Festival line-ups you might have missed: Afro Nation, Pavilion, Iceland Eclipse

Welcome to Mixmag’s round-up of festival line-ups you might have missed this week

Forbidden Forest locks in Arcadia Spider for UK festival exclusive in 2026

Forbidden Forest has revealed a one-off UK festival exclusive for its tenth anniversary edition in 2026, with the iconic Arcadia Spider landing at the Leicestershire event, which takes place across June 4 to 7 at Belvoir Castle.

Arcadia is known for its 360 multi-sensory experience, which places a DJ in the middle of a mechanical spider surrounding by spectacular lasers and fire jets. It’s also constructed from 95% recycled materials, repurposing materials such as former UK Government security scanning machines and the thrust units from Rolls Royce jet engines into a unique dancefloor production. 

James Cohen, Owner of Forbidden Forest Festival, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to bring the legendary Arcadia Spider to Forbidden Forest in 2026. It’s a huge year for us marking our tenth chapter and the addition of this masterpiece is sure to make it unforgettable - not just for us as promoters, but for every single person who’ll witness the scale of this industrial behemoth.”

Arcadia Founders Pip Rush and Bert Cole said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of Forbidden Forest next year to celebrate its tenth anniversary. The unique festival site feels like a natural environment for the Spider and we are whole-heartedly looking forward to working with the team on this huge debut.”

Chris Stussy has been confirmed as a headliner for Forbidden Forest 2026, with more announcements coming in Autumn and ticket sales going live in November.

Find more info here

Oslo’s Øya Festival reveals new names for 2026 edition

Øya Festival, which takes place annually at Tøyen Park in Oslo, has revealed that its 2026 edition will go ahead from August 12 - 16 next year, with the first two names now unveiled: The Cure and Amyl & The Sniffers.

“Super excited with this first announcement, as The Cure has been one of my favourite bands since I was a teenager, and they keep on delivering mesmerising shows,” says Claes Olsen, Founder of Øya Festival. “Amyl and her band will also be a blast”.

For more info and tickets, click here

Portugal’s Afro Nation reveals 2026 line-up with Tyla, Wizkid, and more

Afro Nation has revealed its return to Portimão in The Algarve, Portugal, next year between July 3 - 5, bringing with it a “star-studded” line-up.

The first names revealed for next year’s edition include Asake, Tyla, Wizkid, Focalistic, Gunna, Madumane, Niska, Olamide, Darkoo, and more.

For more info and tickets, click here

Second-wave line-up announced for Iceland Eclipse Festival

Even more artists are set to descend on Iceland in August 2026 for a once-in-a-lifetime festival beneath the final total eclipse in Iceland until 2196. 

New additions to the line-up, include Imogen Heap, TRPTYCH, East Forest, Arc De Soleil, Reggie Watts and many more.

The festival will be set within Hellissandur’s glaciers, volcanic craters, beaches, and waterfalls and limited to just 3,333 guests, so all attendees can experience the celestial wonder in an intimate setting.

For more info and tickets, click here.

Ewan McVicar locks in Carl Cox and MK as headliners for Pavilion Festival 2026 

Ayr-born DJ and producer Ewan McVicar will once again be bringing his Pavillion Festival to his hometown next year, with dance music legends Carl Cox and MK taking on headline slots.  

The festival will kick off at Ayr Beach on Saturday, May 2 with Ewan McVicar & Pals, which will be headed up by Detroit legend MK – while Sunday, May 3 will be a STREET-RAVE affair with Carl Cox at the helm. 

Further line-up details will be announced in the coming months.

For more info and tickets, click here.