Indie festivals

16 festivals still to come with Indie on the bill, carrying 90 of the 370 Indie acts we track. Every act has a page: which festivals they play, what time they go on once the festival says, and what they sound like if the name is new to you.

Guitar bands built for rooms of a few hundred get pushed through a rig meant for thousands, and the result splits two ways. The loud end arrives as a wall of overdrive and cymbal wash you feel in your sternum. The quieter end thins out in daylight, so the singing carries the set.

These acts land in mid-afternoon and early evening slots on the smaller stages, sometimes opening a main stage while it is still light. Crowds stand close and stay put, with a dense knot down front singing along. The harshest end plays late in a tent, where volume itself is the point.

Indie festivals in 2026

Every bill still ahead of you with real Indie on it, deepest first. A festival needs at least 2 Indie acts to be here, so one stray booking on a bill about something else does not count.

Who carries Indie this season

All 370 acts we have tagged Indie, sorted six ways. The lists disagree with each other, and the names they disagree about are usually the ones worth hearing.

Booked the most in 2026

The Indie acts who spent 2026 on the road. Go to more than one festival and you have probably seen a few of them already.

  1. 1Geese16Unhinged Brooklyn art-rock — yelping, swaggering, and critically adored, like the Stones reassembled by art students mid-fever.
  2. 2Lorde14The NZ art-pop auteur — brooding, minimal, and generation-defining, back on a headline stage where the whispered verses hit hardest.
  3. 3Wet Leg12Deadpan, hook-loaded post-punk — the Isle of Wight duo grown into a full-blast rock band, 'Chaise Longue' just the opening joke.
  4. 4The xx9Whispered minimalism that somehow fills a festival field — intimacy at headline scale, 'Intro' still raising arm hair.
  5. 5Flipturn8Florida indie rock built for festival fields — 'August' euphoria, surging choruses, and a live energy that outruns the recordings.
  6. 6Sombr8Moody, reverb-soaked alt-pop from a Manhattan teenager who went from bedroom demos to festival bills — heartbreak at streaming scale.
  7. 7Angine de Poitrine7Masked Saguenay duo who loop double-necked microtonal guitar into hypnotic, odd-metred math rock — 2026's strangest breakout story.
  8. 8Cardinals7Cork's melodica-toting indie romantics — Fontaines-adjacent and rising fast, with a windswept, literary streak all their own.
  9. 9Men I Trust7Quebec trio making impossibly smooth bedroom dream-pop — bass-forward, hushed, and quietly enormous online, a headphone act that scaled to festivals.
  10. 10Oklou7Gossamer French avant-pop — choral synths and whispered melody, songs that feel lit by candles and screens at once.

Most upcoming bookings

Everything still ahead of us, for anyone with festivals left on the calendar.

  1. 1Melvins3Forty years of deliberately difficult, punishingly slow riffs — and the band Nirvana learned from, still outweirding everyone downstream.
  2. 2Courtney Barnett2Deadpan Melbourne songwriting full of tiny observed details, over guitar that gets a lot noisier live — slacker delivery hiding a genuinely ferocious player.
  3. 3Daniel Allan2Producer-songwriter making dance music that keeps one foot firmly in pop structure — melodic drops with verse-chorus bones.
  4. 4Dope Lemon2Angus Stone's hazy side project — slacker psych for a very late afternoon, all languid grooves and heavy-lidded charm.
  5. 5Geese2Unhinged Brooklyn art-rock — yelping, swaggering, and critically adored, like the Stones reassembled by art students mid-fever.
  6. 6Sylvan Esso2Amelia Meath's plainspoken hooks over Nick Sanborn's modular synth pulses: Durham electronic pop that clicks in a club and still sings in a field.
  7. 7The Strokes2The band that rebooted New York rock — a deep catalog of deadpan cool, still untouchable live when the engine catches.
  8. 8The xx2Whispered minimalism that somehow fills a festival field — intimacy at headline scale, 'Intro' still raising arm hair.

Most headline slots

The names printed in the biggest type, trusted to send everyone home.

