For many musos, Rockaway Beach Festival is the best way to kick off the New Year. This indoor Boutique Music Festival features a sparkling core of iconic legends and a handpicked array of cutting-edge, emerging artists. It’s one of the best places to see your next favourite band before they hit the big time.
For three days and nights in January ’28 Rockaway Beach festival returns to the seaside arcades of Butlin’s Bognor Regis, to launch the new year in style. Known for its intimate atmosphere and sharp curation, the festival once again blends legendary names with the most exciting new talent across a packed programme.
Rockaway heave just announced the first wave of the 2026 lineup, featuring Public Image Ltd, Dry Cleaning, The Moonlandingz, alongside Baggio, Bruise Control, Ellur, The Members, Spielmann, TV Smith, We Hate You Please Die, Y, and 6music DJ Chris Hawkins. With many more names, including two headliners, still to announce.
Rockaway founder Ian Crowther says, “It’s hard to overstate just how vital Public Image Ltd have been in shaping alternative music. From the moment they emerged, they’ve pushed boundaries — musically, visually, politically. Having them at Rockaway Beach feels like welcoming a cornerstone of post-punk history to the festival. It’s somebody we’ve wanted to book for a few years now. There’s a defiance and rawness in what they do that aligns so naturally with the spirit of Rockaway. It’s an ongoing, uncompromising force, and we’re incredibly proud to have them join us.”
This January Rockaway Beach launched a brand new stage at the Butlin’s site – Studio 36. Headliners will once again appear in this new venue boasting a state of the art sound and visual experience. Despite this upgrade though, capacity of the festival will remain the same – at around an intimate 3,600 people in total – with over 70% of tickets already sold out.
Also included in the first wave of acts is special guests Dry Cleaning – who bring their razor-sharp, deadpan lyricism and angular post-punk textures to Rockaway Beach for the first time. Since the release of their acclaimed debut New Long Leg and its follow-up Stumpwork, the band have carved out a singular voice in the UK alternative scene — pairing Florence Shaw’s spoken-word delivery with taut, hypnotic instrumentation. Their set promises to be one of the weekend’s most compelling.
Reuniting after several years away, The Moonlandingz are back and bringing with them the genre-defying chaos that made them such a cult sensation to Rockaway for the first time. Known for their surreal storytelling, glam-punk swagger, and boundary-pushing live shows, the band recently dropped new singles including “Roustabout” and “The Sign of a Man,” marking their first new material since 2017’s Interplanetary Class Classics. Expect a deliriously theatrical set from one of the UK’s most brilliantly unhinged live acts.
Joining the bill are rising indie-pop powerhouse Ellur, punk legends The Members, and the ever-defiant TV Smith, bringing decades of energy and attitude to the seaside stage. France’s ferocious We Hate You Please Die will be armed with their blistering garage-punk assault, while new outfit Y make their Rockaway debut — raw, urgent, and already turning heads.
Outside of live music, Rockaway Beach prides itself on having a full programme across the weekend on various stages at Butlin’s, Bognor Regis. Once more there will be Q&As with artists, guest DJs, record signings, a record fair, late-night takeovers, silent discos, and pub quizzes, plus the various attractions of the Butlin’s site itself… all included in your weekend ticket alongside accommodation.
All tickets are booked via Butlin’s, and include three nights accommodation and access to Rockaway Beach – available now from just £99pp all-in at www.rockawaybeach.co.uk. Room rates are based on occupancy, meaning that couples or groups of friends booking into shared accommodation will be cheaper than solo bookers. Room options range from multiple bedroom apartments, and chalets, to various hotel rooms.
For more information on live music weekends at Butlin’s, visit: www.bigweekends.com
