2026 in British music

See also: Timeline of musical events

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

This is a summary of the year 2026 in British music .

Events

January

• 1 January – Radio X listeners have voted the Wolf Alice single "The Sofa" as their Record of the Year for 2025 in the station's annual poll of music for the year. ^[1]

February

• 28 February – The 2026 Brit Awards are scheduled to be held at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, the first time in the ceremony's history that it will be held outside London. ^[2]

March

• 13–15 March – The 2026 C2C: Country to Country festival is scheduled to take place at the The O2 Arena in London, OVO Hydro in Glasgow, and SSE Arena in Belfast, headlined by Zach Top, Keith Urban, and Brooks & Dunn. ^[3]

June

• 27 June–1 July – A new music festival, the Blenheim Palace Festival, is scheduled to be held in Oxfordshire. ^[4]

July

• 23–26 July – The WOMAD Festival returns after a year's hiatus with the festival now based at Neston Park Estate near Corsham, Wiltshire. ^[5]

August

• 1–8 August – The National Eisteddfod of Wales will be held in Llantwd, Pembrokeshire. ^[6]
• 12–16 August – The 2026 Boomtown Festival is scheduled to take place in Hampshire. Acts include Kneecap, Madness, Scissor Sisters, Faithless, The Vengaboys and Groove Armada. ^[7]

Charts and sales

Number-one singles

The singles chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
1 January	"Last Christmas"	Wham!	92,580	[8]
8 January	"Where Is My Husband!"	Raye	43,910	[9]

Number-one albums

The albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
1 January	Christmas	Michael Bublé	20,818	[10]
8 January	The Art of Loving	Olivia Dean	16,903	[11]

Number-one compilation albums

The compilation albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Chart sales	References
1 January	KPop Demon Hunters	10,673	[12]
8 January		11,111	[13]

Deaths

• 2 January – Tony Carr, 98, Maltese session drummer and percussionist (CCS, Hot Chocolate). ^[14]
• 5 January – Andrew Bodnar, 71, English bass guitarist (The Rumour) and songwriter ("I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass"). ^[15] (death announced on this date)

See also

• 2026 in British radio
• 2026 in British television
• 2026 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2026

References

1. "Wolf Alice named Radio X record winner". Radio Today. 1 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
2. Paterson, Colin (8 June 2025). "Brit Awards to leave London for Manchester after 48 years". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
3. "Ty Myers joins C2C 2026 main stage as CMA Spotlight Stage artists also revealed". 31 October 2025.
4. Gudge, Ethan (10 November 2025). "Katy Perry, Teddy Swims and Pete Tong to headline Blenheim Palace Festival". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
5. Crane, Ross (30 October 2025). "WOMAD: Popular Wiltshire music festival reveals new home for 2026". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
6. Ian Lewis (19 May 2025). "More than 1,000 people attend Narberth proclamation ceremony ahead of 2026 National Eisteddfod". InYourArea. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
7. Waple, Katie (28 October 2025). "Boomtown festival 2026 line-up announced". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
10. "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
11. "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
12. "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
13. "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
14. Tony Carr, Maltese jazz drummer to the stars, dies aged 98
15. Henk, Kremer (5 January 2026). "Bassist Andrew Bodnar (o.a. Graham Parker & The Rumour) overleden". hitzound.com. Retrieved 6 January 2026.