12 Cool Events To Book Now
@OLIVIARODRIGO
Cruel Intentions
The producers of the smash-hit Broadway show Heathers have set about transforming another cult classic. For those who haven’t seen the Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon film, Cruel Intentions is set in an elite Manhattan school, where two feuding step siblings take part in a cruel bet about a naïve classmate, and hilarity and tragedy ensues. Set to some of your favourite 90s tunes – yes including ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ – this new show is pure nostalgic fun.
Various dates
12 Palace Street, Victoria, SW1E 5JA
Visit TheOtherPalace.co.uk
Olivia Rodrigo
The Sour album, with hits like ‘Good 4 U’ and sad-girl anthem ‘Drivers License’, turned Olivia Rodrigo into pop royalty. Her follow-up album, Guts, kept up the Avril Lavigne-coded pop-punk vibes with screamable lyrics like ‘f**ck it, it's fine’. Now, Rodrigo is bringing her Guts world tour to the UK, with dates up and down the country throughout May and into June.
London dates: 14th, 15th, 17th & 18th May
Peninsula Square, North Greenwich, SE10 0DX
Visit Ticketmaster.co.uk
Drumsheds
It was a sad day when Printworks closed its doors last year. Luckily, the team behind it have opened Drumsheds. Fans will know its talent bookers always track down the best new artists – so, even if you haven’t heard of some of the names on the line-up, you’re bound to be converted by the end of the night. This season, we’re bookmarking the Hydra event, where Bonobo, Christian Loffler and DJ Koze are all slated to appear. Can’t make that one? Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be performing on 13th April.
Various dates
6 Glover Drive, Tottenham, N18 3HF
Visit DrumshedsLondon.com
JAKE PHILIP DAVIS
Cross The Tracks
The south-of-the-river festival scene has flourished in recent years and Cross The Tracks returns for a fifth time this May. A heady mix of soul, funk and jazz, the 2024 line-up includes Erykah Badu as the headliner, as well as Eve, BADBADNOTGOOD, En Vogue, Ama Lou and Madlib. Great if you like your festivals on the more relaxed side.
26th May
Brockwell Park, Norwood Road, SE24 9BJ
Visit XTheTracks.com
Gala
The Gala festival in Peckham is another one for your diary. Held in Peckham Rye Park, it’s a bit livelier than its neighbour Cross The Tracks. The music varies each day of the festival – Friday is bass-heavy, Saturday is high octane, and Sunday is chill and groovy. As for the acts, this year’s line-up reads like a cool Spotify playlist: Midland, Hunee, DJ EZ, Girls Don’t Sync and Chaos In The CBD are all due to appear.
24th-26th May
Peckham Rye Park, Straker's Road, SE15 3UA
Visit ThisIsGala.co.uk
Gottwood
The Gottwood festival takes place at the Carreglwyd Estate deep in the Welsh forest. Across ten stages hidden in the woods, you will find a mix of dance, soul, disco, electronic and techno acts. The vibes are always immaculate (even if it rains) and the food is next level. This year has another bumper line-up, with more names being added to the slate all the time; A Love From Outer Space will be performing, disco legends Crazy P Soundsystem are back, alongside Girls Don’t Sync – watch the girls’ Boiler Room set at Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory to get you in the mood.
13th-16th June
Carreglwyd, Llanfaethlu, Holyhead, Anglesey, LL65 4NY
Visit Gottwood.co.uk
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@THISISGALA
Doja Cat
To promote her new album Scarlet, Doja Cat will be heading out on her first ever European arena tour. The rapper and hip-hop star is already so in demand she’s added another date to her O2 shows in London this summer. For now, there are some tickets left available – so get them while you can.
14th-17th June
Peninsula Square, North Greenwich, SE10 0DX
Visit TheO2.co.uk
Glastonbury
Glastonbury needs no introduction. Worthy Farm is back again, this time with three female headliners for the first time: Dua Lipa, SZA and – taking the Sunday legend slot – Shania Twain. Coldplay will perform for a fifth time, too. It’s a long shot, sure, but resale is coming up in April – so keep hitting that refresh button.
26th-30th June
Worthy Farm, Worthy Lane, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4BY
All Points East
All Points East is another London festival you should have on your radar this summer. Spread across two weekends in August, the line-up includes Kaytranada, Loyle Carner and LCD Soundsystem. An honourable mention must also go to Field Day, which also has a line-up worth mentioning – PinkPantheress to name just one headliner. Plus, the food trucks are stellar and there are always some pop-ups from your favourite drinks brands.
16th-25th August
Victoria Park Road, E9 7DD
Visit AllPointsEastFestival.com
@ALLPOINTSEASTUK
Reading & Leeds
Reading and Leeds festival holds a soft spot in the hearts of anyone for whom it was the first one they ever went to as a teenager. This year’s acts are worth spending a weekend in a tent for: festival veterans Blink 182 are headlining, as is dream girl Lana Del Rey, dance music prodigy Fred Again… and long-lost indie band Catfish & The Bottlemen.
21st-25th August
Richfield Avenue, Reading, RG1 8EQ
Visit ReadingFestival.com
Jungle
Did ‘Back On 74’ make your most-played list on Spotify last year? Us too. Artfully mixing throwback sounds and dance-worthy melodies, it scored Jungle their first ever BRIT award. As well as making the rounds during festival season this year, they’re hitting the O2 this September – get your tickets now.
12th September
Peninsula Square, North Greenwich, SE10 0DX
Visit TicketMaster.co.uk
The Devil Wears Prada
If, like us, your comfort movie is anything starring Anne Hathaway, you’ll love this musical adaptation of the noughties classic. Featuring an original score by Elton John, it’s set to be a hit. Even better, the star of the show is Vanessa Williams – one of the editors from another of our favourite fictional magazines (Mode in Ugly Betty).
From 24th October
268-269 Tottenham Court Rd, W1T 7AQ
Visit Ticketmaster.co.uk
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