2026 festivals line up musical talent from the Muslim world and beyond
Events including Dialled In, Africa Oyé and Womad will feature everything from diaspora dance rhythms to Senegalese folk and experimental jazz
With summer days drawing closer, parks and green spaces across the UK will soon be filled with the sound of bands, DJs and pop stars taking to festival stages. Filling the yawning gap left by Glastonbury, which is taking a sabbatical in 2026, a plethora of weekend events and one-day lineups will be showcasing music from across the globe for families, ravers and everyone in between. From independent boutique weekenders to stages with stunning natural backdrops and sweaty, indoor dancefloors. Here, we’ve picked our way through the hundreds of forthcoming events and come up with a range featuring artists from the Muslim world and beyond.
Dialled In: 30 May, London
Founded in 2021 as a fundraiser for Punjabi farmers hit by extreme flooding, the British South Asian-focused collective Dialled In has grown into a key curator of the country’s finest diaspora talent. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2026, the group is throwing a mammoth day-to-night party across venues in east London. Among the acts to watch out for are British Pakistani DJ and producer Ahadadream, who will be bringing his bass-forward edits of bhangra music to the late-night crowd, as well as live sets from percussion ensemble Dhol Academy and rapper Surya Sen.
Eden Festival: 11-14 June, Scotland
Surely one of the most picturesque musical events of 2026, the not-for-profit, community-organised Eden Festival offers a genre-hopping lineup in the wooded grounds of the Raehills Estate, near the town of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway. Expect intricate finger-picked melodies from Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, roots reggae from Jamaican royalty Julian Marley and hammering drum’n’bass from DJ Hype. For families, there are activities including a kids’ craft tent, all-ages yoga and sound bath experiences.
Africa Oyé: 20-21 June, Liverpool
Billed as the UK’s largest celebration of African culture, this two-day-long, family-friendly festival marks its 34th edition with a stacked lineup of some of the continent’s best-known talent and rising stars. Highlights include headline sets from Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara, performing her only UK summer show at the festival, and Nigerian Afrobeats singer Patoranking. Lower down the bill are the lively female collective Nana Benz du Togo and the fascinating blend of Senegalese folk and highlife provided by the Awale Jant Band.
North Sea Jazz Festival: 10-12 July, Rotterdam
Rotterdam’s North Sea Jazz Festival marks its 50th edition with a typically gargantuan lineup of jazz elders, genre-adjacent stars and upstarts. Housed in the labyrinthine conference centre Rotterdam Ahoy, indoor stages will see the likes of Miles Davis collaborators Charles Lloyd and Marcus Miller pay tribute to the legendary trumpeter on the centenary of his birth, a debut performance by rising British star Emma Rawicz, and global influences from Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour and Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem.
Womad: 23-26 July, Wiltshire
The long-running global music festival took a surprise hiatus in 2025 and now, thankfully, returns to a new site in Wiltshire, near the home of founder Peter Gabriel’s record label Real World. Famed for bringing over acclaimed acts including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for an early UK performance in 1985, the event usually attracts a range of musical talent unlikely to be booked elsewhere across the summer season. This year’s highlights include South Asian classical singer Ganavya, Lebanese experimental artist Yasmine Hamdan and Pakistani benju master Ustad Noor Bakhsh.
We Out Here: 20-23 August, Dorset
BBC DJ and all-round tastemaker Gilles Peterson’s weekend camping festival seems to be getting bigger each year. Now in its seventh edition and recently relocated to the bucolic estate at Wimborne St Giles in Dorset, the 2026 programme is a perfectly balanced blend of late-night acts for dancers and instrumental oddities for aficionados. In the latter category are British woodwind player Shabaka, American jazz saxophonist and former Miles Davis collaborator Gary Bartz and Ethiojazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke in one of his final UK festival performances, while the dancefloor tunes come courtesy of Moroccan producer Guedra Guedra, dub stalwarts Iration Steppas and British selector Alexander Nut.
Shambala: 27-30 August, Northampton
Recently named the UK’s largest independent festival, Shambala is a haven for quirky bookings and new talent. While more established names come courtesy of British-Indian percussionist Sarathy Korwar, Senegalese institution Orchestra Baobab and American multi-instrumentalist Reggie Watts, ones to watch include raucous South African group BCUC, British jazz fusion group Nubiyan Twist and singer-songwriter Joshua Idehen. Shambala also hosts an excellent poetry stage featuring British spoken word acts including Nadeem Din-Gabisi and Sam Browne, as well as panels with guests such as Green Party leader Zack Polanski and activist group Led by Donkeys.
Forwards: 29-30 August, Bristol
Now in its fifth year, the Bristol-based Forwards has already carved out a distinct curatorial niche to rival established London day events such as Field Day and All Points East. Taking place on the Bristol Downs with a view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the distance, this picturesque two-dayer features performances from British Bengali R&B singer Joy Crookes and rapper Little Simz, as well as an exciting programme of orchestral arrangements of Kraftwerk’s music by the British collective of disabled and non-disabled musicians the Paraorchestra.
End of the Road: 3-6 September, Salisbury
A must-attend for indie and guitar band fans everywhere,this boutique favourite caps attendance at just 15,000 people, meaning it’s always easy to make it to the front of the crowd (and to find a clean toilet). Among the top-billed alternative acts are Canadian slacker rock singer Mac DeMarco and Welsh rockers Super Furry Animals, while other highlights include rare festival performances from indie legends Pulp, Urdu vocalist Sheherazaad, Turkish psych quartet Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek and Moroccan-French rock group Bab L’Bluz. A hidden gem of a weekend.
Margins United: 26 September, London
East and south-east Asian curatorial platform and record label Eastern Margins will be returning with the third edition of its flagship day-to-night festival in September. Although the lineup is yet to be announced, revellers in north London’s sprawling Archives venue can expect rooms to be filled with a blend of folk and electronic music, live bands and frenetic DJ sets from across the continent. Previous editions have featured debut UK performances from genre innovators such as Filipino budots producer DJ Love, as well as craft markets and food stalls from local diaspora restaurants.
