Festivals
in Leicester and Leicestershire in 2016
Music festivals take place all through the year; we will add details below as they become available.
Watch out for our page about festivals next year – coming soon.
Scroll down for links to reports of last year’s events.
Latest updates to this page: 6th August 2016
Leicester is now a destination for music lovers from all over the UK, if not Europe. It’s season of festivals is of national sigfificance.
MIL is pleased to see that its pages are read by an audience from all over the world.
April
Handmade Festival ran from 29th April to 1st May.
Photo by John Helps used with permission.
Playing at the festival will be We Are Scientists. See more about them.
Visit the website for the Handmade Festival.
Our report on the Handmade festival 2016 is now available.
May
Glastonbudget 27th to 29th May
The Glastonbudget 2016 Music Festival line-up is starting to take shape.
27 – 29 May, 2016 Turnpost Farm, Wymeswold, Leicestershire, LE12 6SU
The Glastonbudget 2016 line-up has started to take shape revealing a great schedule. Each year the Midlands based Music Festival features a minimum of 35% in new tribute acts combined with the Glastonbudget festival goers perennial favourites. Add to the mix over 130 original acts from across the UK and beyond and you get the biggest and best tribute music festival in the world!
*** NEW FOR 2016 ***
Fancy Some Red, Red Wine?
Midlands reggae masters, UB40 will be represented by The UB40 Experience regarded as the finest tribute to the kings of reggae.
London Calling!
Are you ready to rock the Casbah with The Clashed, UK’s best tribute act to Punk Rock’s godfathers, The Clash?
What’s Up Buck?
Exclusive to Glastonbudget, Buck Rogers a tribute to Feeder that is guaranteed to get the Big Top bouncing.
Visit the Glastonbudget festival website.
See our report on Glastonbudget 2016.
June
Leicester Riverside Festival
Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 June 2016
Bede Park, Mile Straight, Western Boulevard & Castle Gardens –
Get information about the Riverside Festival.
Read our report on the Riverside festival 2016.
Get ready for Bloodstock
Hell to play UPRISING JUNE 4th
We are pleased to announce Hell as our special guest band ! One of the absolute highlights of Bloodstock Open Air 2013
Sweden Rock Magazine ‘2011 Album Of The Year’
Rock Hard (DE) Magazine ‘2011 Album Of The Year’
Aardschok (NL) Magazine ‘2011 Album Of The Year’
Metal Hammer (UK) Magazine ‘2011 UK Album Of The Year’
Metal Hammer (UK) ‘Golden Gods’ 2011 Nominated
Bloodstock Open Air ‘2011 Best Mainstage Performance’
Bloodstock Open Air ‘2013 Best Mainstage Performance’
Metal Ireland ‘2013 Album Of The Year’
Support for ACCEPT ‘Stalingrad’ 2012 European tour
Support for AMON AMARTH/CARCASS 2013 European tour
Support for KREATOR/ARCH ENEMY 2014 European tour
Support for SAXON 2014 UK tour
Find out about metal in Leicester
Read our article on Uprising metal show at the De Montfort Hall.
Download
10th to 12th June
The Download festival takes place at Donnington Park, the spiritual home of rock festivals.
The line-up is as huge as always and you can see Ramstein, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Korn, Deftones, Nightwish, Killswitch Engage, Megadeath, Disturbed…even Saxon. Among Many others. Well, that should attract a couple of you.
Get the full Download line-up.
Read our last report on Download.
Fake Festival
The UK’s only touring tribute festival is back and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. All the fun takes place in Ashby de la Zouch at Bath Grounds on Saturday 4th June, with three major tribute acts and five local support bands, who will be turning up the heat this summer.
The five lucky local support artists have now been selected to perform at this year’s Ashby de la Zouch Fake Festival on Saturday 4th June, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Fake Festivals. Ultra 90’s, Analogue Haze, W4, Resession and The Four Kicks, have all been hand-picked by Lee Storey and Brad Hines, licensees for Ashby de la Zouch Fake Festival, to perform on the main stage at this year’s event.
