Festival Fever

It’s that time of year again, August Bank Holiday, when it would be just plain wrong not to be wearing wellies, scoffing magic mushrooms and dancing around in a field to some truly brilliant music.

As well as hundreds of smaller events dotted around the country, today marks the start of two of the UK’s biggest music festivals – Carling Leeds and Reading and TDK Cross Central.

Lucky rockers at the two Carling sites will be treated to, amongst bloody loads more: Iron Maiden (lets hope Shazzer Osbourne’s keeps her paws off the soundsystem this time), Iggy and the Stooges, Pixies and Foo Fighters. And according to Dave Grohl, the event is the highlight of the rock calendar, talking to ITV the Foos star said: “Reading is the ultimate rock festival – there’s none other!”

"If you're a hippy you go to Glastonbury, right? If you're a yuppie you go to V. If you're a rocker you go to Reading.”

TDK Cross Central boasts Goldfrapp, the Magic Numbers, Tom Vek and Lady Sovereign – to name but a few.

If Leeds/Reading is the ultimate in rock then Speke’s Creamfields is surely the UK’s dance supreme, this year's event features Basement Jaxx, Faithless, Plump DJs, LCD Soundsystem and about a million more acts to blow your mind.

Elsewhere, two million revellers are expected to turn up to London’s legendary Notting Hill Carnival.