Castleward Opera
The festival revisits its own 20-year history with a revival of La bohème,
and there’s a new production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera,
set in 1930s Europe. Highlights: Tom Hawkes, staging Ballo. Jun
1-24, Castle Ward, N Ireland (www.castlewardopera.com
028-9263 9545), £40-£55
Homefires IV
Since 2004, this antifestival has been showcasing “the best in leftfield quiet
music” in the meditative surroundings of the Conway Hall in London.
Featuring: Bat for Lashes, Richard Swift, Fionn Regan. Jun 2-3, Conway
Hall, London WC1 (www.eatyourownears.com
020-7242 8032), £22.50
Hampton Court Palace Festival
Wildly popular, and star-studded with classical and crossover stars.
Highlights: Julian Lloyd Webber, José Carreras. Jun 5-23, Hampton
Court Palace, Surrey (www.hamptoncourtfestival.com
0870 8900147), £40-£100
Opera Holland Park
Now with an acoustically enhanced theatre, it’s the country house opera set in
the middle of West London. Highlights: Nabucco, Jenufa, L’amore
dei tre Re. Jun 5-Aug 27, Holland Park, London W11 (www.operahollandpark.com
0845 2306769), prices TBC
Download Festival
This year, Download has gone green, but the lineup again offers a neat balance
of rockers. Featuring: My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, Iron Maiden. Jun
8-10, Donington Park (www.downloadfestival.co.uk),
prices vary
Isle of Wight Festival
The resurgence of this long-dead dinosaur continues, with an appropriately
crinkly headliner. Featuring: the Rolling Stones, Snow Patrol, Muse. Jun
8-10, Newport, Isle of Wight (www.isleofwight
festival.com), prices vary
Wimborne Folk Festival
Based in venues throughout the Dorset town. Featuring: Back of the Moon,
Megson, Swarb’s Lazarus. Jun 8-10, Wimborne, Dorset (www.wimbornefolkfestival.co.uk
01202 623740), prices vary
Aldeburgh Festival
The theme is Venice, for Aldeburgh’s 60th anniversary. Highlights: Yoshi Oida,
Anna Dennis. Jun 8-24, Aldeburgh, Suffolk (www.aldeburgh.co.uk
01728 687110), £8-£55
Garsington Opera
One of the highlights of this year’s season at Garsington will be Richard
Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. Another will undoubtedly be having
a picnic in the extensive gardens. Highlights: Ariadne, Il re
pastore. Jun 9-Jul 9, Garsington, Oxford (www.garsingtonopera.org
01865 361636), prices TBC
Freedom Rocks
Mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade at a weekender
whose proceeds will go towards abolishing modern-day slavery. Featuring:
Keane, Groove Armada. Jun 9-10, East Park, Hull (www.freedomrocks
festival.com), prices vary
Rock Ness
Owing to its popularity last year, this lochside bash has increased its
capacity to 35,000, with 60 main acts across five stages. Featuring: the
Chemical Brothers, Manic Street Preachers, the Charlatans. Jun 9-10, Loch
Ness, Inverness (www.rockness.co.uk),
prices vary
Xuberance Extreme Sports and Music Festival
A new event showcasing music alongside demonstrations of BMX, skateboarding,
mountain biking, and freestyle motocross. Featuring: TBC. Jun 9-10, Royal
International Pavillion, Llangollen (www.xuberanceweekend.co.uk
0870 2324256), £25-40
Chelsea Festival
With the elegant Cadogan Hall at its disposal, there is a broad and impressive
lineup. Highlights: Vikram Seth, Sir Andrew Davis. Jun 14-24, Chelsea,
London SW3 (www.chelseafestival.org.uk
020-7351 1005), prices TBC
O2 Wireless Festival
One of the latest additions to the two-site festival, Wireless has a blue
riband bill for both its London and Leeds events. Featuring: Kaiser Chiefs,
White Stripes, Daft Punk. Jun 14-17, Hyde Park, London W2 / 15-17,
Harewood House, Leeds (www.
