The Dazed guide to music festivals in 2025

It’s that time of year when all the festivals start dropping their lineups and it’s giving me mixed feelings. First off, it’s hard to imagine cracking out the cans when all I can think about is when my housemates will let me turn the heating on. But, more importantly, in an age where every festival seems to have a drink sponsor duct-taped onto the flyer, and ticket prices climb higher and higher each year, are festivals really the idyllic summer escape they used to be?

Last year, over 50 UK festivals closed their (semi-scalable) doors and, while it’s easy to view this as part of wider degradation in the nightlife industry, there seems to be a few other factors at play here. Music journalist Tom Lea of No Tags podcast points to how UK festivals have fallen “foul of their own strategies of driving up artist fees to price out the competition” over the last decade, which has “started to price out their own ticket buyers, too”. This trend exists alongside a general corporatisation of the festival landscape: a hyper-reliance on big name headliners, seemingly inescapable drink sponsors and brand activations, and the increasing conglomeration of events under fewer and fewer companies. 

Live Nation – along with its subsidiaries Festival Republic and Ticketmaster – are perhaps the biggest example of this, having last year achieved the remarkable feat of being sued by the US Department of Justice for monopolising the live events industry. They manage hundreds of artists, control an estimated 80 per cent of live ticket sales in the US, and even own dozens of festivals here in the UK – including Reading, Download, Isle of Wight and BST Hyde Park (sorry, American Express presents BST Hyde Park). With the same company not only dominating events, but also the entire pipeline from artist releases to lineup planning, it’s easy to see how this has led to the homogenisation of the once starkly anti-corporate festival landscape. 

That’s not to say that brand sponsors are inherently evil – they’re pretty inescapable at this (late capitalist) stage – or that any of the above should be boycotted. However, the trend highlights how the traditional festival format of curating bespoke, immersive live music experiences is increasingly under threat. So, in this spirit, we highlight ten festivals, both in the UK and abroad, that are resisting homogenisation and pass the age-old test: can I get trench foot and still have a good time? 

Winning the award for both the ‘best kept secret’ on the UK festival circuit and hardest to spell, three-night, Norfolk-based celebration Field Maneuvers has built a community around its close-knit community and ‘no frills’ approach.

“Field Maneuvers was never meant to be a festival. It started as a no-frills rave that’s taken on a life of its own. Expect excellent music, sound systems and the most open, friendly and up-for-it crowd. Don’t expect the bells and whistles that you might find at other festivals – this is a rave, first and foremost. But if you do want frills, we have a pub with a dart board, fruities and draft beer.

“Our scene has been taken over by huge promoters who own the majority of events, each more homogenised than the last in order to have the broadest possible appeal. We’re not full-time promoters. We don’t do this to make money. We do this because we want to put on a good party. A DIY party that celebrates rave culture for its own sake. The broader climate outside of the festival world right now seems to be one of division, so getting together, even if only for a weekend, with people who want to treat each other with love and respect, seems more valuable than ever.”

From the team behind the Norwich-based multi-venue festival Wild Paths, Wild Fields is a “new socially-conscious” two-day festival showcasing music from across the genre spectrum and pairing it with regional food offerings, live street art, talks and workshops.

“The festival scene is becoming a little ‘paint by numbers’ – homogenised experiences with copycat line-ups and the same small pool of headliners. We really wanted to do something different with Wild Fields and bring an eclectic and unique line-up of progressive new acts, but more than that we wanted to have a ‘positive social impact’ – engaging with our audiences and the local community and inviting some amazing charity partners, academics and climate activists along too.”

Body Movements is a one-day radical queer gathering in Southwark Park, London, aiming to create a space where queer party-goers aren’t just “accepted but celebrated”. 

“Expect a multi-genre music experience surrounded by one of the most loving and open crowds you’ll ever find in London. Body Movements Festival matters because right now, being queer or trans feels more dangerous than it has in decades. This is a space where identity exploration isn’t just welcomed, it’s celebrated. Come as you are, discover who you want to be, and leave with new music and new connections.”

We Out Here is a four-day Dorset festival celebrating genre pioneers, alongside the best in emerging talent across the realms of soul, hip hop, house, techno electronica, jazz and global music. Curated by BBC Radio 6’s Gilles Peterson, the festival also platforms a wider programme of talks, wellness and other cultural activities.

“We Out Here line line-ups are a love letter to great music and great musical scenes, programmed with passion. Pockets of music lovers from all over the UK gather together for four days to celebrate things they hold dear. The programme is carefully curated to celebrate left-field culture across 15 unique stages over the weekend – from the large open-air forest dance floors to small and intimate homemade sound systems; there’s truly something for everyone.”

