LONDON -- From The Great Escape's seaside shindig in early May to the epic blowout of Bestival in September, the UK packs in an almost endless number of festivals over the summer.
Some are huge, three day affairs with hundreds of bands on dozens of stages while others offer a more intimate experience.
Cold March days are the perfect time to think about where your time and money is going this summer, so here - in chronological order - are some of our favourites.
Where: Brighton
When: May 14-16
Line-up (includes): Alabama Shakes, Kate Tempest, George The Poet, Django Django, Swim Deep, Neon Waltz
Price: £54.45 for a three-day ticket.
Brighton's answer to SXSW sees practically every pub and club in the city put on gigs for a rabid audience. For a pretty decent price it's a great chance to catch a year's worth of tipped acts and fill up on fish and chips in the process. Don't expect too much sun, though.
Some weekend listening with our newly updated #fdlondon @spotify playlist - http://t.co/WjEH0mJUHF pic.twitter.com/2ClxzkhNyt— Field Day (@fielddaylondon) February 27, 2015
Where: Victoria Park, East London
When: June 6, 7
Line-up: Caribou, Ride, Patti Smith, FKA Twigs, Honne, Rae Morris
Price: £83 for both days
A two day affair in the heart of east London, Field Day is one of the most cutting edge festivals in the city. Next year's stars play alongside a host of acts that will fade into the ether but entertain us in the meantime.
Where: Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight
When: Jun 11-14
Line-up: The Black Keys, Fleetwood Mac, The Prodigy, Paolo Nutini, Pharrell Williams
Price: £195 for the weekend
Festival season proper really kicks off during this weekend in mid-June. While there are no Hells Angels or dawn performances from Jimi Hendrix these days, the modern incarnation of the Isle of Wight Festival still has a lot to offer. It's a relatively compact site in a picturesque part of the country and has managed to book Fleetwood Mac, a band most thought were heading to Glastonbury.
Here's the #DL2015 in full with those 38 lineup additions! Day tickets on sale Friday at 9am: http://t.co/M0AK33uq4D pic.twitter.com/wxAvN1Svzo— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) February 25, 2015
Where: Donington Park, Derby
When: June 12-14
Line-up: Slipknot, Muse, Kiss, Marilyn Manson, Faith No More, Judas Priest
Price: £215 for the weekend
Taking place on the same weekend as Isle of Wight, Download brings the horned hands to the UK festival scene. In the absence of Sonisphere it's the only major hard rock shindig in the UK, and could arguably boast the friendliest punters. This year Kiss will do the honours on the Sunday night and Muse will give them a run for their money in the theatrical bombast stakes.
It's true! @thestrokes are coming to @Barclaycard Presents BST Hyde Park on 18th June! YES YES YES! #TheStrokes pic.twitter.com/nFu82qNTQr— BST Hyde Park (@BSTHydePark) March 2, 2015
Where: Hyde Park, London
When: Various dates in June
Line-up: The Strokes, Taylor Swift, Blur, The Who, Kylie
Price: Varies but they start from £53
This one's barely a festival - more a series of gigs in a London park masquerading as something more - and tickets are structured around an awful series of levels of VIP-ness, but, no doubt, they've paid top dollar for the likes of The Strokes and Taylor Swift.
Where: Worthy Farm, Somerset
When: June 24-28
Line-up: Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Pharrell, The Chemical Brothers, Rudimental, Clean Bandit, Run The Jewels and loads more.
Price: £225 for the whole weekend
The mother of all festivals won't announce its line-up for a while, but while there are always endless bands worth seeing on an almost countless number of stages, Glasto is all about the vibe. Whether it's down the famous rabbit hole, in a hidden glade, or among Shangri-La's lost souls, there are innumerable festival 'moments' to be had.
Where: Strathallan Castle, Perthshire
When: July 10-12
Line-up: Kasabian, The Libertines, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, The Prodigy, David Guetta
Price: £200
Scotland's biggest party is still going strong after 20 years. While the line-up traditionally leans heavily on male guitar bands, there are plenty of surprises to be found and the crowd are among the most dedicated music fans in the country.
Where: Henham Park, Southwold
When: Jul 16-19
Line-up: Alt-J, Portishead, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Price: £195
Set over several acres of Suffolk countryside, Latitude is one of the most beautiful sites in the country and offers a packed program of comedy on top of the music. This year the boutique fest celebrates ten years and is promising two new areas plus swimming in the lake for the first time and hot tubs.
Where: Victoria Park, East London
When: July 17-18
Line-up: TBC
Price: £93 for both days
East London's Victoria Park plays host to Lovebox, which began as a club night organised by Groove Armada. There's a somewhat electronic lean to the line-up and while no-one's been announced yet, they'll undoubtedly pull in some hyped up names. MIA, Chase & Status and The Horrors played last year.
Where: Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
When: Jul 23-26
Line-up: Jungle, Temples, Roots Manuva
Price: £190
The bands are pretty niche but that's besides the point; the operative word in Secret Garden Party is the last one. This year's theme is 'childish things' and organisers are promising a "100-acre toy box of a party". If your idea of a great weekend is a lost weekend, head this way.
Where: Brecon Beacons, Wales
When: Aug 20-23
Line-up: St Vincent, Hot Chip, Goat, Mew, The Staves
Price: £165 plus booking fee
The Brecon Beacons play host to one of the UK's more gentle weekenders, which leans heavily on folk and indie bands and draws in a dedicated crowd.
Where: Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, South Staffordshire
When: Aug 22-23
Line-up: Calvin Harris, Kasabian, Sam Smith, Tom Jones, Stereophonics, Paloma Faith
Price: TBC
V Festival attracts some criticism for its heavy branding and relatively benign atmosphere, but it's a safe, well-organised weekender that takes place at two locations simultaneously, with a typically strong line-up, and a great intro to the festival circuit.
Where: Richfield Avenue Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds
When: Aug 28-30
Line up: Mumford & Sons, Metallica, Libertines,The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me!, Alt J, Bring Me The Horizon
Price: £213 for a weekend ticket
Few festivals cram as many bands into such a small space and over such a short timeframe. Whether you're at the Reading site or up in Leeds, with some careful planning and friends willing to jump between stages, you can see an enormous number of bands for your money. Granted, most of them will be male dominated and heavy, but if that's your thing they don't come much better.
Hello March! 26 Sundays until @libertines / @metallica take to the Main Stages at #randl15 pic.twitter.com/gBkE4B4REt— Reading & Leeds Fest (@OfficialRandL) March 1, 2015
Where: Larmer Tree Gardens, Salisbury
When: Sep 4-6
Line-up: The War on Drugs, Tame Impala, Sufjan Stevens, Future Islands, My Morning Jacket, Django Django, Pond
Price: £195 for the weekend
A much more intimate affair that combines music with literature, comedy and films, End of the Road has booked a decent array of mid-size indie bands and features a bunch of peacocks as a bonus.
Where: Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight
When: Sept 10-13
Line-up: The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Duran Duran, Jungle, Jurassic 5, Todd Terje, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Price: £195 for the weekend
Rob da Bank's eccentric end-of-summer blowout has perfected the quirky festival formula: a diverse range of acts, carefully chosen films screened in the forest and a fancy dress day that sees most of the site put in a lot of effort. It's since been replicated in a smaller form at Camp Bestival and is even making the jump over the pond to Canada this year, but the original remains the best. This year's dress theme is 'Summer of Love'.