Harry Styles to Curate Meltdown Festival With James Murphy and Dev Hynes

Harry Styles has been named the curator for the 2026 Meltdown Festival, a multi-genre event scheduled to take place from June 11 to June 21 at London’s Southbank Centre. The festival will feature a diverse lineup of performers selected by Styles, who will also headline the event with a performance supporting his new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.

The Meltdown Festival is an annual tradition at the Southbank Centre where a prominent artist is tasked with curating a series of performances. Past curators have included figures such as David Bowie, Patti Smith, Scott Walker, Robert Smith, Grace Jones, and most recently, UK rapper Little Simz.

Lineup and Performance Details

The 2026 program includes a wide range of jazz, experimental, and pop artists. Warpaint is scheduled to open the festival on June 11 at the Royal Festival Hall, which will be the band’s only live appearance of the year. Other performers appearing during the opening weekend include Stephen Fretlow, Ninajirachi, and a collaborative performance by Shabaka Hutchings with special guests.

Saxophonist Kamasi Washington is set to perform two unique sets on June 14. One performance will feature his 2023 album Fearless Movement in its entirety, while the second will consist of reinterpretations of works by Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

The second week of the festival will feature performances from Erika De Casier, Foushée, Nilüfer Yanya, Getdown Services, and Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke. Beverly Glenn-Copeland is also on the bill. On June 19, Orlando Weeks will perform his only solo live show of 2026.

The final weekend features Yussef Dayes at the Royal Festival Hall and Jon Hopkins, who will perform improvised sets alongside Leo Abrahams and Maddie Ashman. James Murphy, the frontman of LCD Soundsystem, will perform a late-night DJ set in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer on June 20.

Devonté Hynes will perform under the name Devonté Hynes Ensemble, featuring musicians Cæcilie Trier, Adam Tendler, and Tariq Al-Sabir. This ensemble will perform new compositions that blend experimental and classical arrangements with contemporary composition.

Additional artists included in the lineup are Bar Italia and the Devonté Hynes Ensemble.

Venue and Programming

Performances will be distributed across three primary venues at the Southbank Centre: the Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Royal Festival Hall. While most shows are currently scheduled, the specific date for Harry Styles’ headlining performance has not yet been announced.

Beyond the ticketed concerts, the festival will include a free program of participatory events. This will consist of family workshops, outdoor performances, and appearances by non-musical artists who are favorites of Styles.

Music is my life. Every artist involved in this year’s Meltdown festival means so much to me, both as a fan, and a musician. It’s a true honour to host legends who have paved the way for the generations that follow them, as well as new acts that have inspired me to push my creative boundaries.

Harry Styles

Mark Ball, the artistic director of the Southbank Centre, stated that the breadth of the lineup reflects Styles’ wide-ranging passions and curiosity about music across different generations and genres.

Ticketing and Related Events

Tickets for the festival will be available through a pre-sale for Southbank members starting April 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. GMT. General public ticket sales will begin on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. GMT via the official Southbank Centre website.

The 2026 Meltdown coincides with the Southbank Centre’s 75th birthday celebration. Other events in this anniversary year include the London Literature Festival from October 21 to November 1, which will be curated by Dua Lipa.

Separately, Styles is preparing for a world tour consisting of various residencies. This run, titled Together, Together, will begin with shows in Amsterdam and include a series of concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium that align with the dates of Meltdown. He is also scheduled to perform a series of sets at Madison Square Garden in New York in late August 2026.