  1. 1Lorde14The NZ art-pop auteur — brooding, minimal, and generation-defining, back on a headline stage where the whispered verses hit hardest.
  2. 2The Strokes6The band that rebooted New York rock — a deep catalog of deadpan cool, still untouchable live when the engine catches.
  3. 3The xx5Whispered minimalism that somehow fills a festival field — intimacy at headline scale, 'Intro' still raising arm hair.
  4. 4Fontaines D.C.4Dublin's poet-punks grown into arena-scale alt-rock — 'Romance' made them era-defining, swagger and melancholy in equal Irish measure.
  5. 5Geese3Unhinged Brooklyn art-rock — yelping, swaggering, and critically adored, like the Stones reassembled by art students mid-fever.
  6. 6Stereolab3Motorik repetition welded to lounge-pop sweetness — vintage Moog drone, Lætitia Sadier's bilingual cool, and a back catalogue that half of modern indie has quietly been mining for thirty years.
  7. 7The Cure3Goth's beating heart — three-hour sets, Robert Smith's undimmed voice, and a catalog that swings from despair to 'Friday I'm in Love'.
  8. 8Angine de Poitrine2Masked Saguenay duo who loop double-necked microtonal guitar into hypnotic, odd-metred math rock — 2026's strangest breakout story.
  9. 9Florence + The Machine2The high priestess of festival headline sets — barefoot, feral, hymn-sized, sprinting the barricade while 'Dog Days' detonates.
  10. 10Morrissey2The Smiths' voice, complicated as ever — when he shows, nothing else sounds like it, and the songbook remains untouchable.

Most places played

Whose year reads like a world tour that happened to be made of festivals.

  1. 1Lorde14The NZ art-pop auteur — brooding, minimal, and generation-defining, back on a headline stage where the whispered verses hit hardest.
  2. 2Geese13Unhinged Brooklyn art-rock — yelping, swaggering, and critically adored, like the Stones reassembled by art students mid-fever.
  3. 3Wet Leg10Deadpan, hook-loaded post-punk — the Isle of Wight duo grown into a full-blast rock band, 'Chaise Longue' just the opening joke.
  4. 4The xx8Whispered minimalism that somehow fills a festival field — intimacy at headline scale, 'Intro' still raising arm hair.
  5. 5Flipturn7Florida indie rock built for festival fields — 'August' euphoria, surging choruses, and a live energy that outruns the recordings.
  6. 6Men I Trust7Quebec trio making impossibly smooth bedroom dream-pop — bass-forward, hushed, and quietly enormous online, a headphone act that scaled to festivals.
  7. 7Oklou7Gossamer French avant-pop — choral synths and whispered melody, songs that feel lit by candles and screens at once.
  8. 8Viagra Boys7Sweaty, saxophone-wielding Swedish post-punk satire — one of the best live bands on earth right now, 'Sports' shouted by thousands.
  9. 9Djo6Joe Keery's psych-pop project — vocoders, fuzz, and a genuine ear for a Tame Impala-shaped hook, well past the celebrity-side-project stage.
  10. 10Father John Misty6Josh Tillman's lounge-lizard prophet act — gorgeous orchestration, acid wit, and a crooner's delivery that sells every barbed line.

Most favorited by readers

The Indie people here actually listen to, booked or not.

  1. 1Fontaines D.C.Dublin's poet-punks grown into arena-scale alt-rock — 'Romance' made them era-defining, swagger and melancholy in equal Irish measure.
  2. 2Sylvan EssoAmelia Meath's plainspoken hooks over Nick Sanborn's modular synth pulses: Durham electronic pop that clicks in a club and still sings in a field.
  3. 3Big ThiefAdrianne Lenker's trembling songcraft in band form — the most quietly devastating live act in indie rock.
  4. 4GeeseUnhinged Brooklyn art-rock — yelping, swaggering, and critically adored, like the Stones reassembled by art students mid-fever.
  5. 5MJ LendermanAsheville guitarist whose deadpan, Crazy Horse-leaning songs about wasted afternoons made Manning Fireworks one of 2024's most loved rock records.
  6. 6The StrokesThe band that rebooted New York rock — a deep catalog of deadpan cool, still untouchable live when the engine catches.
  7. 7Wet LegDeadpan, hook-loaded post-punk — the Isle of Wight duo grown into a full-blast rock band, 'Chaise Longue' just the opening joke.
  8. 8The BethsAuckland's harmony-stacked power-pop treasures — jazz-school chops, huge hearts, and 'Expert in a Dying Field' proof of mastery.
  9. 9Florence + The MachineThe high priestess of festival headline sets — barefoot, feral, hymn-sized, sprinting the barricade while 'Dog Days' detonates.
  10. 10LordeThe NZ art-pop auteur — brooding, minimal, and generation-defining, back on a headline stage where the whispered verses hit hardest.

Most saved to a plan

The Indie acts people are building a Saturday around.

