2025 UK festival predictions: Who could rise and who could fall this summer?

Being added to a huge festival bill can be a blessing for many, but a curse for just as many – for every triumphant set by a superstar, there’s an equally forgettable moment.

Case in point: when Daphne and Celeste were booked to play Reading and Leeds Festival 2000 (because one of them wanted to meet Eminem, who was heavily rumoured to appear that year), they were instead met with a barrage of thrown trash. Yet, at that same festival, the Black Eyed Peas performed on The Dance Stage, foreshadowing their mainstream success three years before the release of Where Is The Love.

So, who might emerge as a success from this festival season, and who might not? 'Loser' feels too harsh a term, as they're all performing on some of the biggest stages.

Instead of buying a lottery ticket, we've decided to use our 'powers of prediction' for something more useful: analysing the biggest UK music festivals of 2025 to determine whose stock might rise and whose might not (and that's a big 'might') after this year's events.

2025 UK music festival predictions

Glastonbury 2025

Rise: Those of you who got tickets

Another year, another battle royale in order to get tickets to Worthy Farm. Having sold out when tickets went on sale in late 2024, those of you who have secured tickets to this year’s event, enjoy it - Glasto is due a fallow year in 2025.

Fall: Neil Young

While we were all speculating who else could perform at Glastonbury 2025 after the reveal Sir Rod Stewart would perform, one man decided to ‘out’ himself as a performer before any official announcement - Neil Young.

The Canadian folk hero issued a statement that he wouldn’t be performing this year, owing to his stance on commercialism (see: This Song’s For You), however he would U-turn his announcement and told us we’d see him there… running what could have been a surprise for organisers.

Leeds and Reading 2025

Rise: Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan will be making her first performance at Leeds and Reading this year, but the bigger story is that she is set to headline the festivals during her debut. Rather than headline a smaller stage and work her way to headline status, the success of the ‘Midwestern Princess’ had led her immediately to the top billing - and one of the few to do so during their first appearance.

Fall: Chappell Roan (potentially)

It’s a mixed blessing headlining Leeds and Reading on your debut, but with Roan having been under scrutiny in recent months, one poor set could potentially give ‘detractors’ more ammunition towards the pop star. With only so much room at the top of the mountain, it’s a tense moment for Roan in 2025.

Download Festival 2025

Winner: Sleep Token

The UK progressive metal act have gone from strength to strength since their first EP, and with the group headlining Download, it’s set to be a landmark moment for the band. They’ll have the momentum of their new album behind them, Even In Arcadia, as a British band looks to cement their legacy at the home of metal.

Fall: Cradle of Filth

Certainly not a knock to the British black metal legends - I’m a fan still of Scorched Earth Erotica - but the fact that one of the biggest set clashes to occur at Download this year is Dani Filth and company performing around the same time as Sleep Token - it’s an unenviable task.

Wireless 2025

Rise: Drake

Not content with headlining just one day at the London festival, Canadian rapper Drake is set to become the first artist in Wireless history to headline all three days, with each set promising to be wholly different from the others. It’s a testament to the hip-hop star, who last performed at Wireless as a surprise guest with Future in 2018.

Fall: Drake

But the spectre of Kendrick Lamar performing in the same city (London) the following week does cast a shadow over Drake’s history-making performance at Wireless. Fans who have yet to decide whether to head to Wireless this year or see Kendrick and SZA at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will have a tough one - and might opt for the West Coast icon.

TRNSMT 2025

Rise: 50 Cent

Fiddy makes his return to the United Kingdom as part of two festival line-ups (we’ve earmarked the rise at his other festival for someone else), as interest in his back catalogue continues with a new generation of fans discovering hits such as In Da Club and Candy Shop. Prepare for a huge sing-along, Glasgow Green - and get to know your Fiddy lyrics well.

Fall: Inhaler

A very successful band by all means, and known for selling out venues - but on one of the biggest stages, alongside the likes of Biffy Clyro, Fontaines D.C. and the slice of nostalgia The Kooks will offer, will it be a forgettable set from Inhaler compared to the likes of those surrounding their set on the Saturday?

Parklife 2025

Rise: Charli XCX

It’s not so much a brat summer anymore, but a brat era; Charli XCX headlining a number of music festivals, including her curated line-up at Lido Festival 2025, is a testament to the grind she has put into her career and the bountiful success that she has received. Parklife 2025’s headline set, if Coachella was anything to go by, is probably going to be one of those magical moments where people will ask if you were there.

Fall: Anyone who is clashing with Charli XCX at Parklife 2025

Let’s be honest - many… Many people are going to want to see Charli’s live performance, if the glimpses we’ve seen at Coachella Festival, taking over Times Square during her brat tour cycle, or finally seeing her get the credit and flowers she deserves from a wider populace. So spare a thought whomever gets put alongside her when set times are revealed.

What are your predictions ahead of the 2025 UK summer festival season, and do you agree or disagree with some of our predictions? Let us know your thoughts by dropping a comment down below.