Dialled In London Returns for Fifth Birthday
Marking their 5th Birthday, Dialled In today (Wednesday February 25, 2026) confirm that Dialled In London will return on Saturday, 30th May 2026, taking place across multiple venues in East London.
After a year away from home turf, the festival returns - reimagined across Dalston, stretching from day into night and theatre into club. It reconnects long-standing community collaborators while unlocking new spaces the team has been eager to activate. Expect the same unmistakable spirit - louder, freer and expanded - with more room for expression, experimentation and creativity across the arts.
The festival unfolds across new and iconic venues and community spaces including Café OTO, Dalston Den, The Devine, EartH, Marquee Moon, Rio Cinema, Shacklewell Arms, and Total Refreshment Centre.
Dialled In remains deeply international, with artists travelling from across both diasporic and South Asian countries and cities - reflecting both London and Dialled In’s role as a global meeting point for South Asian culture.
Boundary-pushing live artists including Lifafa, Sarathy Korwar and Gayathri Krishnan lead the festival bill. Lifafa, frontman of Peter Cat Recording Co., makes his London debut. Sarathy Korwar returns having appeared at both the first and third editions, and now playing the sixth - a full-circle moment in its own right - while rising star Gayathri Krishnan delivers a rare London live set.
Alongside these names, Baria, former member of The xx, makes her first return to the London festival circuit in fifteen years, bringing entirely new material. Raf Reza travels from Canada for a live set following a standout performance at Field Maneuvers. Mya Mehmi - a member of Pxssy Palace - debuts the evolved live show she first unveiled at Maiden Voyage. EXCISE DEPT, the most intriguing new act coming out of India, brings their live show to the festival, alongside Gayathri Krishnan, an LA-based singer-songwriter making her UK debut fresh off a viral COLORS performance.
They are joined across the live programme by AMEENAH, AMVN, Dhol Academy, Dholi Vish, HASZNAT, Muslim Shaggan, and Sarathy, each reflecting different strands of contemporary South Asian live performance, from experimental electronic and alternative pop to percussive traditions and forward-thinking hybrid sounds.
To celebrate their milestone, Dialled In brings back Anish Kumar — first given a DJ set by Dialled In in 2022, he now returns as a Dalston mainstay on a bigger stage, embodying the growth the platform was built to nurture. He’s joined by Ahadadream, Dialled In co-founder whose recent collaboration with Skrillex and Raf Saperra, “Bass Dhol” went viral. Genre-spanning selectors including Izzi b2b Mithun and Seth De Silva, representing the breadth of club sounds shaping contemporary dancefloors.
Across the wider DJ line-up, artists including G33, Malix, VNEE and Jhumka bring deep-digging global club sounds to the festival, with BamBoy delivering his incomparable roadshow set and up-and-coming selectors like Amil Raja and মm. add to the club-forward offering. Honiunhoni Records take over part of the programme with Muslim Shaggan as well as Tony & Billa, while a vinyl-only stage hosts sets from Digging in India, Naya Beat and Sway of the Verses alongside a two-hour chutney soca special from Tash LC. Rising star and BBC Asian Network resident, Kizzi brings her party series ‘Kizzi and Friends’ for a takeover featuring friends and collaborators for a 3 hour special. Asian Paper, one of the hottest new collectives in London, are also confirmed for what is due to be a stand out set. Emerging artists including ROHiNA, Harpriya and Anil reflect the depth of new talent across experimental, club and international electronic scenes.
Comedy - with yet to be named acts - is introduced to the programme for the first time this year, alongside the festival’s continued expansion into food, film, dance and interdisciplinary programming. There will also be a vinyl fair and shop at Total Refreshment Centre where people can dig deep into people’s collections.
Founded to celebrate the depth and diversity of alternative South Asian music and culture, Dialled In has grown into a wider platform spanning live events, artist development and a not-for-profit - creating spaces where communities connect and new ideas take root, shaping what contemporary culture looks and sounds like.
Following a landmark year of international touring, residencies and a sold-out Barbican show, Dialled In London 2026 once again transforms East London into a multi-venue celebration of global, community-driven culture.
At its core, Dialled In is about creating public, communal spaces that feel open, accessible and rooted in the city. This year’s edition is about scale without losing intimacy, and internationalism without losing community - bringing different parts of the South Asian ecosystem naturally side by side. This is the first wave of announcements with more guests and special acts to be announced.