In January, UK festival behemoth Glastonbury canceled its 2021 event, but the Reading and Leeds Festivals announced are planning on doing the opposite. “Following the government’s recent announcement, we can’t wait to get back to the fields this summer.”
Reading and Leeds, which boast “two main stages, six headliners and no clashes,” will see Post Malone, Liam Gallagher, Queens of the Stone Age perform from August 27 to 29. Other performers include Doja Cat, Lewis Capaldi, Charli XCX, Sigrid, beabadoobee and more.
In more cautiously optimistic news, according to NME, organizers of the Parklife fest are “confident” that the Manchester festival will take place on Sept. 11-12 after being pushed from its original date in June. No acts have been announced yet. Parklife co-founder Sacha Lord told NME that UK’s vaccination program has given him hope.
“The vaccination roll-out has been incredible and hats off to all our scientists and NHS volunteers,” he said.
The 2019 Reading and Leeds events were sold-out, hosting more than 100,000 fans. There’s been no word yet what capacity will be capped at for 2021, nor what COVID-19 precautions will be in place. The “info” and “news” pages on the official site are currently not working.
Many American festivals have postponed including Coachella and Stagecoach, which were slated for April 2021. Others, like March’s South-by-Southwest, have gone virtual. SXSW and the New Orleans Jazz Fest were among the first to be canceled in 2020. Festivals and events to be held from August onward in the U.S. — including Outside Lands, Governors Ball, and Bonnaroo — are currently set to happen.
Tickets are on sale for Reading and Leeds now.
