Reading and Leeds announce six huge headliners for 2026
The renowned festival has revealed its first names for next August.
Photo: Luke Dyson
After their 2025 edition saw the likes of Hozier, Travis Scott, Chappell Roan and Bring Me The Horizon bring their A-game, Reading and Leeds had a lot of expectations to live up to for the following year.
Today, they’ve announced six huge headliners that are guaranteed to leave music fans and festival-goers excited: Charli xcx, Dave, RAYE, Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine and Chase and Status. For the first time ever, there’ll be a Thursday main stage headliner at Leeds in the form of Kasabian.
Riding the BRAT summer wave a year and a half since the internet-breaking album came out, 2026 will see Charli xcx take her rightful place as a headliner at Reading and Leeds. Notoriously, the Essex-born star wore a sash that read “Miss Should Be Headliner” at her Coachella after-party earlier this year, prompting responses both good and bad, and a response from Coachella headliners themselves, Green Day. Now, Charli is taking her rightful place as the headliner of arguably the biggest festival in the UK.
As always, Reading and Leeds promises to have something for everyone, so taking the helm of the hip-hop day is Dave, whose recent album The Boy Who Played the Harp saw him enjoy collaborations with James Blake and Tems, as well as receiving rave reviews thanks to his raw lyrics and brazen honesty and reach the number one spot on the charts.
It’s hard to believe that R&B artist RAYE was once signed to a major label that wouldn’t let her release her debut album, therefore hindering her career for years and putting her in a stalemate. In 2023, RAYE finally independently released her debut album My 21st Century Blues, which included the smash hit Escapism., a single that went meteoric on social media, as all catchy songs do. Speaking at Reading Festival in 2024, RAYE said: “You know what, listen guys, I’ve done it, I came to Reading & Leeds when I was sixteen when I finished my GCSEs, 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.”
Having enjoyed a similarly neon green-centred album campaign, Fontaines D.C. have only been on the rise since the release of their debut album Dogrel in 2019 saw them captivate the hearts of many fans all over the world, breaking them out of the Irish music scene and becoming a BIMM success story. Fourth album Romance shot the band to a new level of notoriety, trading their familiar sound for something far more polished, yet still retaining that punky edge. Considering the two-year gap between Skinty Fia and Romance, the post-punk band’s fifth album could be around the corner. Reading & Leeds will be their only UK festival shows.
Florence Welch, better known as Florence + The Machine, now has her sixth album, Everybody Scream, under her belt and, after almost 20 years of being active in the music industry, the Londoner shows no signs of slowing down. She will return to the festival for the first time in fourteen years, and it’ll be her only UK festival appearance.
Drum and bass duo Chase & Status have enjoyed a long career soundtracking the lives of clubgoers and the British public, finding themselves collaborating with the likes of Kano, Plan B, Tinie Tempah and SOFT PLAY. 2024 saw them drop Stormzy feature BACKBONE, one of many singles released since their last album, 2 RUFF, Vol. 1, back in 2023.
Other names joining the six headliners are Skepta, sombr, Role Model, JADE, Josh Baker, Kneecap, Kettama, Chris Stussy (Reading only), Geese, Skye Newman, Adéla and Keo.
The 48-hour PayPal presale starts at 9am on Monday, 1st December. The 24-hour Festival presale starts at 9am on Tuesday, 2nd December. Sign up for access via www.readingfestival.com / www.leedsfestival.com. Tickets go on general sale at 12pm on Wednesday, 3rd December via www.readingfestival.com / www.leedsfestival.com.