  1. 1HorsegirlYoung Chicago trio channeling '80s–'90s indie — deadpan harmonies over jangling guitar pop, Sonic Youth homework turned into something their own.
  2. 2Truth ClubRaleigh's own knotty indie rock — trembling, wiry guitars and confessional intensity that snaps from whisper to burst, homegrown and critically adored.
  3. 3Cate Le BonWelsh art-pop's crooked genius — angular, elegant songs bent at fascinating angles, and a home-turf hero on any Welsh bill.
  4. 4Soccer MommyDiaristic indie rock that pairs '90s alt guitar crunch with unguarded, quietly devastating songwriting — Sophie Allison's ache in high fidelity.
  5. 5Cor de LuxOuter Banks post-punk dream-pop — politically charged atmospherics shot through with garage and progressive fury, coastal isolation turned up loud.
  6. 6Dry CleaningDeadpan spoken-word over wiry post-punk — Florence Shaw's found-text poetry delivered motionless while the band churns behind her.
  7. 7King PrincessSwaggering queer pop-rock auteur — torch-song vocals, glam guitar, and arena-sized hooks about messy love, '1950' still the calling card.
  8. 8Lime GardenBrighton's wonky-pop quartet — groove-led indie with a wink, disco basslines under deadpan observations, art-school playfulness with proper hooks.
  9. 9ShameSouth London post-punk's sweatiest live act — communion by mosh, shirtless and crowd-borne by mid-set, 'One Rizla' to now, all sweat.
  10. 10SorryNorth London's warped pop miniaturists — sticky hooks, uncanny angles, songs that sound familiar until they curdle.

