriter Jake Bugg. Paloma Faith and Icelandic group Of Monsters And Men have also been announced.
POSTED: 04/12/12 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

The organisers of Sonisphere say the rock festival will be back in 2013. The event, which was due to take place at Knebworth Park, Stevenage in July, was called off in March. Stuart Galbraith, CEO of Kilimanjaro Live, said: "We're working on a bill now, hopefully to announce before Christmas. Cancelling it last year was a hiccup." Speaking at the UK Festival Conference, Galbraith admitted that they spent too long working on the bill for 2012.
POSTED: 04/12/12 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Alt-J, Sub Focus and Deftones are among the first acts to be confirmed for next year's Reading and Leeds festivals. The event, which takes place between Friday 23 and Sunday 25 August, will see the addition of two new stages to the weekender. There will be a BBC Radio 1 dance stage and the BBC Radio 1Xtra stage, headlined by London grime collective Boy Better Know. Weekend tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 30 November.
POSTED: 29/11/12 - Source: BBC Newsbeat

Manchester rock band The Stone Roses are to headline next year's Isle Of Wight Festival. Organisers say the band's performance on Friday 14 June will be their only UK festival appearance in 2013. The group, whose hits include Fools Gold and She Bangs The Drum, formed in 1983 and recorded just two albums before breaking up in 1996. Rock band Bon Jovi will close the festival with a headline slot on Sunday night.
POSTED: 27/11/12 - Source: BBC News Online

Reading and Leeds festivals are set to add three new stages to their events in 2013 to cater for more dance music at new year's festivals. Melvin Benn, the organiser of the festivals, has spoken about plans to add more music to the events and increase the entertainment - although there are no plans to increase the crowd capacity.
POSTED: 01/11/12 - Source: gigwise.com

Festival Listing 2013

Festival Highlights 2013