Reading & Leeds Festival 2026: 10 Best Sets to Watch

Reading: Friday, Aug. 28, The Gallery, 3.15 p.m. – 3.55 p.m.
Leeds: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Gallery, 2.45 p.m. – 3.25 p.m.

Another bona fide rising star cantering up to pop’s big league is this fuchsia-haired maximalist from Bratislava, Slovakia. Having first rose to prominence as a contestant on the 2023 Netflix reality series Dream Academy, Adéla fought for her chance to become a member of KATSEYE, and is now busy proving she’s a solo star in her own right. The 22-year-old’s recent Billboard Hot 100-climbing single “Ain’t in LA” has the scale of a soon-to-be festival anthem, its towering production and vocal callbacks recalling all the irresistible excess of Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz era. – S.W.

Reading: Friday, Aug. 28, The Grid, 5.45 p.m. – 6.55 p.m.
Leeds: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Grid, 5.15 p.m. – 6.15 p.m.

The London grime pioneer is pulling double-duty with two sets: The first will be a solo performance on The Grid, followed by a B2B DJ set with rising Leeds duo Prospa. In doing so, he’ll showcase his full impact as a musician by spitting furious bars during his first performance, and embracing his role as a house-loving curator in the second. – T.S.

Reading: Friday, Aug. 28, The Gallery, 5.55 p.m. – 6.55 p.m.
Leeds: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Grid, 5.20 p.m. – 6.20 p.m.

The scheduling gods have been kind to punters this year: three of the bill’s most-exciting acts (Geese, Charli xcx and Fontaines D.C.) do not overlap on their days at the festival, making for a seriously impressive triple-header. New York-formed Geese will perform first and, crucially, take advantage of R&L’s revamped stage layout with a slot on The Gallery, a tented stage where the atmosphere should be sensational. Get ready to go quackers. – T.S.

Reading: Friday, Aug. 28, The Grid, 7.45 p.m. – 8.55 p.m.
Leeds: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Grid, 7.10 p.m. – 8.25 p.m.

Since the release of eighth album Music, Fashion, Film, Charli has been firmly focused on a run of North American headline dates, notably spots at Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. Her headline sets at Reading & Leeds this coming weekend are her first in the U.K. since the album’s release, and will feature a striking new show production. She’s played multiple slots at the festival over the past decade, but never headlined. Expect her to bring the party to toast the moment. – T.S.

Reading: Friday, Aug. 28, The Grid, 9.55 p.m. – 11.25 p.m.
Leeds: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Grid, 9.20 p.m. – 10.50 p.m.

Reading & Leeds has long possessed legend-making potential for its headliners, particularly indie-rock acts. Arctic Monkeys became the nation’s biggest band with their show in 2006, and Sam Fender proved his credentials as a future superstar in 2023. Fontaines D.C. must be licking their lips at the proposition of these shows. After a wildly successful campaign for 2024’s Romance and a 40,000-capacity headline performance at London’s Finsbury Park just last summer, these performances feel like the moment the band takes the leap into rarified air. “Marianne,” the first single from upcoming LP Dopamine Chamber (Oct. 16), is proof of Fontaines’ ambition, and likely to get an airing. – T.S.

Reading: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Grid, 2.00 p.m. – 2.45 p.m.
Leeds: Sunday, Aug. 30, The Grid, 1.35 p.m. – 2.20 p.m.

Few artists are having as much of a moment as Catherine Garner – the St. Louis pop renegade known as Slayyyter – whose blown-out production and internet-age theatrics have made her one of the most talked-about names of 2026. Seven years on from her stellar debut self-titled mixtape, the 29-year-old takes on Reading & Leeds for the very first time; following a barnstorming (and genuinely viral!) Coachella performance in April, here’s a chance to see a true original in her undiluted form, receiving her flowers with a well-deserved main stage slot. – S.W.

Reading: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Ballroom, 3.20 p.m. – 4.05 p.m.

With over a dozen extended releases and having already briefly retired – and returned with even greater characteristic ambition – in their still-early career, ‘digicore’ rapper and producer Jane Remover has developed a live reputation as unpredictable as her output. Reading & Leeds is already a rowdy affair as is, and yet there’ll be no shortage of fans to throw themselves around at the 22-year-old’s Reading-exclusive set at the all-new Ballroom stage. For those willing to get caught in the chaos, this could be among the weekend’s most thrilling shows.

Reading: Friday, Aug. 28, The Grid, 6.20 p.m. – 7.20 p.m.
Leeds: Sunday, Aug. 30, The Grid, 5.50 p.m. – 6.60 p.m.

The New York-born pop-rock star’s recent jaunt through mainland Europe’s festival scene has featured attention-grabbing moments: At Syd for Solen in Copenhagen, Denmark earlier this month, he closed his set by running off stage and straight into the sea; Zara Larsson and Adéla have also made cameos during his performances in recent weeks. Expect his R&L showings to be anything but understated and dull. – T.S.

Reading: Saturday, Aug. 29, The Grid, 10.05 p.m. – 11.35 p.m.
Leeds: Sunday, Aug. 30, The Grid, 7.35 p.m. – 9.05 p.m.

Having built a spectacular solo career out of the ashes of a major label deal gone awry, first-time Reading & Leeds headliner RAYE has long been ready for this moment. She has spent much of 2026 touring arenas across the U.K, Europe and North America, while much of the material across her second LP, April’s This Music May Contain Hope., pairs complex emotional drama and big-band spectacle with a mighty pop wallop. This has potential to be the kind of set where you’ll see fans in awe, crying and singing each song word-perfect. Go bask in its glory. – S.W.

Reading: Sunday, Aug. 30, The Gallery, 7.50 p.m. – 9.15 p.m.
Leeds: Friday, Aug. 30, The Gallery, 7.15 p.m. – 8.40 p.m.

Even if you’re totally unfamiliar with the electrifying world of Galway producer Kettama, if the idea of experiencing an hour of unrestrained, occasionally introspective house music at full force appeals, don’t miss him. This is a sure-to-be-packed crowd, the kind of set where the 29-year-old’s pounding drum samples and bass stabs should feel all the more potent in a live setting. Expect something loud, physical and gloriously, relentlessly sweaty, before stumbling back outside into the festival grounds and sobering reality beyond. – S.W.