After a hugely successful debut on Saturday 4 October 2025, Novacaine Festival quickly established itself as a new platform within the UK alternative music scene. The inaugural event was headlined by The Five Hundred, with main support from Bleed Again, alongside a diverse line-up including DACRA, Night Thieves, Reckoner, Broken Empire, and local rising artists Reanimate, Our North, Dead Demons and Ocean Thieves. With the 2025 event coming close to selling out, the festival’s mission was clear from the outset: bring together established touring bands and emerging talent from across the UK while delivering an uncompromising live experience for fans.
Now, Novacaine Festival returns on Saturday 28 November 2026, raising the bar once again!
Headlining the event are post-hardcore heavyweights As Everything Unfolds. The band released their third studio album Did You Ask To Be Set Free earlier this year and continue to build momentum across the alternative scene, with major festival appearances already scheduled including Download Festival.
Joining them as sub-headliners are Tropic Gold, whose explosive rock ’n’ roll energy and rapidly growing fanbase make them a powerful addition to the bill.
Elsewhere, TheCityIsOurs and FOXHAUNT add further weight to the line-up, reinforcing Novacaine’s commitment to pairing established names with ambitious rising artists ready for bigger stages.
More acts will be announced within the coming months. You can already pick up your tickets for the event here!
Event organiser Scott O’Shea said: “First, thank you to everyone who helped turn my dream of launching a music festival into a reality. Our debut show was an incredible night, and the support we’ve seen throughout 2026 has been beyond anything I imagined. None of this would have been possible without the bands, Corporation, and most importantly the fans who showed up and supported the event.
2026 will be the biggest show I’ve put together so far. The aim is not just to grow the festival but to keep creating opportunities for rising artists while giving something back to the community that helped build this. One of our biggest supporters last year was our 2025 compere, Robert Fulton-Hamilton. Rob brought huge energy to the night, introducing every band and conducting interviews throughout the event. Those interviews will feature in upcoming magazine releases, and I’m delighted he’ll be returning in 2026 as our official compere with RJFH Music.”