2025 festivals: Will Smith set to debut in France
Will Smith is set to perform in France for the first time as one of the acts at next year’s Positiv Festival.
The actor and rapper will star at UNESCO World Heritage Site Théâtre Antique d’Orange (Roman Theatre of Orange) in Orange, Vaucluse, on 31 July 2025.
Meanwhile, Nile Rodgers has accidentally confirmed that he and Chic will be performing at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival in 2025.
During last week’s Rolling Stone Awards at London’s Roundhouse, the musician accepted the award for Music Icon and let slip that he was already preparing to get up to some havoc with Rod Stewart at the Worthy Farm site.
Stewart was recently confirmed for the Sunday teatime legend slot at next year’s Glastonbury – his first performance at Worthy Farm since headlining the Pyramid Stage in 2002. It appears that Rodgers and Chic will play before him.
Elsewhere, Northern Europe’s largest festival, Denmark’s Roskilde, has confirmed 25 new acts for its next edition including Olivia Rodrigo, Deftones, Jamie xx, A. G. Cook, Anoushka Shankar, Saint Levant, Lambrini Girls, Body Void, Hitech, horsegiirL, and Landless.
Roskilde’s head of music, Thomas Sønderby Jepsen, says he is “immensely proud” that the festival will be Rodrigo’s only Scandinavian stop in 2025.
Acts previously confirmed for the 53rd edition, taking place from 28 June to 5 July, include Stormzy, Arca, Fontaines D.C., Magdalena Bay, Beth Gibbons, Electric Callboy, Jessica Pratt and Geordie Greep.
Roskilde’s head of music says he is “immensely proud” that the festival will be Rodrigo’s only Scandinavian stop in 2025
Dutch festival Down The Rabbit Hole has also announced a slate of acts including Massive Attack, Sam Fender, FKA Twigs, Beth Gibbons, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Tems, Amyl and the Sniffers and Ezra Collective.
The 12th edition of the MOJO-promoted festival will return to De Groene Heuvels near Ewijk between 4–6 July.
The 2024 edition sold all 45,000 tickets within 45 minutes of going on sale last December, setting a new record for the event.
In the summer, DTRH festival director Ide Koffeman spoke to IQ about the secret to the event’s success.
Portugal’s NOS Alive has confirmed Kings Of Leon as the latest headliner for its 10–12 July 2025 event – marking the band’s first performance in the country in 12 years.
Previously announced acts include headliner Olivia Rodrigo, as well as Artemas, Benson Boone, CMAT, Future Islands, Noah Kahan, St. Vincent, The Backseat Lovers, Amyl and The Sniffers, Girl In Red, Glass Animals, Mark Ambor and The Teskey Brothers.
AEG Presents’ Forever Now has confirmed its first wave of artists including Kraftwerk, Johnny Marr, The The and Billy Idol
Kings of Leon are the second headliner confirmed for TEG Europe‘s Come Together in Newcastle on 8 June, with special guests including Courteeners, and will also headline TK Maxx presents Lytham Festival 2025, slated for 2–6 July in Lancashire, UK.
Other headliners for the Cuffe & Taylor-promoted event include Alanis Morissette, Justin Timberlake and a double bill of Simple Minds and Texas.
Kings of Leon will also top the bill at Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival (22-24 August), alongside Queens of the Stone Age and Vampire Weekend.
Elsewhere in the UK, Latitude Festival has confirmed Maribou State, Elbow, Clean Bandit, Sigrid, and Public Service Broadcasting for its 2025 instalment.
They will perform at Suffolk’s Henham Park from 24–27 July, alongside previously announced headliners Sting, Snow Patrol, Fatboy Slim, and Basement Jaxx.
AEG Presents’ new UK festival Forever Now has confirmed its first wave of artists including Kraftwerk, Johnny Marr, The The, Death Cult, Billy Idol, The Cult (FKA Death Cult), The Jesus and Mary Chain, Happy Mondays, The Damned, Public Image Ltd and The Psychedelic Furs.
Dedicated to post-punk music, fashion and literature, the gathering will feature two music stages, as well as a third stage, The Echo Chamber, hosted by music journalist John Robb.
Another new UK event, Colchester Castle Summer Series, has lined up acts including Madness, Busted, Texas and James
The inaugural edition will launch on 22 June next year and will be the UK sister event of the US festival Cruel World.
Another new UK event, Chelmsford City Live, has announced Duran Duran as its third headliner.
The band will perform at Chelmsford City Racecourse on 5 July, with support from Nile Rodgers & CHIC, with whom they collaborated with on their UK number one single The Reflex.
They join previously announced acts Justin Timberlake and Olly Murs, who will headline the 30,000-capacity series on 4 July and 6 July respectively.
The 6 July concert will be Murs’s biggest-ever hometown show and will feature support sets from Blue, Lemar and DJ Mark Wright.
Yet another new UK event, Colchester Castle Summer Series, has lined up acts including Madness, Busted, Texas, James, Craig David’s TS5 and UB40 featuring Ali Campbell.
Superstruct Entertainment’s Y Not festival has added a raft of new acts including The Prodigy, Courteeners and Madness
The 10,000-capacity open-air series will launch at Lower Castle Park in 2025, becoming Colchester’s largest-ever music series.
Soundcrash, the promoter behind events like South Facing Festival and the Margate Summer Series, are spearheading the new event in partnership with Live Nation and Supermodified.
Superstruct Entertainment’s Y Not festival has added a raft of new acts to its 2025 offering, including The Prodigy, Courteeners, Madness, The Wombats, Primal Scream, The Last Dinner Party, Franz Ferdinand, Sigrid and Annie Mac.
The UK event will take place between 31st July and 3 August at Pikehall, Derbyshire.
France’s Garorock festival will play host to Black Eyed Peas, Biga Ranx, The Black Keys, The Last Dinner Party and J Balvin at next year’s event, set for 3–6 July in Marmande.
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