No Glastonbury? No problem: This is 2026’s best festival line-up

2026 is a fallow year for festival juggernaut Glastonbury, leaving a gaping hole not just in UK music lover’s calendars, but also in the European tour dates for some of the world’s biggest acts. It makes for a particularly interesting festival season, as giant bands and artists spread themselves out over events they might not otherwise reach.

This year’s clear winner? Mad Cool 2026 festival in Madrid.

Taking place from July 8th to 11th at the Iberdrola Music space in the Villaverde district, the 2026 line-up is a wild list of big names and diversity.

Just look at the headliners. Rock purists can look forward to a rare Spanish appearance by the Foo Fighters as part of their "Take Cover" tour alongside a grand finale performance by the legendary Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. For those seeking indie-sleaze nostalgia or art-pop brilliance, Pulp, Wolf Alice, and Florence + The Machine will make sure the stages will be filled with theatrical sing-a-long energy.

If you’re looking for an equivalent to a ‘Legends’ slot, you’ve got not one but two acts to comfortably fit the bill in David Byrne and Pixies.

There’s a strong showing for global pop and contemporary stars too. You’ve got Jennie (making waves with her solo debut away from Blackpink), Halsey, Lorde (performing tracks from her highly rated fourth album, Virgin) and the soulful rise of Teddy Swims.

The headliners of tomorrow are represented by The Last Dinner Party and CMAT. And that’s before showing off your cool cred by nodding along to cult stars like Jehnny Beth, Nina Kraviz and Sigrid.

Just look at the poster — we’ve skipped household names like Moby, Kasabian, Kings of Leon and loads more:

Now in its tenth year, Mad Cool this year is promising on-the-ground comfort improvements. The city-based festival will dial back the number of stages to avoid clashes, and will be reducing the capacity to keep amenities and crowds from boiling over — wise, given it’s during the height of the Spanish summer. It’s a festival that caters well to oversees fans, with ticket packages including accommodation available through its website to take some of the headache out of planning a trip.

As our Big London Gig List shows, there’s loads of great stuff happening on home turf this summer too. But if you’re itching for that big festival buzz — and some guaranteed sunshine — Mad Cool might be the ticket to grab.

• The BIG London gig list 2026: Your guide to this year's very best shows, festivals and concerts

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