Y Not Festival has just dropped its 2026 lineup, and honestly, it’s shaping up to be a proper celebration of British indie’s past, present and future.
The Libertines kick things off on Thursday, which feels appropriate given their status as indie rock royalty. Meanwhile, Reytons have earned their headline slot the hard way, working up from the Saloon Bar in 2019 to festival legends. Their journey from debut album Kids Off the Estate to chart-topping What’s Rock And Roll? is exactly the kind of DIY success story that resonates.
Two Door Cinema Club bring their danceable post-punk, while The Streets close Sunday with Mike Skinner’s generation-defining anthems like ‘Fit But You Know It’. Twenty years on from A Grand Don’t Come For Free, that raw energy still hits different.
The supporting lineup is stacked. Kaiser Chiefs remain Leeds legends with ‘Ruby’ still an absolute banger, whilst The Vaccines continue delivering stadium-ready hooks since their platinum debut. Happy Mondays represent that Madchester era perfectly, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor is fresh off Perimenopop, returning to her dance-pop roots after that ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ resurgence.
Scissor Sisters also join the bill, bringing their glam-pop energy to Derbyshire. Add The Royston Club, making waves from Wrexham, Scouting For Girls promising sing-along anthems, Ash proving three decades in they’re nowhere near finished, and rising talent Freddie Halkon.
Following 2025’s massive edition featuring The Prodigy and Madness, Y Not continues proving why it’s the North’s essential gathering. The festival runs 30 July to 2 August in Pikehall, Derbyshire. Presale starts 28 November, general sale 29 November. Adult weekend camping from £169 plus fees.
