Record Store Day 2026: your UK guide
Every April, something quietly remarkable happens on the UK’s high streets. Queues form outside independent record shops before they open. People arrive with handwritten lists. Limited pressings sell in minutes. And for one Saturday, the local record shop becomes the most important place in town.
That’s Record Store Day. And on Saturday 18 April 2026, it returns for its 19th year. Here’s everything you need to know — how it started, what to expect this year, and which releases are worth queuing for.
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What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual celebration of independent record shops and vinyl culture. Around 300 independent shops across the UK and Ireland take part, with labels releasing exclusive, limited-edition vinyl pressings available only in-store, on the day, on a first-come-first-served basis. Many shops also host live music, DJ sets, signings and in-store events.
The releases — which span rock, pop, soul, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, classical and folk — are pressed specifically for the event. Some are new recordings. Some are anniversary reissues or previously unreleased material. Some are recordings that have never been on vinyl before. All are exclusive to RSD. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
In 2026, the official UK Ambassador is Olivia Dean, one of the most celebrated British artists of her generation and a genuine record shop devotee. Fifteen of this year’s releases are limited editions in aid of War Child, the event’s Official Charity Partner.
Where it all began
Record Store Day began in the United States in 2007, when a group of independent record shop owners gathered in Baltimore to work out how to keep their businesses alive. Digital downloads were eating into CD sales. Streaming was on the horizon. Vinyl was a relic — in the whole of the United States that year, fewer than a million LPs were sold. The industry consensus was that physical music was finished.
The first official Record Store Day took place on 19 April 2008. Metallica launched the event in California. In the UK, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg helped get it off the ground, with Piccadilly Records in Manchester and Rough Trade in London among the first shops to participate. There were around ten exclusive releases. It was modest. It was enthusiastic. And it worked.
What happened next was one of the most unexpected cultural reversals in recent music history. In the UK alone, fewer than 200,000 vinyl LPs were sold in 2007. By 2025, that figure had reached 7.6 million — the 18th consecutive year of growth, according to the BPI. From under 200,000 to 7.6 million in under two decades. Record Store Day did not cause that revival on its own, but it was the spark.
Now in its 19th year, RSD is a global event involving thousands of stores across dozens of countries. In the UK, it has helped double the number of independent record shops since 2008. For many of those shops, it remains their single biggest trading day of the year.
What to expect on the day
If you’ve never been to a Record Store Day event, here’s how it works.
Find your nearest participating shop
The official Record Store Day store locator covers every participating independent shop across the UK and Ireland. Enter your postcode and it will show you what’s near you.
Find your nearest storeReleases worth knowing about in 2026
Over 540 releases will be available across the full RSD list this year. Here are some of the ones we’re most looking forward to — with a particular eye on UK artists and the genres closest to our heart.
Olivia Dean
Live at the BBC (7-inch)
The 2026 RSD UK Ambassador has become one of the defining voices of British music. This live 7-inch captures Dean at the BBC — a format that suits her warm, soulful sound perfectly. If there’s one release that defines what Record Store Day does best, it’s this: a special recording, a limited pressing, and an artist who genuinely means it.
Blur
Live at the Budokan (LP)
A 30th anniversary live album from one of the great British bands, recorded in Japan at the height of their powers. For anyone who has ever owned a copy of Parklife — or who’s been meaning to — this is the kind of release that makes Record Store Day worth the early start.
Wolf Alice
Play It Out / Midnight Song, Live in LA (7-inch)
Mercury Prize winners, devoted independent record shop supporters, and one of the best British live bands of the past decade. Two live recordings on a limited 7-inch. The kind of release that sells out before most people have finished their morning coffee.
The Last Dinner Party
The Scythe / Second Best, Live From The Pyre (7-inch)
Their debut album was one of the most talked-about records of recent years, and independent shops were a crucial part of how it found its audience. This live 7-inch will be near the top of a lot of lists on 18 April.
Studio One: The Foundation
Soul Jazz Records have repressed this essential compilation from Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd’s legendary Studio One label — the Jamaican imprint that shaped the sound of ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub. The performers include the Heptones, Rita Marley, Freddie McGregor and others, all backed by the Skatalites and Soul Brothers. Repressed on coloured vinyl with Rob Chapman’s original liner notes. For anyone whose interest in vinyl runs through the roots of Jamaican music, this one belongs in the collection.
Ziggy Marley
Brightside (Tuff Gong Worldwide)
Released on Tuff Gong Worldwide — the label founded by Bob Marley in 1965, still operated by the Marley family today. Ziggy Marley’s Brightside is a record that carries the spirit of that legacy forward. If you’re here because of a love of music that runs deeper than chart positions and streaming algorithms, this one will resonate.
War Child releases
War Child is the Official Charity Partner for RSD 2026, with fifteen limited-edition releases contributing proceeds to their work supporting children affected by conflict. Buying any of these is a good reason to queue, and a good reason to feel good about it afterwards.
Something to play it on
Everything you add to your collection on Saturday deserves to be heard properly. Every House of Marley record player includes a built-in phono stage and Bluetooth — ready to connect to your existing speakers or wirelessly, straight out of the box. And every one is built from CNC-milled bamboo: one of the world’s fastest growing plants, produced using a carbon positive process, with a tensile strength that rivals steel. For a brand rooted in the same values that make Record Store Day worth celebrating — craft, sustainability, music that matters — it felt like the only way to build a record player.
The range runs from the Revolution, our entry-level deck, through to the all-in-one Rise Up and Soul Rebel with built-in speakers, including the latter’s under-plinth lighting for when the mood calls for it.
Shop the rangeFrequently asked questions
When is Record Store Day 2026?
Saturday 18 April 2026. Shops typically open from 8am.
How do I find a participating record shop near me?
Use the official store locator at recordstoreday.co.uk/store-locator. It covers all participating independent shops across the UK and Ireland.
Can I buy Record Store Day releases online?
Not on the day itself. All RSD releases are available exclusively in-store, on a first-come-first-served basis, on 18 April. Any remaining stock goes on sale online from participating shops at 8pm on Monday 20 April. Any copies appearing online before then are not from official RSD retailers.
How many copies of each release will my local shop have?
It varies by shop and by title. It’s worth contacting your local participating shop before the day to get a sense of what they’re stocking. There are no guarantees, but being informed is always better than being disappointed.
Is there a limit on how many releases I can buy?
One copy of each release per person. No exceptions.
Who is the 2026 Record Store Day UK Ambassador?
Olivia Dean, one of the most celebrated British artists of recent years and a long-time champion of independent record shops and vinyl culture.
