It may only be October but thoughts are already turning to next summer’s music festivals, with Primavera and The Isle of Wight Festival amongst those to have already announced their full lineups.
With Glastonbury on a fallow year in 2026 the other big events are likely to be even more popular than usual, and Download is expected to be then next to make a first announcement about who will be topping their bill.
Arguably the biggest event of the year in the UK will be 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.
And organisers have revealed that they have already booked two of the three headliners for 2026, although remain tight-lipped about who they are.
The team at betting experts OLBG have shared their latest Reading and Leeds 2025 headliner predictions.
Here are the eight acts they think have the best chance of topping the bill.
1. Twenty One Pilots - 2/1
Ohio duo Twenty One Pilots are 2/1 joint favourites to return to the festival for the first time since headlining bacj in 2019. Their recent resurgence following the new album Breach and a global tour makes them a strong fit for Reading and Leeds’ high-energy, alternative audience. The band’s mix of rock, rap, and indie remains a crowd favourite, and organisers are known to bring back proven performers for anniversary years or high-demand editions. They have already been announced as headliners at two German music festivals for 2026 - Southside and Hurricane - so will be on the circuit in Europe over the summer. | Getty Images
2. Sabrina Carpenter - 2/1
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. She's the other 2/1 joint favourite to headline. | Getty Images for MTV
3. Alex Warren - 3/1
Internet sensation Alwx Warren has already sold out a 10-date arena tour of the UK in April and May next year so there's clearly plenty of demand for the MTV Music Video Award winner. He only has one album under his belt - this year's chart topping 'You'll Be Alright, Kid' so it's questionable if he has the material to fill a headline slot - although Chappell Roan showed it can be done. He's the 3/1 joint favourite. | Getty Images for MTV
4. Raye - 3/1
Also priced at 3/1 is Raye. 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