The first wave of artists performing at Leeds Festival 2026 has been announced - including six huge headliners.
The beloved festival has confirmed that Fontaines D.C., Florence and the Machine, Charli xcx, Raye, Dave, and Chase & Status will all be performing in the fields of Bramham Park.
And for Leeds Festival 2026 for the first time there'll be a Thursday night headliner too, with Kasabian kicking off the massive music event.
Rumours of the headliners for Pepsi MAX presents Reading & Leeds Festival had gone into overdrive over the weekend, after Fontaines D.C., Florence, and Chase & Status all appeared to announce their own headline slots in teaser videos.
And today it's been announced that they will be among the six headliners performing next August, along with major acts like Skepta, Sombr, Role Model, Kneecap, Josh Baker, Kettama, Geese, Skye Newman, Adéla and Keo.
Fontaines D.C. have become one of the hottest live bands in the world since their inception, headlining a major world tour that included massive outdoor summer shows across the UK last summer.
Their debut performances at Reading and Leeds Festival will be their only festival shows of 2026.
Beloved indie pop artist and possessor of one of the world's greatest voices, Florence and the Machine, will also keep Leeds Festival as her only UK festival performance of 2026, having last performed on this hallowed stage back in 2012.
Florence + The Machine. Credit: Autumn de WildeFontaines D.C. Credit: @ifucktokyoChase & Status will perform at Leeds Festival 2026. Credit: SuppliedDave is also making Leeds Festival a UK festival exclusive. Credit: SuppliedCharli xcx. Credit: Harley WeirRaye will perform at Leeds Festival 2026. Credit: Supplied
Joining them will be Charli xcx, who shut down festivals across the planet in 2025 with her electric live shows and will be ushering in a new era post-BRAT summer.
Chase & Status will not only be making Leeds Festival a festival exclusive, but their only live show of 2026, bringing their powerhouse electronic music to Bramham Park.
Dave has been announced as another headliner, hot off the back of the release of his number one album The Boy Who Played the Harp.
And completing the whopping line-up of six headliners is Raye, who boasts eight top 20 UK singles, five billion global Spotify streams, and holds the record for the most Brit awards won in a single night.
Speaking during her first appearance at Reading Festival in 2024, RAYE said: “You know what listen guys, I’ve done it, I came to Reading & Leeds when I was 16 when I finished my GCSE’s, I was in the dance tent living my life…you know what I mean. I had a dream, and look at me now, it’s all possible."
Leeds Festival general sale tickets will go live at 12pm on Wednesday 3 December HERE.
There'll be a 48 hour PayPal presale which is already live, and a 24 hour festival presale starting at 9am on Tuesday 2 December (sign up for access HERE).
The famous Day Fever is back and this time it’s set to be bigger and better than ever before.
If you haven’t heard of Day Fever before, then we are about to blow your mind.
Launched in early 2024 by actress Vicky McClure and frontman of Reverend & The Makers Jon McClure, Day Fever has become somewhat of a cultural sensation.
From its debut her in Sheffield to a tour that sees thousands of ravers hitting the dance floor each month, the message is clear: people want to dance and let loose, but still be in bed before 9pm. And to be honest, we don’t blame them.
Image: Supplied
Running from 3pm to 8pm, Day Fever provides a proper night out that doesn’t completely write you off for the entire weekend.
Heading to Sheffield City Hall on Saturday 6th June, this edition of Day Fever will be filled with nothing but wall-to-wall hits courtesy of DJs Stars & Stace, Olly Hayes and Christian Carlisle.
"If you look back at the first Sheffield one to what we are now, the evolution of it is amazing," says Vicky McClure. "It was still the same people that wanted the same thing; they just wanted to go out in the day… and just have a dance!"
Think less nightclub, more joyful chaos. “It feels like a massive house party at your nan’s,” Vicky laughs. “No drama, no egos, just people acting daft, getting dressed up, and having the best time."
Image: Supplied
"It’s stories that we hear that really sum up what it's about," says Vicky McClure. "We’ve had people going through chemotherapy… people grieving… and all of a sudden you just feel this room filled with love."
Inside Pardon Me – Leeds’ newest neighbourhood record bar inspired by Japan
Clementine Hall
Farsley is now home to an ultra-cool record bar with coffee, cocktails and an unbeatable sound system.
Tucked away in the beautiful Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is a record bar built around 'music, atmosphere, and detail'.
It's been launched by Scott Rapson, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with music around the time of the arrival of hip hop in the early 80s.
He then spent time travelling for raves, and visiting venues like Glasgow’s Sub Club and London’s Plastic People, giving Scott an appreciation for how 'music can shape a room, not just fill it'.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Scott and his partner Laurie have then spent the past three years travelling, visiting listening bars across Europe to shape the foundations of Pardon Me.
Listening bars, also known as hi-fi bars, originated in 1920s Japan - and you can really see the Japanese influence within the space and it's super cool interiors.
Images: The Hoot Leeeds
Bartenders here create a small but perfectly formed menu of cocktails and pour natural wines from Wayward Wines in front of a wall of vinyl, while a collection of Scott's records play as a soundtrack to your evening.
The sound system Scott claims is one of the "best in the North East", which he says has a "real sense of depth and balance to it" with a "coverage that stays incredibly consistent across the room".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Whether it's for coffee during the day, or drinks into the evening, they want Pardon Me to be a place to spend time, looking out across Sunny Bank Mills.
Pardon Me is open Thursday - Sunday, and you can find out more about this wonderful new opening here.
Daisy Jackson -
1st December 2025 
