ICYMI - UK festival news, March 2025

It's been a busy couple of weeks for the UK festival scene, with plenty of events announcing everything from new artists to the all-important day splits. With the amount of incredible festivals in the UK we couldn't possibly provide updates on all of them (though we do plan on highlighting some smaller festivals that deserve attention soon), so here's just a few newsworthy tidbits on some of our favourite larger festivals in case you missed anything!

Reading & Leeds Festival

Reading and Leeds Festival dropped a surprise line-up update last week adding 28 fantastic acts to the already strong roster. The most immediately noticeable and heavy-hitting additions include nu-metal legends Limp Bizkit and British hip-hop superstars D-Block Europe, both of which will undoubtedly be the final push some people needed to grab their tickets.

Of course there's also some exciting newer talent that you can't afford to miss, such as The Royston Club, Good Neighbours, and one of our personal favourites Mouth Culture. This is certainly shaping up to be a huge year for one of the UK's most famous festivals!

Download Festival

The 2025 edition of the UK's largest Rock festival finally saw the release of the long-awaited day splits, and they've given those looking to go for a day ticket a very difficult choice. Friday seems to be the day for pop punk lovers, with Green Day, Weezer, and Jimmy Eat World leading the charge, but artists like Rise Against, Boston Manor, SiM, and of course McFly all have their own draw power.

Saturday is no doubt going to be a popular one thanks to Sleep Token likely debuting their new album like for the first time, not to mention Shinedown, Poppy, Dayseeker, and Cradle of Filth rounding out a massive day. Saturday comes across as the day for the nu-metal crowd and those who want more of the heaviest acts, featuring Korn, Bullet For My Valentine, and Spiritbox on the main stage while artists like Lorna Shore, Municipal Waste, Sikth, and Cattle Decapitation causing havoc on the other stages to name a few. Good luck to those trying to pick just one day to attend!

Slam Dunk Festival

The UK's premier pop punk festival, Slam Dunk recently released their stage-split times to help attendees plan out their day a couple of months in advance - a much needed piece of information considering the stacked line-up that this year's instalment has. No doubt many will be pleased to see no clash between A Day To Remember and Neck Deep, with the metalcore group only clashing with fellow headliner Alkaline Trio (though there's still time to catch half an hour of ADTR's set after they finish!).

The alternating acts on The Key Club stage between the North and South also give those with a ticket for the full weekend the opportunity to catch each and every one of these fantastic future stars, so there's no excuse to miss them!

Bloodstock Winter Gathering

Next up we have potentially one of the most surprising announcements of all - Bloodstock's new winter excursion in the form of Bloodstock Winter Gathering. Exchanging the "Open Air" portion of the parent festival's name for KK's Steel Mill, this new addition to Bloodstock is an exciting one indeed. The first instalment of the one day festival is headlined by doom metal icons Candlemass, along with talent including Venom Inc, Raised By Owls, and Thuum.

With more to be announced, we can't wait to see what's in store for this special winter warmer, and we hope it's going to be a staple for years to come.

RADAR Festival

The most recent update on the list, Manchester's own RADAR festival announced today a slew of new acts for the lineup, including headliner Bob Vylan alongside other favourites like Vukovi, Dream State, and Artio. RADAR is a festival that has been going from strength to strength, growing in scope each and every year - and the fifth instalment looks to continue that trend without a problem. If you haven't been down to RADAR before, this may be the year to do so!