Britain's big festivals

Isle of Wight Festival

When: 13 - 15 June 2008
Headliners: The Police, The Sex Pistols, The Kaiser Chiefs
What: In November 2007, the Isle of Wight Festival was named Best Major Festival at the UK Festival Awards. The festival was originally held from 1968 - 1970, and the 1970 festival was said at the time to be one of the largest human gatherings in the world, surpassing the attendance at Woodstock. It was revived in 2002, attracting some of the biggest names in rock and pop.
Where: Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight
Tickets: Tickets to this year's festival are sold out, but expect to pay around £125 for next year's festival.
Web:Isle of Wight Festival (www.isleofwightfestival.com/)

Download Festival

When: 13 - 15 June 2008
Headliners: Kiss, The Offspring, Lostprophets
What: If you're a rock fan, Download is the festival for you. This 3-day festival is held annually at the spiritual home of rock in England: Donington Park. A huge number of acts play across the festival's 3 stages, and at the festival markets you can get everything from jewellery and massages to tattoos and piercings.
Where: Donington Park, Leicestershire, England.
Tickets: Ticket prices for Download range from £60 - £177.
Web:Download Festival (www.downloadfestival.co.uk)

Glastonbury Festival

When: 27 - 29 June 2008
Headliners: Kings of Leon, Jay Z, The Verve, Leonard Cohen, Hot Chip
What: If you've never heard of Glastonbury, where have you been? This is the big one, the one that everyone wants to go to. As well as great music from some of the world's top bands and artists, expect around 2,000 performances at 50 venues, including music, cabaret, theatre, circus, a fantastic kid's area, poetry, green crafts and information and lots, lots more.
Where: Worthy Farm, Glastonbury, Somerset
Tickets: Unfortunately, it's not easy to get tickets for Glastonbury. There's a registration process each year, and if you're selected, you can buy your tickets. The registration date for this year's festival has passed, but expect to pay around £145 for next year's tickets.
Web:Glastonbury Festival (www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk)

O2 Wireless Festival

When: 3 - 6 July 2008
Headliners: Counting Crows, Fatboy Slim, Morrisey, Jay Z
What: The O2 Wireless Festival is the coolest festival in London. Over 4 days, London's Hyde Park will play host to some of the best bands, artists and DJs around. You'll be able to catch the fantastic headliners on the Main Stage, and great new artists and special performances across 4 other stages.
Where:Hyde Park, London
Tickets: Ticket prices for this year's festival range from £45 - £263.
Web:O2 Wireless Festival (www.o2wirelessfestival.co.uk/home/)

T in the Park

When: 11 - 13 July 2008
Headliners: The Verve, Rage Against the Machine, REM, Kings of Leon, Amy Winehouse
What: Ask any touring band from anywhere in the world where the most riotous show of their tour was and the answer invariably comes back the same: Glasgow. Now in its 14th year, T in the Park is Scotland's major summer music festival. As well as the music, there's a fantastic fairground, delicious (and healthy) food and drink and numerous bars.
Where: Balado Park, Kinross-shire, Scotland
Tickets: Tickets for this year's T in the Park sold out in a record 1 hour. Expect to pay anywhere from £68 - £160 for tickets next year.
Web:T in the Park (www.tinthepark.com)

Global Gathering

When: 25 - 26 July 2008
Headliners: Moby, Mark Ronson
What: Britain's music festivals aren't all indie and rock bands - Global Gathering is Europe's biggest dance music festival. Last year saw a record-breaking 55,000-strong crowd party the night away to some of the world's top DJ's and dance acts.
Where: Long Marston Airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon
Tickets: A weekend ticket including car parking and camping costs £115.
Web:Global Gathering (www.globalgathering.co.uk/)

Wickerman Festival

When: 25 - 26 July 2008
Headliners: Gary Numan, Dodgy, The Cuban Brothers, Sonic Boom Six and more.
What: Dubbed 'Scotland's alternative music festival', Wickerman has firmly established itself as one of the must-do summer music festivals. There are 8 stages at the festival, but Wickerman is really all about the spectacular closing ceremony, when the huge straw man is burnt down.
Where: East Kirkcarswell, near Dundrennan, South West Scotland
Tickets: Tickets for the weekend are £75, and include car parking and camping.
Web:Wickerman Festival (www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk/)

Reading & Leeds Festivals

When: 22 - 24 August 2008
Headliners: Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, The Killers, Bloc Party
What: Reading and Leeds always boast one of the strongest festival line-ups of the season. This is the spiritual home of hardcore indie/rock/ indie-rock, and you're guaranteed a fantastic weekend. As well as the big names, there's comedy, cabaret, DJ's and great unsigned acts.
Where: Reading: Little John's Farm, Richfield Avenue, Caversham, Reading
Leeds:Bramham Park, Leeds
Tickets: You have to register on the festivals' websites to buy tickets for Reading or Leeds - tickets cost around £145.
Web:Reading Festival (www.readingfestival.com/home/), Leeds Festival (www.leedsfestival.com/home/index.aspx)

V Festival

When: 16 – 17 August 2008
Headliners: Muse, Stereophonics, The Kooks, Maximo Park, Ian Brown
What: If you're looking for a relatively stress-free time with the minimum of mud and fuss, V is the place for you. V is the first British festival to be held simultaneously across 2 sites - Chelmsford and Staffordshire. This year's line-up includes Amy Winehouse, Stereophonics, Kings of Leon and the Kaiser Chiefs.
Where: Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire
Tickets: Tickets for this year's festival have sold out, but expect to pay around £150 for next year's festival tickets.
Web:V Festival (www.vfestival.com)