UPDATE: Rage Against the Machine, Måneskin, and Jack Harlow will no longer perform at Reading and Leeds Festival 2022.
When? 26th-28th August 2022 (August Bank Holiday Weekend)
Where? Bramham Park, Leeds
For many artists, playing Reading and Leeds Festival marks an all-important milestone in their career trajectory. However, the festivals have attracted controversy over the years for what has been perceived as a lack of diversity. Fear not, for this year’s headliners trace all corners of the music genre map!
Replacing Rage Against the Machine, indie-pop sensations The 1975 will headline the Main Stage East on the Friday. Expect enthralling visuals, inimitable stage presence from frontman Matty Healy, and boogying aplenty. On the other end, at Main Stage West, pop-provocateur Halsey will close the evening with a set of their instantly recognisable radio hits. Never one to shy away from their activist credentials, expect Halsey to raise the (invisible) roof with political fervour between songs.
A trio of wonder women will perform on Saturday: Little Simz will enrapture audiences with her masterful flow, the ethereal Joy Crookes will weave her soulful melodies, whilst Megan Thee Stallion will be bringing her empowering energy and inimitable stage presence as the headliner of Main Stage West. Check out her recent headline-making Glastonbury set here.
Mercury-prize winning wordsmith and multi-instrumentalist Dave will headline Main Stage East. If his explosive and iconic BRIT awards performances of ‘Black’ in 2020, and ‘In The Fire’ at this year’s ceremony were anything to go by, audiences will be in for a treat.
Indie darlings Wolf Alice with their mixture of ambient ballads and raucous rock tunes, and Dublin’s finest post-punks Fontaines D.C., with their politically-charged anthems and mosh-pit-anticipatory tracks, will grace the stage before Main Stage East Sunday headliners Arctic Monkeys provide an absolute spectacle in support of their highly anticipated seventh record. It will be interesting to see in which direction they go after their previous polarizing entry Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino.
Alternatively, emo outfit and Leeds-natives Bring Me The Horizon will close the weekend on Main Stage West. Given their recent collaborations with Ed Sheeran and Nova Twins, there’s no telling what surprises the band may have in store for their huge homecoming set.
After two years of cancellations, COVID passes, and playing it safe, Leeds festival has finally provided us with an unmissable line-up of some of the best live acts across a spectrum of styles!
Check out the full line-up here and stage splits here.
Remaining day tickets for Friday and Saturday are available here. Sunday tickets and Weekend tickets are sold out.
You can still attend the festival as a volunteer, joining the Green Team, with a focus on litter-picking and ensuring the festival is as environmentally-friendly as possible, or as a Campsite and Arena volunteer, helping with directions, health and safety, wristband exchange, and ensuring the event works smoothly as part of a team.
Travel
You can travel directly from Manchester (and other surrounding cities) to Leeds Festival by coach. This year Big Green Coach are running several coaches between Wednesday 24th and Monday 29th August, depending on whether you have purchased early entry tickets, weekend tickets, or day tickets. You can purchase a return coach ticket for approx. £59. Friday coach tickets from Manchester have sold out.
The nearest train station to Bramham Park is Leeds Train Station. The festival is located around a 30-minute drive from here. You can get trains directly from Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, and Manchester Victoria Station to Leeds. Journey times vary. From here you can ride the shuttle bus from Sovereign Square Park to Bramham Park. Shuttle bus tickets cost £6.50 for a single, £12 for a day return, and £26 for an unlimited shuttle bus pass. You can purchase tickets here.
