Cooking shows are to foodies what music festivals are to music lovers. Luckily, there are dedicated cooking networks on television and music festivals in different countries across the world. While Coachella gets most of the attention in the United States, the United Kingdom is known for hosting several musical festivals that cover a wide variety of genres. Music festivals are a great way to bring together friends and family, and they are an unforgettable experience. Below is a list of the most iconic music festivals in the United Kingdom.
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury, a five-day music festival that has been held in Somerset since the 1970s, is a significant event in British culture. The counterculture and hippie movements inspired the festival. Since its birth, Glastonbury has had incredible and diverse headliners, from David Bowie in 1971, Oasis in 1995, and most recently, Stormzy in 2019.
Reading and Leeds Festival
The Reading Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in the world. It takes place simultaneously with the Leeds music festival, held in Bramham Park, over the August bank holiday. Over the years, Reading has had many different musical phases, including metal, rock, and punk. Some of the biggest headliners from these genres include Nirvana (1992), Oasis (2000), and the Arctic Monkeys (2009). However, in recent years, the music festival has shifted to having hip-hop artists in its lineups, such as Post Malone.
Green Man
An independent music and arts festival held in August in Wales, the Green Man Festival is a four-day event with 25,000 capacity. Green Man showcases live music from several genres, such as folk, dance, indie, Americana, and alternative. As is the case with many music festivals in the UK, Green Man does not shy away from bringing out the big guns when it comes to its headliners. In 2018, folk band the Fleet Foxes were headliners, and in 2019, avant-pop band Stereolab.
How Have Music Festivals Evolved?
Over the years, music festivals have evolved to attract more attendees. Many now offer new forms of entertainment in addition to music, including comedy shows and dance tents. Festivals have also begun to include different types of music to accommodate modern music tastes. In particular, dance and electronic music have dominated the music festival in past years. The United Kingdom saw this transition when Disclosure, an English electronic music duo, co-headlined the 2016 Reading Festival.
By featuring more EDM artists, music festivals are staying mainstream. EDM is very popular and can be found in all kinds of entertainment today, from movie soundtracks, video games, and online casino slots. Soundtracks for movies like Suicide Squad (2016) featured EDM artists such as Skrillex, while Will Smith’s 2017 film Bright featured Marshmello and Grey.
Video games like Cyberpunk also feature EDM music, as do online casino slot games like Dance Party on Bingo UK. The latter utilizes EDM tracks and a neon-electro theme to create a pocket-sized electronic universe, which goes hand-in-hand with the natural high-tension excitement associated with these titles.
Conclusion
The United Kingdom has something for everyone. Outdoor adventurers can play golf on the coastline in Scotland. Foodies can eat at The Narrow, Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Limehouse, and punters can access online casino platforms to play Blackjack or slots. For music lovers, there are dozens of music festivals to choose from in the country.
