Field Day 2026: Floating Points, Honey Dijon & Joy Orbison

Without the usual pre-Glastonbury hype and speculation, the build up to this summer’s festival season has felt strangely understated and muted, with this weekend almost sneaking up unannounced on this ill-prepared middle aged raver who was still firmly cocooned in thoughts of DIY projects and canal boat holidays until the unseasonably tropical weather reared its head.  But thankfully the arrival of the blue skies, sun and baking heat quickly changed that, shook off the cobwebs, and reintroduced a slither of hedonistic intention just in time for this year’s edition of Field Day.

I made it onto site relatively early and raced over to the Pavillion tent, just in time for Anish Kumar - a DJ perfectly qualified to kick off any day rave in style.  The rising star of genre-blending understood his brief perfectly, laying down deliciously uncomplicated disco, bollywood, funk, soul and house to create the ideal soundtrack to ease people into the day.  He stuck to an upbeat but easy tempo with tight mixes in abundance - and just the right amount of eclecticism - ensuring nobody expended too much energy in the almost oppressive heat.  It definitely left me wanting more in the best possible way (and really whetted my appetite for his upcoming residency at Phonox).

Wanting to make the most of the sunshine, my crew and I headed down to the main stage for the second half of Swimming Paul’s set.  Having taken a shine to a number of his melodic releases over the last couple of years, I was really looking forward to his set - but, unfortunately, was left feeling a little disappointed.  Sure, it’s fun to have a bit of a bop around with your mates in the sun to dance classics, uncomplicated basslines and predictable melodies.  Paul certainly looked like he was having a really great time, as were hordes of others everywhere I could see in the crowd.  But - for me at least - it was a bit of instantly forgettable fun, and left me wishing i’d stuck with Anish until the bitter end.  

Maybe the expectation of something greater was my downfall.  With Nimino, I knew exactly what was coming.  The young producer has crafted a reputation in recent years for creating hugely accessible, infectiously catchy, borderline poppy tracks, and his first appearance on the Field Day main stage encapsulated that aesthetic perfectly.  His set was light, bouncy and fun, weaving his biggest hits and remixes throughout to make it feel distinctively his.  Coupled with a plethora of well choreographed cute video graphics, it left me feeling like I might have inadvertently floated off into an addictive but entirely wholesome pre-teen friendly video game. 

After a brief pitstop for some shade, hydration and an absolutely delicious Japanese rice bowl, I ventured up the hill to check out The Grove.  I had high hopes, as this was on the site of the stage that hosted all of my favourite sets at last year’s edition and the last two Wide Awake festivals.  I was delighted to find that the stage had undergone a significant upgrade, with impressive video lighting displays added to the poles and ceiling, giving it a real intense nightclub feel.  I was also delighted to catch FOLD - a DJ I’d heard many good things about, but never got round to actually hearing.  What I found was right in my wheelhouse - beautifully curated, intelligent techno-adjacent bangers, infused with little nods towards all kinds of other parts of the electronic music spectrum (and some particularly filthy basslines thrown in just for good measure).  It was engaging, enthralling, energising and enlightening, and felt like a perfect transition from day to night, with FOLD giving the air of an unassuming guide lacking in any pretention or arrogance.  Surprisingly, and regrettably, this was definitely the highlight of my time in The Grove, given the fact I’d only really made the trip up the hill to grab a spot for Joy Orbison.  As should have really been predicted with such a huge name booked in an early evening slot, within minutes the tent was absolutely heaving, the crowds bringing an unbearable heat with them, making it too uncomfortable for this old timer to actually have any fun, and necessitating a very swift exit.

Thankfully, there was another solid gold legend on the main stage, with the screens gleefully and repeatedly announcing the arrival of Honey Fucking Dijon as I returned.  The goddess of house served up the perfect early evening party set - packed with jacking basslines, soulful melodies, and just the right amount of recognisable classics remixed and repackaged with the unique Dijon flavour.  Not content with delivering an absolute masterclass in reputable main stage djing, she also provided the most unexpected and stunning surprise guest appearance of the day.  I’ll venture that nobody present could have foreseen Gabriels singer Jacob Lusk striding out onto stage to perform a note perfect, gleefully delicious rendition of their new collaboration ‘Satisfied’, but that’s exactly what happened - a wonderful cherry on top of a frankly superb set.

As the faders came down, I momentarily contemplated a quick jaunt across site to sample one of the other titans playing that evening - MJ Cole and Andy C - but after a regrettable unplanned adventure, I decided instead to secure a spot down the front of the main stage for the headliner, Floating Points.  I had high expectations, as I always do for any live set by the master of glitchy, experimental, sometimes almost-orchestral electronica - but was also fuelled by quite a lot of trepidation… mainly around how the set would land in a headline slot filled by his polar opposite Peggy Gou last year.  But those fears quickly ebbed away, as we were treated to a sublime set of driving beats, captivating noodling, experimental live visuals (painted by an artist on stage) and featuring more than enough of his recognisable bangers to keep the energy firmly up and the crowd moving.  Weaving through the highlights of extensive back catalogue, Floating Points illustrated exactly why he is held in such esteem at the top of the game, entertaining and experimenting in perfect harmony without putting a foot wrong.  A superb ending to a thoroughly enjoyable start to the summer dancing season… I already can’t wait to do it all again next year!