Dance music festivals 2020: UK's best events from Houghton to AVA

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Jochan Embley23 January 2020

Pull on your dancing shoes, dig out your UV paint and limber up — it’s time to get excited for festival season.

As the winter retreats and summer begins to appear over the horizon, it’s important to plan your musical exploits for the season.

For the dance music obsessives, the options are plentiful, whether you want to stay in London or venture farther afield.

Here is our pick of the boogie-worthy events taking place, covering the very best festivals in the UK.

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Inner City Electronic

What is it? Spread out across some of the city’s best bars and venues, both indoors and outdoors, this Leeds festival offers a sharp, discerning bill.

Who’s on the line-up? Peggy Gou, Orbital, Young Marco, Craig Richards b2b Nicolas Lutz and more

Where is it? Various venues, Leeds

When is it? March 7

Tickets: from £45, innercityelectronic.com

Re-Textured

What is it? A new festival for 2019, Re-Textured paired cutting-edge electronic music with excellent light shows, all taking place within brutalist and modernist buildings.

Who's on the line-up? SOPHIE, Daniel Avery, Ben UFO, Atari Teenage Riot and more

Where is it? Various venues, London

When is it? April 2-5

Tickets: Each show ticketed separately, re-textured.com

Terminal V

What is it? Housed within the cavernous expanse of the Royal Highland Centre, every inch of the space is filled with sound, provided by a star-studded DJ cast.

Who’s on the line-up? Bonobo, Nina Kraviz, Honey Dijon, Ben UFO and more

Where is it? Edinburgh, Scotland

When is it? April 11

Tickets: from £67, terminalv.co.uk

Brixton Disco Festival

What is it? Pretty much what it says on the tin: a day-long celebration of disco spread around some of Brixton's best venues.

Who's on the line-up? Crazy P, Jocelyn Brown, John Morales and more

Where is it? Various venues, Brixton

When is it? May 2

Tickets: £22.50, brixtondiscofestival.com

Wigflex City

What is it? A multi-venue Nottingham festival which launched with a superb line-up in 2019, helmed by local hero Lukas Wigflex.

Who’s on the line-up? Helena Hauff, Job Jobse, Octo Octa, Skee Mask and more

Where is it? Various venues, Nottingham

When is it? May 8

Tickets: from £35, residentadvisor.net

We Are FSTVL

What is it? Despite the queue troubles from last year, the big-hitting dance event will come back to east London over the bank holiday weekend​.

Who's on the line-up? Camelphat, Nina Kraviz, The Black Madonna, Carl Cox and more

Where is it? Upminster, London

When is it? May 23-24

Tickets: From £102 for a two-day ticket, wearefstvl.com

Gala

What is it? The house and disco festival will extend across two days this year for the first time in its five year history.​

Who's on the line-up? Jayda G, Horse Meat Disco, Bradley Zero, Gerd Janson and more.

Where is it? Peckham Rye, London

When is it? May 23-24

Tickets: from £80 for weekend tickets, thisisgala.co.uk

Riverside

What is it? The location of this one is pretty unique — right on the banks of the Clyde and in the shadow of a Zaha Hadid-designed museum — and the line-up is pleasingly eclectic.

Who’s on the line-up? Disclosure, Jayda G, Hunee, Amelie Lens and more

Where is it? Glasgow, Scotland

When is it? May 23-24

Tickets: from £100 for weekend tickets, riversidefestivalglasgow.com

AVA

What is it? Without doubt the best electronic festival in Northern Ireland, AVA has become also become a London fixture in recent times with takeovers at Printworks.

Who’s on the line-up? TBA

Where is it? Belfast, Northern Ireland

When is it? May 28-31

Tickets: TBA, avafestival.com

Junction 2

ShotAway/Chris Cooper

What is it? A techno-heavy two-dayer in west London with some of the best in the game.

Who's on the line-up? Jon Hopkins, Four Tet, Honey Dijon, Amelie Lens and more.

Where is it? Boston Manor Park, London

When is it? June 5-6

Tickets: from £39.50 for a day ticket, junction2.london

Gottwood

What is it? A woodland utopia for dance music fans, with who's-who line-up coming as standard.

Who's on the line-up? TBC

Where is it? Carreglwyd Estate, Wales

When is it? June 11-15

Tickets: from £150, residentadvisor.net

Field Day

What is it? The north London festival has tightened its focus this year, reducing to one day from two and promising a more electronic-heavy line-up.

Who's on the line-up? Bicep, Floating Points, Jungle, Mount Kimbie and more

Where is it? The Drumsheds, London

When is it? July 11

Tickets: £45, fielddayfestivals.com

51st State

What is it? A house music haven with artists from both today and yesteryear.

Who's on the line-up? TBC.

Where is it? Trent Park, London

When is it? August 1

Tickets: from £32.50, 51ststatefestival.com

Houghton

What is it? Tragically rained off at the last minute back in August, 24-hour dance music festival Houghton​ returns.

Who's on the line-up? TBC

Where is it? Houghton, Norfolk

When is it? August 6-9

Tickets: on sale February 4, houghtonfestival.co.uk

We Out Here

Lisa Wormsley

What is it? Pairing jazz with dance music, We Out Here made a big splash with its inaugural edition​ last year.

Who's on the line-up? TBC

Where is it? Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire

When is it? August 20-23

Tickets: from £130 for weekend camping tickets, weoutherefestival.com

Creamfields

What is it? The usual cast of supermassive DJs will return to this massive party in 2020.

Who's on the line-up? Camelphat, Armin Van Buuren, Pendulum, Calvin Harris and more

Where is it? Daresbury, Cheshire

When is it? August 27-30

Tickets: from £240 for four-day camping tickets, creamfields.com

South West Four

What is it? It’s always a big one whenever this dance music festival takes charge of Clapham Common for its annual bank holiday weekender.

Who's on the line-up? The Streets, Kano, Major Lazer, Krept and Konan and more

Where is it? Clapham Common, London

When is it? August 29-30

Tickets: TBC, southwestfour.com

Field Maneuvers

What is it? Details on this “no-frills rave” are always pretty scant — the location is only revealed to ticket-holders a day or two before the festival — but we do know that it will bring a selection of DJs to an unknown party spot.

Who's on the line-up? TBC

Where is it? TBC

When is it? September 4-6

Tickets: from £159 for a weekend camping ticket, fieldmaneuvers.com

Southport Weekender

What is it? The London version of the popular parties that used to take over Southport Pontins throughout the 90s and 00s.

Who's on the line-up? TBC​

Where is it? Crystal Palace Park, London

When is it? September 5

Tickets: Not yet on sale, southportweekenderfestival.com

Defected London FSTVL

What is it? The house label launched its first ever London festival in 2019 and returns for a second time this summer.

Who's on the line-up? TBC

Where is it? TBC

When is it? September 12

Tickets: Not yet on sale, defected.com/london

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