Ashby de la Zouch Fake Festival makes a welcome return on the 10th anniversary UK tour, and Lee Storey, licensee for Ashby de la Zouch Fake Festival, is delighted to be bringing the ever-popular festival back to Bath Grounds again this year as part of the celebrations.
“Last year was yet another success for Fake Festivals at Ashby de la Zouch, and the event was once again a sell-out. This year we are back even stronger with another fabulous line-up with something for everyone,” says Lee.
2016 will see world-class tributes to Muse, Kasabian and the Stereophonics hit the stage inside the famous Fake Festivals marquee, along with five lucky local support bands.
See the Fake Festivals website.
Foxton Locks
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June
another stage-load of bands and singers take to the countryside again this year for the annual
find out which bands are playing.
We reported on Foxton Locks festival in our June roundup of live music.
Read our report on Foxton Locks festival 2014.
July
Western Park Festival
Saturday 9th July
Read our report on this year’s festival at Western Park, Leicester.
YEAR 5: for more of the same… Fab Kidszone, performance area, stalls, live music, fairground rides, food and drink, Something or the whole family! Only £1 per adult – Additional donations also welcome 🙂
See our report on last year’s event.
Simon Says… festival
23rd and 24th July at De Montfort Hall and Gardens
First festival headliner announced for Simon Says… 2016
The Wonder Stuff have been announced as the first headline act for Simon Says… 2016.
Following last year’s hugely successful Simon Says… festival, organisers De Montfort Hall, Firebug, The Donkey and The Musician have announced today that The Wonder Stuff will be the Sunday headline act for Simon Says… 2016.
Alternative rockers The Wonder Stuff will be celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2016 and celebrating the music which has seen the midlands band sell millions of albums since the release of The Eight Legged Groove Machine, back in 1988.
The band are probably best known for two of their many hits: Size of a Cow — which reached number five in the UK singles chart; and Dizzy, featuring comedian Vic Reeves, that saw them reach number one.
Now in its fourth year, Simon Says… will continue to deliver its unique and much-loved combination of standout headliners and an unprecedented line up of great local bands.
As well as promising music for almost every taste, Simon Says… features a selection of thirst-quenching bars selling everything from cocktails to real ales and ciders, varied food stalls, and a children’s activity area for younger visitors.
Read our report on the 2016 Simon Says Festival.
Visit the website for Simon Says…
Y Not Festival
29th to 31st July
The Y Not Festival will take place in Derbyshire at Pikehall, DE4 2PH
The final headliner has been announced in the form of indie heroes EDITORS.
Plus joining us on Thursday entry headline duties will be Liverpudlian legends THE CORAL.
Elsewhere across the bill will be NYC superstar KELIS bringing the boys to the yard with her milkshake and formidable back catalogue of stone cold bangers plus; BAND OF SKULLS, FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS, BLOSSOMS, MILKY CHANCE, COASTS, and NECK DEEP.
If that wasn’t enough we also have; BEANS ON TOAST, LUCY ROSE, Joy Division/New Order legend PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT, THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS and LUCY SPRAGGAN
For tickets and a full line-up see the Y Not Festival web site
August
Dancers and music were on hand at Leicester’s Caribbean Carnival on 6th August.
Cosmopolitan festival returns
Music will form part of this year’s Cosmopolitan festival, due to take place in the city centre on Saturday 27th August.
OXJAM
Oxjam is a series of festivals held throughout the UK. Each year, there is an Oxjam in Leicester.
The brochure for this year’s Oxjam Leicester Takeover is out now; copies are avaiable to most live music venues and other outlets.
The festival takes place on Saturday 8th October; advance tickets are £8 and on the day they are £10. A wristband gets you in to all venues.
Participating venues: Exchange Bar, Manhattan 34, Soundhouse, The Shed, Orton Square opn air stage, Midas, Two Queens gallery, The Ale Wagon.
More information is on the Oxjam Leicester Blog.
Get the latest news from the Leicester Oxjam Takeover web page.
Photo: Keith Jobey
Read about last year’s Leicester Oxjam.
See also:
Reports from the festivals held in 2015
This page is edited by Trevor Locke. See his blog for more about music and bands
