On the Beach 2026: eight nights on the seafront

Brighton's seafront has just come off the back of its biggest summer event, and On the Beach has once again left the beach looking a little different than it did in June. The festival, which has been running since 2021 and picked up 'Best Location' at the Skiddle Awards, spread its sixth edition across eight nights and two weekends in late July, from Thursday 16 July to Sunday 26 July, all along Madeira Drive.

The first weekend belonged to Fatboy Slim, who anchored four nights in a row. Thursday 16 July opened with his 'Big Beach Boutique 7' set, backed by Seth Troxler, Derrick Carter, CC:Disco, Fish56, Octagon, Sasha and Gigi. Friday 17 July paired him with Layo & Bushwacka celebrating 25 years, Nightworks, Kirollus, Dj Paulette, Bimini and Joshua James, while Saturday 25 July leaned into the dancefloor with Ewan McVicar b2b Special Request, HoneyLuv, TSHA, Delilah Aline and Umber. Sunday 19 July rounded off the first half with Groove Armada playing a DJ set, Jayda G, Horse Meat Disco, Simon Pegg and Kuuda.

The second weekend shifted gears towards live bands. Thursday 23 July saw Madness bring their 'Madrophenia' show to the beach, flanked by The Blockheads, The Selecter, Craig Charles and The Beatles Dub Club, and they kept the momentum going on Friday 24 July with David Rodigan and the Hot 8 Brass Band. Saturday 25 July was the indie-rock night, with The Maccabees headlining alongside Editors, Miles Kane, Anna Calvi, Ash, Badly Drawn Boy and Lime Garden. The Maccabees' appearance was particularly notable, given the band only announced their reunion back in October 2024. The whole thing closed on Sunday 26 July with Moby headlining the final day with 'Moby Live 26'.

For anyone who missed it, it's worth knowing who you missed. Fatboy Slim, the Bromley-born Norman Cook, has been a fixture of the big beat scene since he took the name in 1995. Madness, the Camden ska outfit formed in 1976, hit their stride between 1980 and 1986 and have been a British institution ever since. The Maccabees, formed in London in 2004, are Orlando Weeks, Felix White, Hugo White, Rupert Jarvis and Sam Doyle, and their reunion show was one of the weekend's biggest talking points. And Moby, born Richard Melville Hall in Harlem, has sold 20 million records worldwide, with albums like Play, 18 and Hotel firmly in the canon.

Eight nights on a beach is a lot of music for one city, and the sheer range of the 2026 bill — from The Blockheads and The Selecter to TSHA and HoneyLuv — is exactly why the festival has grown so quickly since it first landed on Madeira Drive. If you caught any of it, you'll know the site is hard to beat; if you didn't, it's the kind of thing that makes you want to be ready for next year.