We may be preparing for winter, but all eyes are now on next summer’s music festivals.
Glasgow’s TRNSMT festival become the latest to announce its lineup earlier this month, with Kasabian, Lewis Capaldi and Richard Ashcroft closing the stage over the three days.
It means that most of the big festivals in the UK have shown their hands - including the likes of Download, the Isle of Wight Festival and Latitude.
But, with Glastonbury on a fallow year in 2026, there has still been no word on what music fans can expect at what is arguably the biggest event of the year - the Reading and Leeds Festivals, which will take place from August 27-30.
Dating back to 1961, when it was known as the National Jazz Festival, the event was first only held in Reading but since 1999 encompasses twin festivals taking place over the same weekend with a near-identical lineup.
The Reading part is held at Little John's Farm on Richfield Avenue in central Reading, while the Leeds portion is held in Bramham Park, near Wetherby.
Many of the biggest names in music have headlined over the years, including Nirvana, Oasis, Blur, Fall Out Boy, Metallica, The Cure, Guns N’ Roses, Beastie Boys and Pink Floyd.
Organisers have previously revealed that they had already booked two of the three headliners for 2026 back in the summer, although remain tight-lipped about who they are.
It’d expected that the full bill will be announced over the next few weeks.
Here are the 17 acts we reckon have a good chance of topping the twin festivals’ main stages.
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5. Muse
Muse have headlined Reading and Leeds no fewer than three time - in 2006, 2011, and 2017. The timings for a fourth stage -closing set could work for 2026 - they revealed new single 'Unravelling' in June and are expected to release their tenth studio album in the first half of next year. It'd certainly promise to be a spectacular show, with Matt Bellamy not known for his low-key performances. There will be drones. | Getty Images for iHeartRadio
6. BLACKPINK
The Reading and Leeds festival have branched out into pop in recently - for example Chappell Roan's stunning performance this year - and so expect at least one of the headliners to be on the poppier end of the spectrum. The most frequently-suggested act are South Korean girl group superstars BLACKPINK. They apparently have a 'mini album' set for release by the end of 2025, which will be their first new material since 2022. | AFP via Getty Images
7. Sabrina Carpenter
Sticking to chart-topping acts, if the Reading and Leeds bookers want to have an all-out pop headliners then there are few bigger names in the world of music at the moment than superstar Sabrina Carpenter. She headlined Primavera last year, but she's got a new album out in the shape of 'Man's Best Friend' and has already confirmed for Coachella 2026 so may skip another solo headline tour in favour of a string of festival slots. | Getty Images for MTV
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8. Raye
Raye is one of the bookies' favourites for the festivals. She went down a storm at Glastonbury playing second on the bill on the Pyramid Stage this year - meaning that festival headline spots are inevitable in the coming years. Reading and Leeds 2026 could be one of the first. | Getty Images