wirelessfestival.co.uk), £40-£135
Big Session Festival
A second big Leicester fest to go with August’s Summer Sundae Weekender. Here,
the focus shifts to folk. Featuring: Oysterband, Alabama 3 and Kris Drever. Jun
15-17, De Montfort Hall, Leicester (www.bigsession
festival.com 0116-233 3111), £60
Oceanfest
Surfing, beach volleyball, paddle races and an “aquathon”, plus conservation
events and music. Featuring: TBC. Jun 15-17, Croyde Bay, North Devon (www.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk
01271 817000), £18-£45
Escape Into the Park
Another enormous sweaty dance-fest from Godskitchen. Featuring: Eric Morillo,
Fedde Le Grande, Lisa Lashes. Jun 16, Singleton Park, Swansea (www.escapefestival.com),
£34.50
Africa Oye Festival
One of the largest showcases of African music in Britain. Featuring: Colombian
salsa band, the Gladiators, the Ghana Allstars. Jun 16-18, Sefton Park,
Liverpool (www.africaoye.com
0151-708 6305), prices TBC
St Magnus Festival
This year the festival is running a composer’s course. Highlights: Viktoria
Mullova, Lisa Milne. Jun 22-27, Orkney, Scotland (www.stmagnus
festival.com 01856 871445), free£15
Glastonbury
If you’ve got a ticket, then bully for you. If you haven’t, glance down the
page – Pilton doesn’t have the monopoly on fun. Featuring: the Killers,
Arctic Monkeys, The Who. Jun 22-24, Glastonbury, Somerset (www.glastonburyfestival.co.uk),
sold out
Knowsley Hall Music Festival
A two-day rock festival from the people behind Creamfields, who have evidently
twigged that people like guitars again. Featuring: The Who, Keane, the
Coral. Jun 23-24, Knowsley Hall, Liverpool (www.knowsleyhallmusicfestival.co.uk
0151-707 1309), prices vary
Hyde Park Calling
A rare festival appearance from Peter Gabriel, who is joined by a bevy of
anthemic crowd-pleasers. Featuring: Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, Crowded House,
the Feeling. Jun 23-24, Hyde Park, London W2 (www.hydeparkcalling.co.uk
festivals@livenation.co.uk), £45-£80
The Outsider
Set deep in the Cairngorms National Park, this is that rare thing – a healthy
festival – with mountain biking, gorge walking, rafting, canoeing and
astronomy – plus the odd bit of music. Featuring: KT Tunstall, Idlewild,
Guillemots. Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland (www.outsiderfestival.co.uk),
£20-£65
City of London Festival
A long-running event in the classical calendar, taking advantage of some of
the Square Mile’s most beautiful venues. Highlights: Steven Osbourne, Nash
Ensemble. Jun 25-Jul 12, London E1 (www.colf.org
0845 1207502), £10-£30
East Neuk Festival
The exceptional pianist Christian Zacharias returns to the festival that he
inaugurated. Highlights: Alexander Janiczek, Janos Lang. Jun 27-Jul 1.
East Neuk, Fife (www.eastneukfestival.com
01334 475000), £10-£25
Manchester International Festival
Britain’s newest festival is dedicated to promoting new music and arts.
Highlights: Mikhail Rudy, Smokey Robinson. Jun 28-Jul 15, Manchester (www.manchesterinternationalfestival.com
0161-238 7300), £10-£45
The Tower Music Festival
The Tower of London is transformed into a “musical haven” for a series of
individual concerts. Featuring: Gypsy Kings, Elvis Costello, Seal, Bryn
Terfel. Jun 28-Jul 14, Tower of London, London EC3 (www.towermusicfestival.co.uk
0870 169687), prices vary
Wild in the Country
Renaissance, throwers of opulent clubbing extravaganzas for15 years, mark
their birthday with a homecoming for Sasha and Digweed, the two DJs who made
them famous. Featuring: Sasha, John Digweed, Justice. Jun 30, Knebworth
House, Herts (www.wildinthecountry.co.uk
0115-910 1111), £35
Wildchild
Monster dance music all-day session. Highlights: Hed Kandi, Secretsundaze,
Chew the Fat, Ministry of Sound, Extreme Euphoria and Sundissential, Pushca. June
30, Shoreditch Park, London (www.wildchild.tv)
£25
