30 August 2026 (gig)
11 h
Festival summer in the UK can only ever be rounded off in one way. The jewel in Festival Republic’s crown, Leeds Festival 2026 was this weekend, and it will go down as one of the most talked-about iterations of the iconic festival ever.
The weekend opened with what would be one of many ‘first-time-ever’s’, with Kasabian being the first Thursday headliner in the history of the festival. The iconic Leicestershire band returned to a headline slot after a 14-year absence and were joined by other impressive indie rockers The Lathum’s and Arkayla. All of which rounded out into a lovely run of music. The tradition looks to be expanding too, as Reading Festival has been granted the extension for next year’s festival.
Thursday was an anomaly however, as the following 3 days saw the festival return to its recent trends of mixing up the headliners. In 2025, the organisers categorised the headliners into genre umbrellas, with Limp Bizkit and Bring Me the Horizon creating an ‘emo’ day, for example. This year, after the drop in weekend campers, Festival Republic decided to revert to the norm, with the big acts playing before/after bands with very different fan bases. This led to the biggest acts playing in front of the biggest crowds, like usual. The issue was, worryingly, large portions of that crowd were just waiting for the next act. This led to the crowd feeling flat for some of the premier attractions, especially Charli XCX, who put on a signature storming show but to a crowd that was just waiting for Fontaines DC to start.
Another key talking point going into this year’s Leeds festival was the re-imagination of the stages. The removal of the BBC Introducing Stage was sure to spark controversy, but I feel The Canopy did an excellent job in replacing such an iconic spot. It platformed exciting young bands like Tooth and Gurriers incredibly, Gurriers especially, who had one of the best crowds I saw all weekend. Sadly, the biggest story coming out of the event has been the total failure of The Warehouse. Tasked with replacing The Chevron Stage, The Warehouse was aimed at ravers and house music lovers. It was meant to give them a hotspot to see all their favourite artists in a new and improved setting. The organisers massively underestimated the crowds these acts would draw in. Every act saw 1-hour minimum wait times to get in, people crowding around doors and sneaking in underneath the walls. This eventually caused overcrowding issues and the stage to be closed for large parts of the weekend. This was a real shame, as from what I could tell, the stage was incredibly well set up and had some impressive lighting and sound. The Ballroom was the stage that blew me away. The acoustics and visuals in what have replaced the old Radio One tent are incredible. The chandeliers on the ceilings provided a unique look and made a memorable stage for some memorable sets. The tent was packed front to back for acts like Bleech 9: 3 and Westside Cowboy and was a great addition to the arena.
I don’t think there was a set I saw this year at Leeds where I came away from it disappointed, and that’s the main thing, right? The act of the weekend for me, though, were Geese. The New York based rock band are one of the most incredible phenomena happening in music. The music is awe-inspiring, and the Leeds crowd loved every song of their hours-long set on Saturday. A band everyone should be paying attention to. Other amazing sets were the Fontaines DC headline, emotionally charged by the recent passing of their manager, Trevor Dietz. The North stole the show on Sunday, playing their hometown festival. The pride was evident in their faces when they saw the crowd gathered, waiting in The Ballroom for them.
Overall, the weekend was good. Despite the weather, the acts and fans stayed strong in their numbers from back to front, and this left me feeling the festival had more ups than downs to it. The quiet crowd and Warehouse situation weren’t great, but I really enjoyed the selection of artists booked, as well as the other stage changes.
