Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX, RAYE, and Chase & Status top the bill at a stacked R+L for next summer – joined by Kneecap, Sombr, JADE, Skepta and more
By Andrew Trendell 1st December 2025
Fontaines D.C. live at Reading 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
The first names and headliners for the line-up of Reading & Leeds 2026 have been confirmed – with Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX, RAYE, and Chase & Status all confirmed to top the bill. Check out the full line-up so far and ticket details below.
- READ MORE: Reading & Leeds 2025 review: The most magical moments from summer’s last big party
Overnight, Chase & Status, Fontaines D.C. and Florence + The Machine posted teaser videos to social media confirming themselves to return to R+L, before the latter two removed them. Today (Monday December 1), the first main announcement has dropped.
AdvertisementReturning to Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds on the Bank Holiday weekend of Thursday 27 – Sunday 30 August 2026, next year’s edition of the iconic twin site festival will see Fontaines D.C. play their first scheduled live show since wrapping up the campaign for the Mercury-nominated fourth album ‘Romance‘ earlier this summer. The tour kicked off with an acclaimed and visceral appearance at R+L 2024, and ended with a run that included the biggest headline show of their career at London’s Finsbury Park.
- READ MORE: At home with Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten: “Our personality is bigger than the sound that we make”
Fans are now speculation as to whether today’s announcement suggests new material is coming in the year ahead.
Fontaines D.C. live at Reading 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Joining them at the top of the bill will be Florence + The Machine, fresh from releasing stellar and emotional sixth album ‘Everybody Scream‘. This will mark Florence Welch and co’s fourth appearance, after a massive and career-defining headline appearance back in 2012.
Her slot at R+L will mark yet another live milestone Welch after headlining Glastonbury in 2015 and London’s BST Hyde Park in 2019, and will follow her massive UK and Ireland arena tour, kicking off in February 2026.
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Florence + The Machine headline Glastonbury 2015. CREDIT: Ian Gavan/Getty
Finally making her R+L headline debut after the cultural phenomenon of ‘BRAT‘ is Charli XCX, who’ll be back on the road after 2026 sees her release the soundtrack to ‘Wuthering Heights’ and with fan’s attention now turning to new material – which she has promised will take a more experimental turn again.
Now a firm favourite and regular at Reading & Leeds, RAYE will be making her headline debut also off the back off the runaway success of ‘My 21st Century Blues‘ and single ‘Where Is My Husband!’, DAVE makes his return after topping the bill with a stellar set back in 2022, and having recently released the brilliant ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp‘.
“You know what listen guys, I’ve done it, I came to Reading & Leeds when I was 16 when I finished my GCSE’s, I was in the dance tent living my life…you know what I mean,” said RAYE in a statement. “I had a dream, and look at me now, it’s all possible.”
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Charli XCX live at Glastonbury 2025. Credit: Derek Bremner for NME
Dave performing at Reading 2022. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Raye performs during day two of Reading Festival 2024 (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
Chase & Status have also been confirmed as headliners, returning to the festival for a third time another summer of live music after topping the bill at All Points East 2025 with their rave-packed RTRN II Dance takeover.
Also for the first time and as an exclusive to Leeds Festival, Kasabian will be headlining the main stage on the opening Thursday too.
Completing the announced line-up so far are Skepta, Sombr, Role Model, JADE, Kneecap, Kettama, Chris Stussy, Geese, Skye Newman, ADELA and KEO.
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Reading & Leeds 2025 was headlined by Bring Me The Horizon, Chappell Roan, Hozier and Travis Scott, and also saw huge sets from the likes of Limp Bizkit, Amyl & The Sniffers, The Kooks, Bloc Party, AJ Tracey, Nell Mescal, Royel Otis, Enter Shikari, Jasmine.4.t and loads more.
Speaking to NME from Reading 2025, R+L boss Melvin Benn explained the exhaustive preparation that goes into the running of the festival every year, and the “overhaul” of the camping design for 2025 that carved out special areas for solo punters, eco-friendly visitors, the LGBTQ+ community and others. NME also asked him about the prospects for 2025, and he revealed that significant plans are already in place for the top of the bill next year.
“I’ve already got headliners for two of the three nights booked already for next year, and I’m really confident about the artists,” he said. “I feel like we’re in a stronger position than I can remember for an awfully long time. I can’t remember when I’ve ever had two of the three nights booked by this stage. We’ve had one booked by this stage, but I can’t remember ever having two of the three.”
The crowd for Enter Shikari at Reading Festival 2025. CREDIT: Derek Bremner for NME
He continued: “We’re not far away from having the third one already booked, so I think we’re in a really good place. Plus, I think the changes that we’ve made will make people want to come back even more. Ultimately, they’ll come back to see the headliners, and I think we’ll be presenting great headliners for them.”
Benn was coy about the identities of the 2026 headliners for now, but he did say there are names on this year’s line-up that could fit the bill one day. “Yes, there are two or three on the bill this year that I think are future headliners,” he teased. “But I’ve stopped predicting that to the public because I think it’s a burden on the artists to say, ‘You’re tipped as being a future headliner… but will you be?’
Reading & Leeds 2026 takes place at Little John’s Farm on Richfield Avenue in Reading and Yorkshire’s Bramham Park from Thursday 27 – Sunday 30 August. Tickets are on sale from 12pm on Wednesday December 3 and will be available here.
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