Kasabian crack open a brand-new Leeds Thursday as Reading & Leeds names its 2026 six

The August Bank Holiday twin-site has locked in six headliners, handed Leeds its first-ever Thursday night top-billing, and pulled Florence + The Machine back after fourteen years away.

Reading & Leeds has put its cards on the table for 2026, with the twin-site festival running 27-30 August behind a six-strong headline pack: Charli XCX, Dave, RAYE, Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine and Chase & Status. It is a line-up that reads less like a safe rebooking and more like a statement of where the weekend is heading.

The sharpest move is structural. Kasabian have been handed the first-ever Thursday night Leeds headline slot, extending the bill into a proper four-day run rather than a long weekend with a soft launch. It is the kind of swing the festival has been circling for years, and a homecoming-shaped one for a band that has never been shy of a field full of bucket hats.

Elsewhere, Florence + The Machine return for their first appearance since 2012 — fourteen years is a long time to keep a crowd waiting, and few acts justify the gap better. The genre spread, from Charli XCX's pop maximalism to Fontaines D.C.'s post-punk and Chase & Status's drum & bass, suggests organisers are reading the room rather than chasing one demographic.

Note for the diary-keepers: both Dave and RAYE are billing these as their only UK festival appearances of 2026, which sharpens the urgency around tickets. Demand at this end of the calendar tends to move fast, so set your alarms and buy from official channels only — touts love a one-off.