One of the biggest UK festivals, Reading and Leeds (hosted at Reading's Richfield Avenue and Leeds' Bramham Park), dropped its much-anticipated 2026 lineup last week. This included six huge headliners representing some of the most exciting artists at the moment, across multiple genres, with the rest of the lineup promising an equally exciting few days of music next summer. 

The first featured on the announcement poster is British dance-pop icon Charli XCX. Following the success of her latest album ‘Brat’, Charli has played many festival lineups in the last few years, delivering energetic, captivating performances that make her an exciting announcement for a Reading and Leeds headliner. Her latest project, the release of the track ‘Chains of Love’ for the upcoming Wuthering Heights release, marks a new artistic direction for Charli XCX.  Drum and bass duo Chase & Status are returning to play Reading and Leeds, bringing high-energy beats to another festival after their busy summer, including playing at All Points East in 2025. 

For those who love a record that provides deep narratives and commentaries, rapper DAVE is a perfect addition. Known for his honest and captivating lyrism delivered through grime and hip hop beats with soulful influences, his latest album ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp’is set for a 2026 tour ahead of the festival. After the exciting release of ‘Everybody Scream’ this Halloween and an upcoming global tour, Florence and the Machine will bring this latest project to Reading and Leeds 2026. ‘Everybody Scream’ has the distinctive gothic indie pop sound of the band, with space for Florence Welch’s vocals to shine and delve into personal and emotional themes throughout the record. 

The fifth headliners are Irish indie rock band, Fontaines D.C.. The band's 2024 record ‘Romance’ and the 2025 deluxe release, producing hits including ‘Starburster’ and ‘Favourite’, have only increased the excitement for Fontaines D.C. as rising stars. Concluding the headlining acts is Raye, who in 2026 is embarking on her global tour, following the viral summer hit  ‘Where Is My Husband!’. The singer, who combines her sound across R&B, jazz and pop genres, has seen continued growth in her career, following her historic win at the Brit Awards in 2023. Seeing her hold a headline spot at Reading and Leeds marks another key milestone for Raye.

Historically, Reading and Leeds headliner spots have been dominated by male artists, echoing the pattern of festival lineups as a whole, with a study from the top UK festivals showing that in 2022, festival lineups, 74.5% were either an all-male band or solo artist. In 2021, there were six headliner spots, with a similar structure to the 2026 lineup, with all six of these spots being held by male artists: Liam Gallagher, Stormzy, Post Malone, Disclosure, Biffy Clyro, and Catfish and the Bottlemen. The following year, however, did include Megan Thee Stallion and Halsey, a small shift from the year before. 

The last three years have seen a line-up dominated by male artists, with one female artist playing a headline slot; Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey or Chappell Roan. 2026 marks a positive progress for the festival, with a 50/50 split of men and women.  The 2026 edition of Reading and Leeds will also exclusively feature artists from the United Kingdom and Ireland for the first time.  The Thursday evening of the Festival, for eager music-goers, will see English rock band Kasabian claiming the top of the bill, continuing their summer of performances following their recently announced Finsbury Park performance in July. Other acts announced for Reading and Leeds 2026 include Skepta, Sombr, Role Model, JADE, Kneecap, Geese, Skye Newman, Kettama, Chris Stussy, KEO and ADELA, highlighting some exciting new names in the industry and those who dominated the sound of 2025.