Something to look forward to: The hottest tickets of 2026 (so far)
For those in the gloomy hemisphere, late afternoon comes around and brings complete and utter pitch blackness, such that the idea of dragging yourself out of the house into the cold evening isn’t too appealing, even if tickets to a great gig call your name.
Really, there are only two potential courses of action to take: you can either go all in on Christmas, obsessively blasting jolly tunes into your ear in the hopes that some of the optimism might rub off on you, or you can fall into fantasy, closing your eyes and leave winter behind to instead daydream about happier times, like the lighter, brighter 2026, and the gigs you could go to and the summer festivals that will come round quicker than you think.
Next year has an unlikely benefit that makes it even more appealing. In the fallow year that wipes Glastonbury out of the calendar, it typically means that all the other events level up as they’re not fighting against the booking big dog, meaning that even more smaller-scale events get even bigger names.
Group chats everywhere are buzzing with plans being formulated for something to look forward to, whether it’s a trip to End of the Road to catch Pulp, a decision to go see Deftones in a park in London, or talks about booking a hotel somewhere sunny, combining a festival outing and a holiday into one.
When the cold dark of winter settles in, there’s no better time to start fantasising about what’s to come, looking ahead to some of the hottest tickets for 2026 and most exciting events to provide a boost to a seasonal bad mood.
The hottest tickets for 2026 (so far)
March 2026: Geese European tour
Since the time Geese announced their Getting Killed promotional tour, everything has changed. The band already had a swarming cult following after years upon years of building it up, but the release of their third album has sent everything into complete overdrive.
It meant that their shows at the tail end of this year were not just sold out, but were uber sold out as new fans desperately tried to get themselves an in. When the band then announced some rare shows at London’s George Tavern, one of the few entries into the 150-capacity pub became perhaps the hottest ticket of 2025.
However, while 2026 brings new opportunities, as already, the band is set to finish their current tour in Europe in March, the bad news is that it’s completely sold out. That means that if you are a lucky ticket holder, there is something exciting to live for, but if you’re not, don’t fear and simply pray one of your friend’s friends gets sick the day before and can’t make it and offers up their ticket, or pray the more realistic prayer that the band will hopefully do a round two in 2026 as the spotlight stays shining on them.
June 12th: CMAT’s Lido festival takeover
Even just thinking about the rise of CMAT puts a smile on my face. On one of her earliest breakout singles, ‘I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby’, the Irish artist sang of her desire to make it, to step out of the shadows of her male peers, and now, here she is.
With the release of her third album, Euro-Country, she climbed up to new and lofty heights in 2025. ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ was spinning worldwide, while the political power bridge of the titular track reminded people of the type of artist she’s always been; one that is bold, outspoken and sharp in her lyricism. Add on top of that the word-of-mouth power of years of fans buzzing over just how fun a CMAT gig is, and it’s really no wonder that her venue sizes have been scaling up fast.
It’s always amazing to see an event take a chance on someone: it is easier and safer for them to book sure bets of already big names, but instead of doing that, Lido are offering CMAT the chance to level up from being a Victoria Park support slot to taking over the whole thing. Headlining her own day festival, the ticket also includes Father John Misty and Sharon Van Etten on a bill so crazy that even the artist herself can’t quite seem to believe it’s real.
July 31st: Nick Cave’s homecoming show in Brighton
“We live by the sea, and I walk along the front to work. It takes seven minutes, and it’s the nicest part of the day,” Nick Cave said to The Times back in 2003, talking through his daily routine. At the time, he and his family had just moved to Brighton, making a home in a townhouse painted almost entirely pink.
Outside, the sea air proved cleansing as he added, “I love the English seaside, with all its pebbled beaches and manicured lawns”.
To him, Brighton was a perfect place to be creative, noting later on, “I find that I can come back to Brighton and kind of hunker down there”, still drawn back even when they’d moved away. The city afforded him a lot, finding its way into the music on ‘Jubilee street’ and holding him as he wrote Push The Sky Away and later Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen, both grieving the loss of his son Arthur, who died there.
As a place of huge significance in the artist’s career, naturally, a sort of homecoming show is a big deal. Cave has played plenty of big outdoor shows, but in 2026, the event he’s putting on in Preston Park, alongside the promise of friends and special guests, will no doubt feel like a pilgrimage for fans as much as for the artist himself.
August 6th – 9th : Øyafestivalen boasts the best lineup in Europe
If there’s one thing I’m an advocate for, it’s going on holiday to a festival, and the set-up of European festivals makes it ideal. Typically, events over there don’t start until the late afternoon, meaning that as long as your drinking the night before wasn’t too insane, you still get the day to do whatever touristy thing you want early on, and then, in the afternoon, you can go see The Cure.
Or you can, if you go to Øya. Already, Oslo is a perfect summer destination, offering a perfect balance of city and nature, calm culture and chaos. You can stay out late at a bar like Revolver and then wake up and cure the hangover at one of the many floating saunas on the water, dashing it away in a cold plunge. In 2026, you could go see the famous Scream painting and then go scream to Nick Cave, or Geese, or CMAT, or Amyl and the Sniffers.
Boasting one of the best lineups announced so far and then bolstered by the city that inhabits it and the various incredible social and environment schemes it supports, Øya is an ideal shout if you want to go to a festival and also make it a good holiday.
Oasis round two?
While Oasis claims to have wrapped up their comeback, all signs are pointing towards an encore. Back when the tour was first announced, the first clue was a cryptic all-caps tweet from Liam Gallagher. Lately, he’s been online again, first declaring “it’s CHRISTMAS”, then “Cmon you fuckers let’s have it”, and then finally, “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT IMMINENT”.
Meanwhile, over in Manchester, a mysterious mural is being hidden, leading fans to speculate if whatever Gallagher is teasing is painted on that wall.
Since the reunion began, one word has been on everyone’s lips: Knebworth. As the brothers make up, fans are thinking that surely they should go back and rechristen the hallowed ground of their infamous 1996 gig. There’s nothing set in stone yet, but if it is the case that the band announce a Knebworth gig, or even just another jaunt touring around the world, they’ll once again become the hottest and hardest to get ticket around.
