Forwards Festival has dropped the first major names on its 2026 line-up, including Little Sims, Amyl and the Sniffers and Wet Leg. So far, it’s setting up to be one of the most exciting late‑summer bills on the UK calendar. Taking over Clifton Downs across the August bank holiday weekend, the festival is doubling down on its reputation for smart curation with high-energy, multi-genre-spanning lineups.
The Bristol-based festival has always pitched itself as a city festival with a conscience, pairing heavyweight headliners with conversations about culture, community and social change. Early signs suggest 2026 will be no different, with the first wave of names balancing chart‑storming success and genre diversity.
For Little Simz, Forwards 2026 appears to be a victory lap. Having already collected a Mercury Prize and BRIT Awards for her generational run of records, Simz has evolved into one of British rap’s most commanding live performers, known for staging that folds orchestral heft into razor‑sharp lyricism. A late‑August headline in Bristol should find her in full control of a catalogue that runs from the widescreen ambition of ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert‘ to the steely minimalism of more recent work.
Wet Leg’s inclusion brings festival‑tailored chaos back to the Downs. The Isle of Wight duo have graduated from viral beginnings to bona fide indie heavyweights, surfing deadpan humour with jagged guitars. They’ve since landed BRIT‑red‑carpet notoriety. With their second album maturing their sound without sanding off their edginess, a Forwards slot promises the kind of mass sing‑along that turns a hillside into a chorus.
On the other end of the spectrum, Australian punks Amyl and the Sniffers are poised to deliver the most feral set of the weekend. Fronted by the endlessly charismatic Amy Taylor, the band’s shows are notorious for ascending into mosh‑pit mayhem, powered by hard-hitting riffs and shout‑along hooks. Their presence fits in perfectly with Forwards’ legacy of loud, physical, cathartic performances that still carry a political charge.
Beyond the marquee names, Forwards has made a habit of threading rising talent and global voices through its lineups, previously hosting everyone from LCD Soundsystem and Loyle Carner to Olivia Dean and Barry Can’t Swim.
Further 2026 headliners announced include Tems and Dijon, who will join Wet Leg as the Friday headliners, marking a tone that swerves from alt‑R&B elegance to intimate indie songwriting. Self Esteem joins Amyl and the Sniffers and Little Simz on Saturday, promising a closing run that stitches together sharp pop theatre alongside punk-rock and heavyweight hip‑hop, making for one of the most exciting closing stretches the Downs has seen yet. Other major names on the latest line-up include Kraftwerk, Goldie, Viagra Boys, Oklou, and Tricky. See the full line-up so far here.
