Best of the fests

5 June 2008 11:52am

It's nearly that time of year when music lovers pack up their tents, wellies and toilet roll and head to their nearest party-filled field. With festival season fast approaching we check out this summer's hottest tickets.

:: Glastonbury - June 27 to 29

For many music fans, Glastonbury remains the holy grail of festivals, and is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.

When Michael Eavis first opened Worthy Farm to revellers in 1970, tickets cost just £1 and included free milk from the farm. Now the Pilton-based festival showcases over 700 acts, ranging from acoustic jazz to hard house.

This year US rapper Jay-Z will be headlining the Pyramid stage, along with Kings Of Leon and The Verve.

Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has also confirmed that she will be performing at the festival on June 28.

:: T in the Park - July 11 to 13

The first 40,000 tickets for this year's T in the Park sold out in just 65 minutes, confirming the Kinross-shire festival's increasing popularity on the summer circuit.

This year's stellar line up includes Amy Winehouse, The Verve, Kaiser Chiefs and Detroit techno legend Jeff Mills. Rock legends REM are set to headline on Sunday evening.

Other vintage acts appearing include The Stranglers, who will be treating King Tut's Wah Wah Tent to hits such as Golden Brown and Peaches.

:: V Festival - August 16 and 17

Now in its 13th year, V claims to have one of 'the most eclectic line ups of the UK's festival circuit', with The Prodigy and Amy MacDonald sharing a stage this year.

The 2008 line up also includes Muse, Amy Winehouse, the Kaiser Chiefs, Kings of Leon and The Chemical Brothers.

The festival was the brainchild of Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker, who wanted to play two outdoor gigs in two days; one in the south of England and one in the North. The northern leg of V originally took place in Leeds, but was moved to its current site at Weston Park, Staffordshire, in 1998.

:: Reading and Leeds - August 22 to 24

As summer draws to a close, Reading and Leeds festivals dominate the August bank holiday.

The line up is traditionally dominated by rock and metal bands - and this year is no exception, with Metallica and Rage Against The Machine headlining.

But it's not all angst and amps, as the alternative stage returns for a second year showcasing off beat artists including Jeffrey Lewis and Henry Rollins, who will be performing a spoken word set.

Jack Black's self-styled 'greatest rock band in the world', Tenacious D, will also be providing light relief - and US supergroup The Killers play their only UK festival dates of the summer.

:: Bestival - September 5 to 7

Rob Da Bank's quirky festival in Dorset has already sold out, despite being the last main festival of the summer. With its wacky fancy dress theme - this year festival-goers will be '30,000 Freaks Under The Sea - you hardly need a stellar line-up on stage. Nevertheless the soulful Amy Winehouse and dance veterans Underworld are headlining; and Sam Sparro, My Bloody Valentine, Aphex Twin, The Human League, Hot Chip and CSS are also performing. Meanwhile Kelly Osbourne is set to turn DJ and take to the decks.

© The Press Association