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.
5. My Chemical Romance - 4/1
My Chemical Romance are going to be in the UK this summer playing a series of their own outdoor headline gigs, including a sold out show at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park. They last headlined Reading and Leeds in 2011 when they brought Queen's Brian May out as a surprise guest. They are 4/1 to return to the festival. | Getty Images
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6. Fontaines D.C.
Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. seem to be getting bigger every year and are surely now close to being festival headliners - playing second on the bill to local heroes Biffy Clyro at this year's TRNSMT in Glasgow. They are 4/1 to ake the step up at this year's Reading and Leeds Festival. | Getty Images for The Recording A
7. Foo Fighters - 5/1
The Foo Fighters haven't played the UK since June 2024 when they played a string of stadium gigs on their 'All Or Nothing' tour. Dave Grohl has had a few personal issues since then but they've played some low-key gigs in American and look ready to head out on the road again. They've headlined Reading and Leeds four times, most recently in 2019, and would be a popular booking for 2026. They're priced at 5/1. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima
8. The Cure - 6/1
The Cure have already been announced as headliners for a string of European festivals, including Barcelona's Primavera Sounds, the Isle of Wight Festival, Blackweir Fields in Cardiff and Belsonic in Belfast. They are also playing their own outdoor headlining gigs, including at Edinburgh's Summer Sessions. Robert Smith clearly had fun guesting with Olivia Rodrigo at this year's Glastonbury and his band would be a popular choice for Reading and Leeds. They have odds of 6/1. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima