The best dance music festivals in the UK in 2027

UK dance festival dates for 2027 at a glance.

One clash is worth knowing about: Creamfields and Lost Village share 26 to 29 August, the bank holiday weekend. Houghton and Boomtown fall in consecutive weeks of August, so you can do both if you have the stamina.

Which are the best techno festivals in the UK?

Terminal V in Glasgow and Junction 2 in London are the best techno festivals in the UK. For techno festivals UK listeners can fly to, see the best techno festivals in the world.

Terminal V, Glasgow

Terminal V is moving from Edinburgh to the Glasgow docklands for its 10th anniversary. The first three-day edition, and the first fully outdoor one in Scotland, is on 4 to 6 June 2027 at Clydeside Live on the north bank of the Clyde, with Area V as the main stage at the water's edge, plus The Hangar and The Greenhouse. It ranks 22nd in DJ Mag's list.

It began as a 2,000-capacity, one-day event at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, and it now reports more than 20,000 people a day. In 2020 it ran Connect, a streaming series. This set is Alan Fitzpatrick's for Connect, filmed with Beatport.

Junction 2, London

Junction 2 is at Boston Manor Park in west London, known for its stage under the elevated M4 motorway, which the festival calls The Bridge. It returns in summer 2027, and the exact dates have not been announced.

Which are the best house music festivals in the UK?

Houghton, Parklife and Creamfields are the three house music festivals UK listeners should start with, and they are three different sizes.

Houghton, Norfolk

Houghton has been held in the grounds of Houghton Hall in Norfolk since 2017, and it is curated by Craig Richards. It publishes no capacity, and reports put it at about 10,000. It covers house, techno, dub, jazz and ambient, and music runs around the clock. The 2027 edition is on 5 to 8 August. It suits people who care most about the selectors.

Parklife, Manchester

Parklife is a two-day city festival at Heaton Park in Manchester, on 10 and 11 July 2027. It ranks 13th in DJ Mag's list. It mixes dance acts with pop and hip-hop, and you sleep at home or in a city hotel.

Creamfields, Cheshire

Creamfields is the biggest dance music festival UK-wide, with a capacity of 80,000 and about 55,000 camping on site. It started in 1998 as a day out from Cream, the Liverpool house night. The 2027 edition is on 26 to 29 August at its long-time home of Daresbury, and the festival is billing it as 30 years of Creamfields. See the Creamfields guide.

This Creamfields set was filmed by DJ Mag in 2021.

Where can you find a rave festival in the UK?

For a rave festival UK crowds travel to, start with Boomtown in Hampshire. Glastonbury has a rave side of its own. Both go wider than dance music.

Boomtown, Hampshire

Boomtown Chapter Six is on 11 to 15 August 2027 at Matterley Estate near Winchester.

It is built as a temporary city, with street sets, actors and hidden venues, and its music runs across techno, house, dub, reggae, ska and punk. It ranks 20th in DJ Mag's list. See the Boomtown guide. This is Carl Cox on Boomtown's Nucleus stage in 2019, from the festival's own channel.

Glastonbury, Somerset

Glastonbury is on 23 to 27 June 2027 at Worthy Farm. It is not a dance festival, but Arcadia and its other late-night areas give it a rave of its own. See the Glastonbury guide.

Small dance festivals in the UK.

Small dance festivals UK-wide tend to sell out early and to book more carefully than the big ones. These are the ones to look at first.

Lost Village, Lincolnshire

Lost Village began in 2015 and is held near Swinderby in Lincolnshire, in a wood dressed as an abandoned settlement. It publishes no attendance, and reports put it at up to 15,000. It is for ages 18 and over. The 2027 edition is on 26 to 29 August, and the 2026 edition sold out. It ranks 66th in DJ Mag's list.

We Out Here, Dorset

We Out Here is on 19 to 22 August 2027 at Wimborne St Giles in Dorset, and it is curated by Gilles Peterson. Its programme runs through soul, hip-hop, house, afrobeat, electronica and jazz, which makes it the most musically open festival here. It is also the largest in this section, with a reported cap of 25,000.

Forbidden Forest, Leicestershire

Forbidden Forest is on 28 to 30 May 2027 at Belvoir Castle, near Grantham, over the late May bank holiday, which makes it one of the first dance weekends of the UK season. It is for over-18s, and the Friday is open to camping ticket holders only.

Gottwood, Anglesey

Gottwood is reported for 10 to 13 June 2027 at the Carreglwyd Estate on Anglesey in north Wales. It is capped at about 5,000, and its 2026 edition ran around the clock. The island setting makes it a long trip for most people.

Not on this list, and why.

• The Warehouse Project. It has run in Manchester since 2006, now at Depot Mayfield, but it is a club season, not a festival.
• Hideout. It is reported for 29 June to 2 July 2027, but it takes place in Croatia.

For more European choices, see the best electronic music festivals in Europe.

How to choose.

Start with size. Creamfields has the biggest crowd and headliners, Parklife is the city weekend, and Boomtown is a place to get lost in. For careful programming and a smaller crowd, pick Houghton or Lost Village. We Out Here has the widest range of music.

Then check the calendar. Lost Village sold out in 2026, and the bank holiday clash means you have to choose between Creamfields and Lost Village.

Gottwood's date is still only reported and Junction 2 has not named its weekend, so wait for both before you book travel.