Madruga is a music festival-meets-mansion party. Set in the grounds of a 19th-century manor house, in the black mountains of Herefordshire, it is an intimate weekend that brings some of the most in-demand names in the underground house and techno. 

“As anyone in the industry knows, currently, being a grassroots promoter is nigh-on impossible with rising costs at every angle and the financial risk in starting new ventures. We’ve built Madruga as a group of mates driven by our love for the tunes and as a way to bring our community together annually for a big party. As major corporations dominate more and more of the festival scene in the UK and globally, it’s imperative that independents keep striving to exist in order to maintain authenticity in events and the integrity of UK dance music. ”

GALA is an independent dance music festival that takes place in south London’s Peckham Rye Park, across three days and six stages.

“We give GALA the most amount of thought, love and care we have to offer. We want to create an open environment where people can be themselves totally and disconnect from their day-to-day. 

“With a calendar dominated by talent-led, gig-style festivals, I think it’s fair to say GALA stands in the minority as being audience-first and community-driven. How important that is depends on one’s values, but for those seeking high-quality dance music in a more considered and inclusive space, as well as those turned off by massive VIP zones and countless brand activations, I hope we’re noticed.”

Love International is an Adriatic music adventure in Tisno, Croatia, featuring beach-side dancing, boat parties, late-night discos leading into sunrise sessions, and the iconic open-air club, Barbarella’s.  

“What makes Love International so special is the festival feels like a secret journey. With deep roots in Croatia’s music festival scene, Love International evolved from The Garden Festival which took place from 2006 until 2011 in Petrcane, and then in Tisno until 2015. The Garden became Love International in 2016, with this year’s anniversary program paying homage to two decades of unforgettable friendships, music, and memories. It’s 10th anniversary line-up, running this year, includes returning stars Ben UFO, Bonobo, Floating Points and Horse Meat Disco.”

Nyege Nyege is a collective, label and art residency space that once a year transforms into a gathering of over 400 East African, African and international artists. The event showcases music, fashion, film and art on the banks of the River Nile in Jinja, Uganda.

“Nyege Nyege is a modern-day reinterpretation of an ancient gathering that happened at the source of the Nile, where different groups would come, exchange and celebrate. Musically, the spectrum is very large, from the dark and experimental, to electronic, pop, traditional and everything in between. This year, we celebrate our tenth anniversary!

“I think we really need to preserve spaces that aren’t driven by money, that don’t follow the industry dictates. This festival isn’t an end for us, it allows artists to shine, communities to thrive and often singular voices to exist in the public space. Nyege Nyege is part of a wide ecosystem that tries to resist the assault on independent and alternative music. In a humble way, it’s one form of collective resistance against cultural hegemony.”

Unsound is a shape-shifting festival and platform for contemporary music and related visual art. Originally founded in Kraków, Poland, Unsound has established regular editions in New York, Adelaide and London, with upcoming editions in Osaka and Brussels. 

“We like to say that attendees should expect the unexpected – from newly commissioned works to artists making their European – or large stage debuts. The audience expects Unsound to be a place of discovery, and so the program showcases yet-to-be-named genres and geographically diverse voices. Attendees can immerse themselves in an intense 24/7 experience, from sunrise shows and discussions on the current state of the world and music industry to concerts from legendary and rising names – all culminating in ecstatic dance nights going until the early morning.”

Amsterdam’s Dekmantel festival has a reputation as one of the best electronic music festivals around – and for good reason. With bookings spanning the global range of dance sonics, and stage design equally as eclectic, the Dekmantel team are dedicated celebrating electronic music to its fullest. 

“Dekmantel is dance music at its most adventurous, that’s what it’s about. For those who haven’t attended, our aim is to connect the dots between the past, present and future of electronic music. On the line-up for 2025, which counts more than 150 acts, you’ll find innovators like Four Tet and Richie Hawtin alongside current favourites like JakoJako and Erika de Casier, and exciting acts from Dutch soil like mad miran and upsammy.

“We don’t just book a line-up but try to connect and collaborate with artists close to us in order to create something new. Curation and creation go hand in hand. Through Dekmantel Records and our festival platform, we support artists in developing shows that debut with us before making their way into the world. Yes, Dekmantel Festival is a place to party – but it’s also a space where artists and true music-heads engage with the evolution of electronic music, from its underground roots to its future possibilities.”

(Finally, a special shout out to Glastonbury Festival, which has long refused to engage in bidding wars over headline acts, and is not mentioned here for the same reason that it pays less than other festivals – because it’s Glastonbury).