The NE Times · Topic

Festivals

Festival season looks different in 2026, and this page follows why. With Worthy Farm taking its fallow year and no Glastonbury, coverage tracks the tiny UK festivals drawing the crowds instead, and The Cure closing a nostalgia-soaked Isle of Wight Festival. Film festivals form the second strand, from Tribeca's 25th-edition winners to Karlovy Vary honouring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jesse Eisenberg, Annecy's animation line-up of Illumination, Pixar and Laika, and the $17m Cannes bidding war that won A24 Jordan Firstman's Club Kid. The iHeartRadio line-up, led by BTS, Cardi B and Muse, completes the calendar.

Crowd enjoying a small independent UK music festival
Entertainment

Tiny UK Festivals Draw the Crowds During Glastonbury's Fallow Year

With the festival giant on a break, grassroots events offering intimacy and eccentric line-ups are winning over fans seeking a less corporate experience.

Sophie Bennett 3 min read