All 370 Indie acts

GeeseLordeWet LegThe xxFlipturnSombrAngine de PoitrineCardinalsFontaines D.C.Men I TrustOklouThe StrokesViagra BoysAutomaticDjoFather John MistyFlorence RoadWunderhorseDaniel AllanDel Water GapFreak SlugInterpolJames MarriottMommaMother MotherRachel ChinouririRadio Free AliceThe BethsWestside CowboyAlessi RoseAlice Phoebe LouArcy DriveAshCartelChloe QishaHemlocke SpringsMagdalena BayModest MouseNewDadOld MervsOverpassQuadecaRoyel OtisSmerzSpacey JaneThe All-American RejectsThe Belair Lip BombsThe Last Dinner PartyThird Eye BlindAlgernon CadwalladerBar ItaliabeabadoobeeBØRNSCourtney BarnettDanny ElfmanDry CleaningFinn WolfhardGelli HahaGurriersHannah CohenHorsegirlJapanese BreakfastLambrini GirlsLucy DacusMalcolm ToddMandy, IndianaMelvinsML BuchMolly TuttleMotion City SoundtrackNoah CyrusPassion PitPrewnRilo KileyShow Me The BodyStereolabThe BeachesThe CureThe FormatThe KVBThe War on DrugsThis Is LoreleiTyler BallgameYard ActYHWH NailgunAaron Lee TasjanAdam AntAlex Galmost mondayAngel Du$tAnnie DiRussoAtarashii Gakko!Bandits On The RunBen HowardBilly NomatesBlondshellBlossomsBuzzcocksCarolineChalkChanel BeadsClaire RosinkranzDagmar ZunigaDavid ByrneDeath Cab for Cutiedexter in the newsagentDon WestDope LemonDylan John ThomasEggyFKA TwigsFlorence + The MachineFlowerovloveFoster the PeopleFranz FerdinandFrikoGlomGood NeighboursGreg FreemanJames KJehnny BethJoyce ManorJust MustardKim GordonKing PrincessLes Big ByrdLime GardenLos RetrosMac DeMarcoMorrisseynatalie jinjuNell MescalOK GoPortugal. The ManRacing Mount PleasantRatboysRyan BeattySaint EtienneSamiaShameShe's greenΣtellaSugarSusanna HoffsSylvan EssoTeen Jesus and the Jean TeasersTeen MortgageThe Flaming LipsThe K'sThe LathumsThe LibertinesThe SnutsThe Two LipsThe UndertonesTurnoverUltra LightsWilcoWILLISxaviersobased999A Place to Bury StrangersAJRAldous HardingAlex AmorAlly EvensonAmerican FootballAnna CalviAnthony Green & The Boom Done BandAnuv JainAu Pairsbad juujuBASICBeach BunnyBeans on ToastBear Vs. SharkbedrumorBen KwellerBig ThiefBlack Leather JesusBob NannaBow Wow WowBrigitte Calls Me BabyBriston MaroneyBuck SwopeBucketheadCarolina DuranteCate Le BonCeremonyChat PileCheap TrickClap Your Hands Say YeahConnan MockasinCor de LuxCUCCICurrent JoysDaisyheadDANY KISSDeb NeverDegenerative SynthesisDehdDevoDikembeDowsersEaves WilderEcho & The BunnymenElio MeiEmperor XfanclubwalletFastballFeeble Little HorseFlock Of DimesFlorencia & the FeelingFORAGERFrances ChangFrench PoliceGang of YouthsGeezerGeneGigi PerezGoogly EyesGooseGouge AwayGrandaddyGreet Deathhalf•aliveHayley WilliamsHey MercedesHiding PlacesHome FrontHotline TNTHoundmouthHovvdyI.U.D.IceageIDLESIlliterate LightIsyana SarasvatiJamie TJeffery LewisJeffrey Lewis & The VoltageJejuneJohn Francis FlynnJoy OladokunKaiser ChiefsKilo KishKiran LeonardKiwi jr.Kombynat RobotronLa MoscaLandownerLene LovichLiz CooperLiz PhairLong ReliefLowertownLucille KlementLyn LapidMacsealMadison CunninghamMallratMarianas TrenchMarmozetsmary in the junkyardMauve DecadeMC Yallah & DebmasterMedicine Singers with Lee Ranaldo & Yonatan GatMelt-BananaMemorialsMilkweedMinus the BearMitskiMJ LendermanModern EnglishMogwaiMolchat DomaMore EazeMotocrossedMØTRIKMozart EstateNara's RoomNick Cave & The Bad SeedsNILENine DaysOHYUNGOrla GartlandOtoboke BeaverPalacePatois CounselorsPavementPeach PitPearl & The OystersPeder MannerfeltPenetrationPhantom PlanetPillow QueensPretty BabyPretty Girls Make GravesProstituteProvokerPublic Image Ltd.PunchlineRex Orange CountyRitt MomneyRostamRubella BalletSaint MotelSara ParkmanScott YoderSextileShagwüfSharp PinsShe & HimShe Wants RevengeSilverbacksSir ChloeSkidsSLACKINGSlingshot DakotaSnail MailSoccer MommySophie's BodySorcha RichardsonSorrySparksSpear of DestinySpiritual CrampSpizz EnergiSpoilsSpoonSquareheadSqueezeStiff Little FingersSupercomboSusannah JoffeSUSTO StringbandSWISH BLADETemper CityThe AcademicThe AuxiliaryThe BoysThe Brook & The BluffThe ChameleonsThe ClauseThe Early NovemberThe Frank and WaltersThe Front BottomsThe GodfathersThe MobThe MossThe PrimitivesThe Psychedelic FursThe SoundsThe Temper TrapThe WrecksTheatre of HateThese Charming MenThomas DollbaumThumperTopsTruth ClubUK DecayUnknown Mortal OrchestraVictoria VictoriaWallowsWeatherdayWestermanWild NothingWolf ParadeYung Lean x BladeeYves Tumor

Indie festivals: common questions

What festivals have the most Indie in 2026?

Austin City Limits 2026 (17 Indie acts), The Fest 2026 (11 Indie acts), Corona Capital 2026 (10 Indie acts). We count the acts on each published lineup rather than going by how a festival bills itself, so this is the depth of the actual Indie booking.

Where can I see Indie live in 2026?

16 festivals still to come have Indie on the bill. The next is Aftershock 2026, October 1–4, 2026 at Discovery Park, Sacramento, CA, with 3 Indie acts playing.

Which Indie artists are playing the most festivals in 2026?

Geese (16), Lorde (14), Wet Leg (12), The xx (9), Flipturn (8). Counted per festival across the whole season, finished bills included.

How many Indie acts are playing festivals in 2026?

370 Indie acts appear on the lineups we track, across 16 festivals still to come. Each one has a page with its dates, stages and set times wherever the festival has published them.

Other genres

EDM (349)Alternative (295)Punk (277)Rock (249)Pop (245)Hip-Hop (236)House (216)Metal (205)Folk and Americana (183)R&B and Soul (153)Country (141)Hardcore (120)Dubstep and Bass (119)Techno (109)Bluegrass (74)Emo (58)Latin (53)Shoegaze and Dream Pop (47)Trance (44)Psychedelic (34)Jazz (31)Blues (26)Drum & Bass (25)Hardstyle and Hard Dance (24)Reggae and Dancehall (23)

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