Harry Styles is booked and busy. The singer and actor confirmed he'll be curating and headline the 2026 edition of Meltdown, a music festival at London’s Southbank Centre (which is also the world’s longest-running artist-curated music festival).
The event will take place 11–21 June 2026 and coincides with the 75th anniversary of the iconic riverside venue, which also serves as the central hub for the London Film Festival and the BAFTA Film Awards. Styles will not only oversee the lineup but will also perform a headline concert during the 11-day celebration.
Styles said he is "deeply honoured" to curate the festival during such a milestone year. "My goal as the curator is to share the music and art that I love, and to celebrate the rich history of the venue,” he said, highlighting the Southbank Centre’s long-standing role in making great music accessible to the public.
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How can I buy tickets?
Tickets are not yet on sale. Details have yet to be fully announced, as the lineup for the 2026 festival are still to be revealed.
To be the first to know, the Southbank Centre suggests signing up for their newsletter for up-to-date information as it happens. We'll also keep you updated here.
Given Styles’ recent record-breaking demand – including 30 dates at Madison Square Garden that drew more than 11 million presale applications and a historic 12-night run at Wembley Stadium – tickets for his Meltdown headline performance are expected to sell quickly.
Who will be on the lineup?
The offical lineup will be announced later in spring (i.e. autumn for those in the Southern Hemisphere). But while no other performers have been confirmed yet aside from Styles himself, organisers say the singer plans to draw on his wide-ranging musical influences for the bill, and that he "aims to highlight emerging British talent across a range of genres that have inspired his work, including pop, soul, rock and the underground scene."
Some of our best guesses so far include:
Wet Leg
The English indie rock band from the Isle of Wight supported Styles during his Love On Tour in early 2023, specifically for the Australasian leg and several European dates. The band – founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – were handpicked by Styles to open for him. He said he discovered them through their viral debut single Chaise Longue, and even covered their song Wet Dream during a 2022 BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session. We could very much see a reunion in their futures.
Fleetwood Mac
While a mixed British-American band, they are a massive influence on Styles, with Dreams being the first song he learned the words to, and he has a close, friend-like relationship with Stevie Nicks. The band has also recently sparked reunion rumours, which could culminate in a show in London.
Olivia Dean
Even though there were whispers of a fling, we think Dean and Styles would be a sonic match made in heaven. And with her recent Grammy win, who else is a better fit for a lineup of "emerging British talent"?
Fred again..
This one's a bit of a wild card, but Fred's been touring across Europe for his latest USB project, and – as always – has been making waves while doing it. Given Styles has been leaning into more of the electronic music for this upcoming album, perhaps the British DJ was on his recent playlist?
What exactly is Meltdown festival?
It's one of the UK’s most anticipated annual music events, having run annually since 1993. Each year, for ten straight days across each of Southbank's venues, a a guest artist is invited to curate the lineup – and Meltdown has a history of high-profile curators, including Little Simz in 2025, as well as past editions led by Robert Smith, Grace Jones (who's about to play in Australia) and Nile Rodgers.
The festival has become famed for offering exclusive collaborations and intimate, once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences. So the anticipation is palpable for what Styles will bring to the table in 2026. Here's what we know so far.
